Back to results
US 7,453,726 B1Granted
Non-volatile memory cell with improved programming technique and density
AssigneeNational Semiconductor Corporation
InventorsPavel Poplevine, Annie-Li-Keow Lum, Andrew Cao, Ernes Ho
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A single 4-transistor non-volatile memory (NVM) cell includes a shared static random access memory cell. The NVM cell utilizes a reverse Fowler-Nordheim tunneling programming technique that, in combination with the shared SRAM cell structure, allows an entire cell array to be programmed at two cycles. A single NVM cell approach with shared SRAM allows a 50% area reduction with an insignificant increase in program time.
Claims5
A non-volatile memory (NVM) cell structure comprising:
- a first NVM cell;
- a second NVM cell:
- a static random access memory (SRAM) cell that includes first and second data nodes;
- a first pass gate structure connected between the first NVM cell and the first data node of the SRAM cell, the first pass gate structure being responsive to first and second states of a first pass gate signal to respectively couple and decouple the first NVM cell and the SRAM cell;
- a first equalize structure connected between the first pass gate structure and the first NVM cell and responsive to a first equalize signal to connect the first NVM cell to ground;
- a second pass gate structure connected between the second NVM cell and the second data node of the SRAM cell, the second pass gate structure being responsive to first and second states of a second pass gate signal to respectively couple and decouple the second NVM cell and the SRAM cell;
- and
- a second equalize structure connected between the second pass gate structure and the second NVM cell and responsive to a second equalize signal to connect the second NVM cell to ground.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.