# US 2021/0241838 A1 · Semiconductor memory device and method of operating the semiconductor memory device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2021/0241838 A1 - Document ID: US20210241838A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 16/923,635 - Filed: 2020-07-08 - Published: 2021-08-05 - Earliest claimed: 2020-02-05 - Assignees: SK hynix Inc. - Applicants: SK hynix Inc. - Inventors: Sung Hoon CHO; Jae Sung SIM; Han Soo JOO; Hee Chang CHAE; Se Kyoung CHOI - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20210241838A1 ## CPC - G11C 16/3427: {Circuits or methods to prevent or reduce disturbance of the state of a memory cell when neighbouring cells are read or written} - G11C 11/5671: {using charge trapping in an insulator} - G11C 16/0483: {comprising cells having several storage transistors connected in series} - G11C 16/08: Address circuits; Decoders; Word-line control circuits - G11C 16/26: Sensing or reading circuits; Data output circuits - G11C 16/32: Timing circuits - G11C: STATIC STORES (semiconductor memory devices H10B) ## Abstract Provided herein may be a semiconductor memory device and a method of operating the semiconductor memory device. The semiconductor memory device may include: a memory block including upper pages, a center page, and lower pages; a peripheral circuit configured to perform a read operation on the memory block; and a control logic configured to control the peripheral circuit to perform the read operation and control the peripheral circuit such that, during the read operation, based on a location of a selected page among the plurality of pages, a pass voltage to be applied to first adjacent pages disposed adjacent to the selected page in a first direction differs from a pass voltage to be applied to second adjacent pages disposed adjacent to the selected page in a second direction. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A semiconductor memory device comprising: a memory block including upper pages, a center page, and lower pages; a peripheral circuit configured to perform a read operation on the memory block; and a control logic configured to control the peripheral circuit to perform the read operation and control the peripheral circuit such that, during the read operation, based on a location of a selected page among the plurality of pages, a pass voltage to be applied to first adjacent pages disposed adjacent to the selected page in a first direction differs from a pass voltage to be applied to second adjacent pages disposed adjacent to the selected page in a second direction. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The semiconductor memory device according to claim 1, wherein, when the selected page is included in the upper pages, the control logic controls the peripheral circuit to apply a first offset pass voltage to the first adjacent pages and apply a second offset pass voltage to the second adjacent pages. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The semiconductor memory device according to claim 2, wherein, when the selected page is included in the upper pages, the control logic controls the peripheral circuit to apply a reference pass voltage to pages other than the selected page, the first adjacent pages, and the second adjacent pages among the plurality of pages. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The semiconductor memory device according to claim 3, wherein the first offset pass voltage is lower than the second offset pass voltage. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The semiconductor memory device according to claim 4, wherein the reference pass voltage is higher than the first offset pass voltage and lower than the second offset pass voltage. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The semiconductor memory device according to claim 5, wherein, when the selected page is included in the lower pages, the control logic controls the peripheral circuit to apply the second offset pass voltage to the first adjacent pages and apply the first offset pass voltage to the second adjacent pages. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The semiconductor memory device according to claim 6, wherein, when the selected page is included in the lower pages, the control logic controls the peripheral circuit to apply the reference pass voltage to pages other than the selected page, the first adjacent pages, and the second adjacent pages among the plurality of pages. ### Claim 8 (depends on 5) The semiconductor memory device according to claim 5, wherein, when the selected page is included in the center page, the control logic controls the peripheral circuit to apply the reference pass voltage to unselected pages other than the selected page among the plurality of pages. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The semiconductor memory device according to claim 1, wherein the memory block includes a plurality of memory cell strings disposed between a source line and bit lines, and wherein the upper pages correspond to memory cells included in an upper end of the memory cell strings included in the memory block, the center page corresponds to memory cells included in a central portion of the memory cell strings, and the lower pages correspond to memory cells included in a lower end of the memory cell strings. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The semiconductor memory device according to claim 9, wherein the first direction corresponds to a direction toward the bit lines, and the second direction corresponds to a direction toward the source line. ### Claim 11 A semiconductor memory device comprising: a memory block including a plurality of pages; a peripheral circuit configured to perform a read operation on the memory block; and a control logic configured to control the peripheral circuit to perform the read operation, wherein during the read operation, when a selected page of the plurality of pages corresponds to an upper end of a memory cell string, the control logic sets, to a first offset pass voltage, a pass voltage to be applied to first adjacent pages disposed adjacent to the selected page in a first direction, and sets, to a second offset pass voltage higher than the first offset pass voltage, a pass voltage to be applied to second adjacent pages disposed adjacent to the selected page in a second direction. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The semiconductor memory device according to claim 11, wherein, when the selected page corresponds to a lower end of the memory cell string, the control logic sets the pass voltage to be applied to the first adjacent pages to the second offset pass voltage and sets the pass voltage to be applied to the second adjacent pages to the first offset pass voltage. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The semiconductor memory device according to claim 11, wherein, when the selected page corresponds to a central portion of the memory cell string, the control logic sets the pass voltage to be applied to the first adjacent pages and the pass voltage to be applied to the second adjacent pages to a reference pass voltage higher than the first offset pass voltage and lower than the second offset pass voltage. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The semiconductor memory device according to claim 11, wherein the first direction corresponds to a direction from the selected page toward a bit line, and the second direction corresponds to a direction from the selected page toward a source line. ### Claim 15 A method of operating a semiconductor memory device, comprising: setting a first pass voltage corresponding to first adjacent pages disposed adjacent to a selected page in a first direction during a read operation on a memory block including a plurality of pages; setting a second pass voltage corresponding to second adjacent pages disposed adjacent to the selected page in a second direction; and applying a read voltage to the selected page, and applying the first pass voltage and the second pass voltage to the first adjacent pages and the second adjacent pages, respectively, wherein in setting the first pass voltage and the second pass voltage, a voltage value of the first pass voltage and a voltage value of the second pass voltage vary depending on a location of the selected page. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method according to claim 15, wherein the plurality of pages are divided into upper pages, a center page, and lower pages, and wherein, when the selected page is included in the upper pages, the first pass voltage is set to a first offset pass voltage, and the second pass voltage is set to a second offset pass voltage higher than the first offset pass voltage. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The method according to claim 16, wherein, when the selected page is included in the lower pages, the first pass voltage is set to second offset pass voltage, and the second pass voltage is set to the first offset pass voltage. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The method according to claim 16, wherein, when the selected page is included in the center page, the first pass voltage and the second pass voltage are set to a reference pass voltage higher than the first offset pass voltage and lower than the second offset pass voltage. ### Claim 19 (depends on 16) The method according to claim 16, wherein the memory block includes a plurality of memory cell strings disposed between a source line and bit lines, and wherein the upper pages correspond to memory cells included in an upper end of the memory cell strings included in the memory block, the center page corresponds to memory cells included in a central portion of the memory cell strings, and the lower pages correspond to memory cells included in a lower end of the memory cell strings. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The method according to claim 19, wherein the first direction corresponds to a direction toward the bit lines, and the second direction corresponds to a direction toward the source line.