Non-volatile memory device and a method of programming such device

A non-volatile memory device comprising:

• a charge pump for providing a programming current;
• an array of non-volatile memory cells, with each memory cell programmed by the programming current;
• said array of non-volatile memory cells partitioned into a plurality of units, with each unit comprising a plurality of memory cells;
• an indicator memory cell associated with each unit of non-volatile memory cells;
• a programming circuit for programming the memory cells of each unit using said programming current, when a certain percentage or less of the memory cells of each unit is to be programmed, and for programming the inverse of the memory cells of each unit and the indicator memory cell associated with each unit, using said programming current, when more than said certain percentage of the memory cells of each unit is to be programmed;
• and
• a digital ‘0’ bit detector, wherein the digital ‘0’ bit detector comprises a clock pulse generator and is based upon clocked sequentially digital ‘0’ bit detection.

A method of programming a non-volatile memory device, said memory device having a plurality of memory units with each memory unit having a plurality of memory cells, each memory unit with an associated indicator memory cell, said plurality of memory cells of a unit and the associated indicator memory cell programmed by a programming current from a charge pump, said method comprising:

• determining, by a counter circuit comprising a digital ‘0’ bit detector comprising a clock pulse generator, if a certain percent or less of the memory cells in a unit are to be programmed by the programming current by sequentially checking the bits to be programmed for ‘0’ bits;
• if so, programming the memory cells by the programming current;
• and
• if not, programming the inverse of the memory cells and the associated indicator memory cell by the programming current.

A method of programming a non-volatile memory device, said memory device having a plurality of memory units with each memory unit having a plurality of memory cells, said plurality of memory cells of a unit programmed by a programming current from a high voltage charge pump, said method comprising:

• determining sequentially, by a counter circuit comprising a digital ‘0’ bit detector comprising a clock pulse generator, from first to last memory cell in a unit if a number of the memory cells in the unit to be changing storage state from erase to program state by the high voltage charge pump reaches a predetermined number;
• if so, programming the determined number of the memory cells by the high voltage charge pump;
• and
• if not, then continuing determining the rest of number of memory cells in the unit to be programmed until all memory cells in the unit are determined to be programmed or not to be programmed.