# US 12,190,961 B2 · Erasing memory > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,190,961 B2 - Document ID: US12190961B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/988,090 - Filed: 2022-11-16 - Published: 2023-03-16 - Granted: 2025-01-07 - Earliest claimed: 2019-08-29 - Assignees: Micron Technology, Inc. - Applicants: Micron Technology, Inc. - Inventors: Giovanni Maria Paolucci; Paolo Tessariol; Emilio Camerlenghi; Gianpietro Carnevale; Augusto Benvenuti - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12190961B2 ## CPC - G11C 16/14: Circuits for erasing electrically, e.g. erase voltage switching circuits - G11C 16/16: for erasing blocks, e.g. arrays, words, groups - G11C 16/0483: {comprising cells having several storage transistors connected in series} - G11C 16/24: Bit-line control circuits - G11C 16/30: Power supply circuits - G11C 16/32: Timing circuits - G11C: STATIC STORES (semiconductor memory devices H10B) ## Abstract Methods of operating a memory, and memory configured to perform similar methods, might include applying a negative first voltage level to a control gate of a transistor connected between a first node and a string of series-connected memory cells, increasing a voltage level applied to the first node at a particular rate while increasing the voltage level applied to the control gate of the transistor at the particular rate, and in response to the voltage level applied to the first node reaching a particular voltage level, ceasing increasing the voltage level applied to the first node and ceasing increasing the voltage level applied to the control gate of the transistor. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of operating a memory, comprising: applying a negative first voltage level to a control gate of a transistor connected between a first node and a string of series-connected memory cells; increasing a voltage level applied to the first node at a particular rate while increasing the voltage level applied to the control gate of the transistor at the particular rate; and when the voltage level applied to the first node reaches a particular voltage level, ceasing increasing the voltage level applied to the first node and ceasing increasing the voltage level applied to the control gate of the transistor. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: while the voltage level applied to the first node is at the particular voltage level, applying a voltage level to a control gate of a memory cell of the string of series-connected memory cells expected to remove charge from a data storage structure of the memory cell. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, further comprising applying the voltage level to the control gate of the memory cell before the voltage level applied to the first node, and increased at the particular rate, reaches the particular voltage level. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein applying the negative first voltage level to the control gate of the transistor connected between the first node and the string of series-connected memory cells comprises applying the negative first voltage level to a control gate of a transistor connected between the string of series-connected memory cells and a particular node selected from a group consisting of a source selectively connected to the string of series-connected memory cells and a data line selectively connected to the string of series-connected memory cells. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein applying the negative first voltage level to the control gate of the transistor comprises decreasing the voltage level applied to the control gate of the transistor from an initial voltage level to the first voltage level, and wherein the method further comprises: increasing a voltage level applied to the first node from the initial voltage level to a second voltage level while decreasing the voltage level applied to the control gate of the transistor from the initial voltage level to the first voltage level. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein applying the negative first voltage level to the control gate of the transistor comprises decreasing the voltage level applied to the control gate of the transistor from an initial voltage level to the first voltage level, and wherein the method further comprises: maintaining a voltage level applied to the first node at the initial voltage level while decreasing the voltage level applied to the control gate of the transistor from the initial voltage level to the first voltage level. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein increasing the voltage level applied to the first node at the particular rate comprises increasing the voltage level applied to the first node at a variable rate. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: applying a negative second voltage level to a control gate of a transistor connected between a second node and the string of series-connected memory cells; increasing a voltage level applied to the second node at the particular rate while increasing the voltage level applied to the control gate of the transistor connected between the second node and the string of series-connected memory cells at the particular rate; and when the voltage level applied to the second node reaches a third voltage level, ceasing increasing the voltage level applied to the second node and ceasing increasing the voltage level applied to the control gate of the transistor connected between the second node and the string of series-connected memory cells. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein the second voltage level equals the first voltage level, and wherein the third voltage level equals the particular voltage level. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein the first node is a data line selectively connected to the string of series-connected memory cells, and wherein the second node is a source selectively connected to the string of series-connected memory cells. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the transistor connected between the first node and the string of series-connected memory cells comprises a single transistor directly connected to the first node and directly connected to the string of series-connected memory cells. ### Claim 12 A memory, comprising: an array of memory cells comprising a plurality of strings of series-connected memory cells; and a controller for access of the array of memory cells, wherein the controller is configured to cause the memory to perform a method comprising: applying a negative first voltage level to a control gate of a transistor connected between a first node and a string of series-connected memory cells of the plurality of strings of series-connected memory cells; increasing a voltage level applied to the first node at a particular rate while increasing the voltage level applied to the control gate of the transistor at the particular rate; and when the voltage level applied to the first node reaches a particular voltage level, ceasing increasing the voltage level applied to the first node and ceasing increasing the voltage level applied to the control gate of the transistor. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The memory of claim 12, wherein the method the controller is configured to cause the memory to perform further comprises: while the voltage level applied to the first node is at the particular voltage level, applying a voltage level to a control gate of a memory cell of the string of series-connected memory cells expected to remove charge from a data storage structure of the memory cell. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The memory of claim 13, wherein the method the controller is configured to cause the memory to perform further comprises applying the voltage level to the control gate of the memory cell before the voltage level applied to the first node, and increased at the particular rate, reaches the particular voltage level. ### Claim 15 (depends on 12) The memory of claim 12, wherein the controller being configured to cause the memory to perform the method comprising applying the negative first voltage level to the control gate of the transistor connected between the first node and the string of series-connected memory cells comprises the controller being configured to cause the memory to perform the method comprising applying the negative first voltage level to a control gate of a transistor connected between the string of series-connected memory cells and a particular node selected from a group consisting of a source selectively connected to the string of series-connected memory cells and a data line selectively connected to the string of series-connected memory cells. ### Claim 16 A memory, comprising: an array of memory cells comprising a plurality of strings of series-connected memory cells; and a controller for access of the array of memory cells, wherein the controller is configured to cause the memory to: apply a first voltage level to a first node selectively connected to a string of series-connected memory cells of the plurality of strings of memory cells while applying the first voltage level to a control gate of a transistor connected between the first node and the string of series-connected memory cells; maintain the voltage level applied to the first node at the first voltage level while decreasing the voltage level applied to the control gate of the transistor to a second voltage level; and for each time period of a plurality of successive time periods: increase the voltage level applied to the first node by a corresponding magnitude for that time period; and increase the voltage level applied to the control gate of the transistor by the corresponding magnitude for that time period. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The memory of claim 16, wherein the controller is further configured to cause the memory to: after a last time period of the plurality of successive time periods, apply a voltage level to a control gate of a memory cell of the string of series-connected memory cells expected to remove charge from a data storage structure of the memory cell. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The memory of claim 16, wherein the corresponding magnitude for a particular time period of the plurality of successive time periods is greater than the corresponding magnitude for a subsequent time period of the plurality of successive time periods. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The memory of claim 18, wherein a duration of the particular time period is greater than a duration for the subsequent time period. ### Claim 20 (depends on 18) The memory of claim 18, wherein a slope of a voltage increase for the particular time period is greater than a slope of a voltage increase for the subsequent time period.