Nonvolatile memory cell and method for programming and/or verifying the same
AssigneeHyundai Electronics Industries Co., Ltd.
InventorWoong Lim Choi
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Nonvolatile memory device and a method of programming the same, is disclosed, wherein, for single level or multi-level programming of a cell, predetermined voltages are applied to a control gate, source and drain respectively for varying a charge amount in the floating gate. A channel in a transistor is turned off at an initial stage and then turned on thereafter, and at least one of the voltages applied to the control gate and the program/select gate is halted to stop the programming when a conductivity of the channel region reaches a reference value.
Claims12
A method of programming a nonvolatile memory cell, the nonvolatile memory cell having a control gate, a floating gate, a program/select gate, a drain, a source, and a channel region between the drain and the source, the method comprising:
- applying a first voltage to the control gate, applying a second voltage to the program/select gate, applying a third voltage to the drain, and applying a fourth voltage to the source, for varying an amount of charges in the floating gate so that the channel region is turned-off at an initial stage of programming a threshold voltage level and thereafter, turned-on as the amount of charges in the floating gate changes;
- and
- monitoring a conductivity of the channel region during the programming for forcing application of at least one of the first and second voltages to the control gate and the program/select gate respectively to stop when the monitored conductivity is measured to be a predetermined reference value.
A method of programming a nonvolatile memory cell, the nonvolatile memory cell having a control gate, a floating gate, a program/select gate, a drain, a source, and a channel region between the drain and the source, the method comprising:
- applying a first voltage to the control gate, and applying a second voltage to the program/select gate in a multi-level programming, for varying an amount of charges in the floating gate so that the channel region is turned-off at an initial stage of each threshold voltage level programming and thereafter is turned-on, the first voltage varying according to each threshold voltage level programming;
- and
- monitoring a conductivity of the channel region during each threshold voltage level programming for forcing application of at least one of the first and second voltages to the control gate and the program/select gate respectively to stop when the monitored conductivity is measured to be a predetermined reference value.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.