# US 12,591,366 B2 · Concurrently writing less-densely-programmed and more-densely-programmed memory without additional hardware > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,591,366 B2 - Document ID: US12591366B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/408,836 - Filed: 2024-01-10 - Published: 2024-08-01 - Granted: 2026-03-31 - Earliest claimed: 2023-01-26 - Assignees: Micron Technology, Inc. - Applicants: Micron Technology, Inc. - Inventors: Haibo Li; Xiangyu Tang - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12591366B2 ## CPC - G06F 3/0611: {in relation to response time} - G06F 3/0659: {Command handling arrangements, e.g. command buffers, queues, command scheduling} - G06F 3/0679: {Non-volatile semiconductor memory device, e.g. flash memory, one time programmable memory [OTP]} - G11C 5/063: {Voltage and signal distribution in integrated semi-conductor memory access lines, e.g. word-line, bit-line, cross-over resistance, propagation delay} - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - G11C: STATIC STORES (semiconductor memory devices H10B) ## Abstract A memory device of a first array of memory cells configured as quad-level cell (QLC) memory or penta-level cell (PLC) memory and including one or more first planes. A second array of memory cells configured as second memory that is less-densely programmed than the first array, the second array including one or more second planes. Control logic receives a first command to program a first set of memory cells of the first array with a first logical state and a second command to program a second set of memory cells of the second array with a second logical state corresponding in threshold voltage range to the first logical state. The first and second sets of memory cells are associated with a shared wordline. The control logic causes the first and second sets of memory cells to be concurrently programmed with a threshold voltage distribution corresponding to the first logical state. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A memory device comprising: a first array of memory cells configured with a first density and comprising one or more first planes; a second array of memory cells configured with a second density that is less than the first density, the second array comprising one or more second planes; and control logic operatively coupled with the first array and the second array, wherein the control logic is to perform operations comprising: receiving a first command to program a first set of memory cells of the first array with a first logical state; receiving a second command to program a second set of memory cells of the second array with a second logical state, wherein the first set of memory cells and the second set of memory cells are associated with a shared wordline; determining that the second logical state corresponds in threshold voltage range to the first logical state; and causing, based on the determining, the first set of memory cells and the second set of memory cells to be concurrently programmed with a threshold voltage distribution corresponding to the first logical state. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The memory device of claim 1, further comprising a single set of charge pumps coupled with the first array, the second array, and the control logic, the single set of charge pumps configured to program memory cells of both the one or more first planes and the one or more second planes. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The memory device of claim 1, wherein the first array is configured as one of quad-level cell (QLC) memory or penta-level cell (PLC) memory and the second array is configured as one of single-level cell (SLC) memory, multi-level cell (MLC) memory, or triple-level cell (TLC) memory. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The memory device of claim 1, wherein the causing the first set of memory cells and the second set of memory cells to be concurrently programmed with the threshold voltage distribution includes causing programming of the first set and the second set of memory cells to be performed in a programming mode specific to the first density. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The memory device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise: mapping, using a conversion data structure, the first logical state to the second logical state; and selecting the threshold voltage distribution based on the mapping. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The memory device of claim 1, wherein the determining comprises determining, based on information within the second command, that the second logical state corresponds to the first logical state within the threshold voltage range. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The memory device of claim 1, wherein causing the first set of memory cells to be concurrently programmed is a coarse programming, and wherein the operations further comprise: receiving a third command to program a third set of memory cells of the second array with the second logical state; and causing a fine programming of the first set of memory cells while concurrently causing the third set of memory cells to be programmed with the threshold voltage distribution, wherein the third set of memory cells is also associated with the shared wordline and is in a different physical block than the second set of memory cells. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The memory device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise, in response to a read command directed at the second set of memory cells, causing a read operation to be performed at the second set of memory cells using a read level verify voltage associated with the second logical state. ### Claim 9 A method comprising: receiving, by a memory device, a first command to program a first set of memory cells of a first array of memory cells with a first logical state, wherein the first array is configured with a first density and comprises one or more first planes; receiving, by the memory device, a second command to program a second set of memory cells of a second array of memory cells with a second logical state, wherein the second array is configured with a second density that is less than the first density and comprises one or more second planes, and wherein the first set of memory cells and the second set of memory cells are associated with a shared wordline; determining that the second logical state corresponds in threshold voltage range to the first logical state; and causing, by control logic of the memory device, based on the determining, the first set of memory cells and the second set of memory cells to be concurrently programmed with a threshold voltage distribution corresponding to the first logical state. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein causing the first set of memory cells and the second set of memory cells to be concurrently programmed includes causing a single set of charge pumps, which are coupled with the first array and the second array, to concurrently program the first set of memory cells and the second set of memory cells with the threshold voltage distribution. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the first array is configured as one of quad-level cell (QLC) memory or penta-level cell (PLC) memory and the second array is configured as one of single-level cell (SLC) memory, multi-level cell (MLC) memory, or triple-level cell (TLC) memory. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the causing the first set of memory cells and the second set of memory cells to be concurrently programmed with the threshold voltage distribution includes causing programming of the first set and the second set of memory cells to be performed in a programming mode specific to the first density. ### Claim 13 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, further comprising: mapping, using a conversion data structure, a first program verify voltage of the first logical state to a second program verify voltage of the second logical state; and selecting the threshold voltage distribution based on the mapping. ### Claim 14 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the determining comprises determining, based on information within the second command, that the second logical state corresponds to the first logical state within the threshold voltage range. ### Claim 15 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein causing the first set of memory cells to be concurrently programmed is a coarse programming, and further comprising: receiving a third command to program a third set of memory cells of the second array with the second logical state; and causing a fine programming of the first set of memory cells while concurrently causing the third set of memory cells to be programmed with the threshold voltage distribution, wherein the third set of memory cells is also associated with the shared wordline and is in a different physical block than the second set of memory cells. ### Claim 16 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, further comprising, in response to a read command directed at the second set of memory cells, causing a read operation to be performed at the second set of memory cells using a read level verify voltage associated with the second logical state. ### Claim 17 A memory device comprising: a first array of memory cells configured as one of quad-level cell (QLC) memory or penta-level cell (PLC) memory and comprising one or more first planes; a second array of memory cells configured as second memory that is less-densely programmed than the first array, the second array comprising one or more second planes; a single set of charge pumps coupled with the first array and the second array; and control logic operatively coupled with the first array, the second array, and the single set of charge pumps, wherein the control logic is to perform operations comprising: receiving a first command to program a first set of memory cells of the first array with a first logical state; receiving a second command to program a second set of memory cells of the second array with a second logical state, wherein the first set of memory cells and the second set of memory cells are associated with a shared wordline; determining that the second logical state corresponds in threshold voltage range to the first logical state; and causing, based on the determining, the single set of charge pumps to concurrently program the first set of memory cells and the second set of memory cells with a threshold voltage distribution corresponding to the first logical state. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The memory device of claim 17, wherein the causing the first set of memory cells and the second set of memory cells to be concurrently programmed with the threshold voltage distribution includes causing the single set of charge pumps to program the first set and the second set of memory cells using one of a QLC mode or a PLC mode, respectively. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The memory device of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise: mapping, using a conversion data structure, the first logical state to the second logical state; and selecting the threshold voltage distribution based on the mapping. ### Claim 20 (depends on 17) The memory device of claim 17, wherein the determining comprises determining, based on information within the second command, that the second logical state corresponds to the first logical state within the threshold voltage range.