Spansion Llc.

Cypress Semiconductor Corporation

Longitude Flash Memory Solutions Ltd.

Sandisk Technologies Inc.

Sung-Yong Chung

Zhizheng Liu

Darlene G Hamilton

Yi He

Kuo-Tung Chang

Youseok Suh

Ming Sang Kwan

Xuguang Alan Wang

Ya-Fen Lin

Gulzar Ahmed Kathawala

Yi-Ching Jean Wu

Sung-Chul Lee

Wei Zheng

Nancy S Leong

Guowei Wang

Yugi Mizuguchi

Mark W Randolph

Timothy J Thurgate

Ashot Melik-Martirosian

Sheung-Hee Park

Gabrielle Wing Han Leung

Masaaki Higashitani

Jianmin Huang

Yu Nan Sun

Hidehiko Shiraiwa

Uday Chandrasekhar

Amol Ramesh Joshi

An Chen

Edward Franklin Runnion

Bradley Marc Davis

Yuji Mizuguchi

Yanxia (Emma) Lin

Xianmin Yi

Yanxiang Liu

A memory device is described. Generally, the device includes a string of memory transistors, a source select transistor coupled to a first end of the string of memory transistor and a drain select transistor coupled to a second end of the string of memory transistor. Each memory transistor includes a gate electrode formed adjacent to a charge trapping layer and there is neither a source nor a drain junction between adjacent pairs of memory transistors or between the memory transistors and source select transistor or drain select transistor. In one embodiment, the memory transistors are spaced apart from adjacent memory transistors and the source select transistor and drain select transistor, such that channels are formed therebetween based on a gate fringing effect associated with the memory transistors. Other embodiments are also described.

Gate fringing effect based channel formation for semiconductor device

Methods and structures for forming semiconductor channels based on gate fringing effect are disclosed. In one embodiment, a NAND flash memory device comprises multiple NAND strings of memory transistors. Each memory transistor includes a charge trapping layer and a gate electrode formed on the charge trapping layer. The memory transistors are formed close to each other to form a channel between an adjacent pair of the memory transistors based on a gate fringing effect associated with the adjacent pair of the memory transistors.

Methods and systems of fabricating a wordline protection structure are described. As described, the wordline protection structure includes a polysilicon structure formed adjacent to a memory core region. The polysilicon structure includes first doped region positioned on a core side of the polysilicon structure and a second doped region positioned on a spine side of the polysilicon structure. An un-doped region positioned between the first and second doped regions. A conductive layer is formed on top of the polysilicon structure and arranged so that it does not contact the un-doped region at either the transition between the first doped region and the un-doped region or the second doped region and un-doped region.

Leakage reducing writeline charge protection circuit

Methods for preventing corruption of lower page data due to a write abort occurring during programming of upper page data by applying an adaptive double pulse programming scheme to non-volatile storage elements are described. In some embodiments, the programming of a first set of non-volatile storage elements to one or more lower-level programming states associated with upper page data (e.g., an A state) may be delayed until a second set of non-volatile storage elements intended to be programmed to one or more upper-level programming states associated with the upper page data (e.g., B or C states) reaches a trigger voltage. Once the trigger voltage has been reached or an appropriate programming delay has passed, then both the first set of non-volatile storage elements and the second set of non-volatile storage elements may be programmed during a common programming phase using double programming pulses.

Adaptive double pulse BCF programming

A system and methodology that can minimize disturbance during an AC operation associated with a memory, such as, program, read and/or erase, is provided. The system pre-charges all or a desired subset of the bit lines in a memory array to a specified voltage, during an AC operation to facilitate reducing AC disturbances between neighboring cells. A pre-charge voltage can be applied to all bit lines in a block in the memory array, or to bit lines associated with a selected memory cell and neighbor memory cells adjacent to the selected memory cell in the block. The system ensures that source and drain voltage levels can be set to desired levels at the same or substantially the same time, while selecting a memory cell. This can facilitate minimizing AC disturbances in the selected memory cell during the AC operation.

Controlling AC disturbance while programming

Systems, methods, and devices that facilitate applying a predefined negative gate voltage to wordlines adjacent to a selected wordline associated with a memory cell selected during a read or verify operation to facilitate reducing adjacent wordline disturb are presented. A memory component can comprise an optimized operation component that can apply a predefined negative gate voltage to wordlines adjacent to a selected wordline associated with a memory cell selected for a read or verify operation, based at least in part on predefined operation criteria, to facilitate reducing adjacent wordline disturb in the selected memory cell to facilitate reducing a shift in the voltage threshold and maintain a desired operation window. The optimized operation component optionally can include an evaluator component that can facilitate determining whether a negative gate voltage applied to adjacent wordlines is to be adjusted to facilitate reducing adjacent wordline disturb below a predetermined threshold amount.

Applying negative gate voltage to wordlines adjacent to wordline associated with read or verify to reduce adjacent wordline disturb

A memory device comprising an optimization component that facilitates erasing memory cells in a substantially homogeneous electromagnetic field and methods that facilitate erasing memory cells in a substantially homogeneous electromagnetic field are presented. The optimization component facilitates selecting a subset of memory cells to be erased at the same time, such that a memory cell in the subset of memory cells has two neighbor memory cells adjacent thereto that are in the subset of memory, or one neighbor memory cell adjacent thereto when the memory cell is an end-row memory cell. The optimization component facilitates performing a Fowler-Nordheim channel erase to erase the subset of memory cells, and a predetermined voltage potential associated with an erase command is applied to each cell of the subset of memory cells to facilitate reducing fringing effect associated with the electromagnetic fields applied to the cells during the erase.

Selective application of word line bias to minimize fringe effects in electromagnetic fields during erase of nonvolatile memory

Systems and methods that facilitate improved programming memory cells in a nonvolatile memory (e.g., flash memory) are presented. An optimized voltage component can facilitate supplying respective voltages to a source, drain, and gate associated with a memory cell during operations, such as programming operations. The optimized voltage component can facilitate supplying a predetermined source bitline voltage to a memory cell during programming of the cell to facilitate reducing leakage currents associated with the bitlines, which can improve programming of the memory cell, and to facilitate reducing the programming current, which can result in power efficient programming and improved programming speed.

Programming in memory devices using source bitline voltage bias

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Santa Clara, CA, United States of America

Sung-Yong Chung