US 8,274,840 B2 · Nonvolatile memory devices having built-in memory cell recovery during block erase and methods of operating same

Abstract

Nonvolatile memory devices include support memory cell recovery during operations to erase blocks of nonvolatile (e.g., flash) memory cells. A nonvolatile memory system includes a flash memory device and a memory controller electrically coupled to the flash memory device. The memory controller is configured to control memory cell recovery operations within the flash memory device by issuing a first instruction(s) to the flash memory device that causes erased memory cells in the block of memory to become at least partially programmed memory cells and then issuing a second instruction(s) to the flash memory device that causes the at least partially programmed memory cells become fully erased.

Claims16

Dependent claims

A method of operating a nonvolatile memory device, comprising:

programming at least one memory cell in a memory block designated as an erase block to avoid presence of any memory cell in the memory block having a threshold voltage corresponding to an erased state, said programming the at least one memory cell occurring for a time interval having a duration sufficiently long to achieve at least partial recovery of an insulating characteristic in a tunneling oxide layer(s) of the at least one memory cell;
and
erasing the memory block to become fully erased after said programming the at least one memory cell.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Nonvolatile memory devices having built-in memory cell recovery during block erase and methods of operating same

Life of this patent

Nonvolatile memory devices having built-in memory cell recovery during block erase and methods of operating same

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims16