Apparatuses and methods including memory and operation of same
AssigneeMicron Technology, Inc.
InventorsInnocenzo Tortorelli, Stephen Tang, Christina Papagianni
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Disclosed herein is a memory cell. The memory cell may act both as a combined selector device and memory element. The memory cell may be programmed by applying write pulses having different polarities. Different polarities of the write pulses may program different logic states into the memory cell. The memory cell may be read by read pulses all having the same polarity. The logic state of the memory cell may be detected by observing different threshold voltages when the read pulses are applied. The different threshold voltages may be responsive to the different polarities of the write pulses.
Claims12
A method, comprising:
- applying a read pulse having a first polarity to a memory cell, wherein a first or a second logic state is written to the memory cell, wherein the first logic state is written responsive to a write pulse having the first polarity and the second logic state is written responsive to the write pulse having a second polarity, wherein the read pulse has a magnitude less than a magnitude of the write pulse;
- sensing a current through the memory cell responsive to the read pulse;
- and
- determining the memory cell is in the first or second logic state, based on the current through the memory cell,
- wherein the memory cell is determined to be in the second logic state if the current through the memory cell is below a threshold current and the memory cell is determined to be in the first logic state if the current through the memory cell is equal to or above the threshold current, and
- wherein the magnitude of the read pulse is between a magnitude of a first threshold voltage of the memory cell causing the current that is equal to or above the threshold current and a magnitude of a second threshold voltage of the memory cell which causes the current that is below the threshold current.
A method, comprising:
- applying a first read pulse having a first polarity to a memory cell, wherein the memory cell was programmed to a logic state with a write pulse having the first polarity or a second polarity;
- sensing a first threshold voltage of the memory cell responsive to the first read pulse;
- applying a second read pulse having the first polarity to the memory cell;
- sensing a second threshold voltage of the memory cell responsive to the second read pulse;
- calculating a difference between the first threshold voltage and the second threshold voltage;
- and
- determining the logic state of the memory cell, wherein the logic state is determined to be a first state when the difference is below a threshold value and the logic state is determined to be a second state when the difference is above the threshold value.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.