Nonvolatile memory devices having built-in memory cell recovery during block erase and methods of operating same

Abstract

Nonvolatile memory devices include support memory cell recovery during operations to erase blocks of nonvolatile (e.g., flash) memory cells. A nonvolatile memory system includes a flash memory device and a memory controller electrically coupled to the flash memory device. The memory controller is configured to control memory cell recovery operations within the flash memory device by issuing a first instruction(s) to the flash memory device that causes erased memory cells in the block of memory to become at least partially programmed memory cells and then issuing a second instruction(s) to the flash memory device that causes the at least partially programmed memory cells become fully erased.