# US 9,520,198 B2 · Semiconductor memory device including three-dimensional memory cell array structure and operating method thereof

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- Number: US 9,520,198 B2
- Document ID: US9520198B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 14/570,813
- Filed: 2014-12-15
- Published: 2016-01-28
- Granted: 2016-12-13
- Earliest claimed: 2014-07-25
- Assignees: SK hynix Inc.
- Applicants: SK hynix Inc.
- Inventors: Se Kyoung Choi; Eun Seok Choi; Jung Seok Oh
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9520198B2

## CPC

- G11C 16/24: Bit-line control circuits
- G11C 7/14: Dummy cell management; Sense reference voltage generators
- G11C 16/08: Address circuits; Decoders; Word-line control circuits
- 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: STATIC STORES (semiconductor memory devices H10B)

## Abstract

An operating method includes biasing channel regions of unselected cell strings among the cell strings to an initial voltage while applying a first pass voltage to the plurality of word lines; floating the channel regions of the unselected cell strings; increasing the first pass voltage to a second pass voltage during the floating of the channel regions; and reading data from selected memory cells of selected cell strings among the cell strings.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An operating method of a three-dimensional semiconductor memory device including cell strings each having memory cells stacked over a substrate and coupled to a plurality of word lines, the operating method comprising:
biasing channel regions of unselected cell strings among the cell strings to an initial voltage while applying a first pass voltage to the plurality of word lines;
floating the channel regions of the unselected cell strings;
increasing the first pass voltage to a second pass voltage during the floating of the channel regions; and
reading data from selected memory cells of selected cell strings among the cell strings.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The operating method of claim 1, wherein the increasing increases the first pass voltage to the second pass voltage so that potentials of the channel regions of the unselected cell strings are boosted in proportion to an increment from the first pass voltage to the second pass voltage.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The operating method of claim 1,
wherein the cell strings are coupled between bit lines and a common source line, and
wherein the floating electrically separates the channel regions of the unselected cell strings from the bit lines and the common source line.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The operating method of claim 1,
wherein the cell strings are coupled between bit lines and a common source line, and
wherein the biasing comprises:
applying the initial voltage to the bit lines; and
electrically connecting the channel regions of the unselected cell strings to the bit lines, thereby transferring the initial voltage to the channel regions of the unselected cell strings.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The operating method of claim 4, wherein the biasing further comprises applying the first pass voltage to the plurality of word lines after the electrical connecting.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The operating method of claim 1,
wherein the cell strings are coupled between bit lines and a common source line, and the biasing comprises:
applying the initial voltage to a common source line; and
electrically connecting the channel regions of the unselected cell strings to the common source line, thereby transferring the initial voltage to the channel regions of the unselected cell strings.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The operating method of claim 6, wherein the biasing further comprises applying the first pass voltage to the plurality of word lines after the electrical connecting.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The operating method of claim 1,
wherein the cell strings are coupled between bit lines and a common source line, and the biasing comprises:
applying the initial voltage to both of the bit lines and the common source line; and
electrically connecting the channel regions of the unselected cell strings to both of the bit lines and the common source line, thereby transferring the initial voltage to the channel regions of the unselected cell strings.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The operating method of claim 1, wherein the reading keeps the channel regions of the unselected cell strings floated.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The operating method of claim 1,
wherein the reading keeps applying the second voltage to unselected word lines among the plurality of word lines, and applies a read voltage to a selected word line among the plurality of word lines, and
wherein the first and second pass voltages are greater than the read voltage.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The operating method of claim 1,
wherein the biasing provides the initial voltage to channel regions of the selected cell strings, and
wherein the floating keeps providing the initial voltage to the channel regions of the selected cell strings.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The operating method of claim 11,
wherein the cell strings are coupled between bit lines and a common source line, and
wherein the biasing comprises:
applying the initial voltage to the bit lines; and
electrically connecting channel regions of the cell strings to the bit lines.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The operating method of claim 12, wherein the floating electrically separates the unselected cell strings from both of the bit lines and the common source line, and electrically couples the selected cell strings to the bit lines.

### Claim 14 (depends on 11)

The operating method of claim 11,
wherein the cell strings are coupled between bit lines and a common source line, and
wherein the biasing comprises:
applying the initial voltage to the common source line; and
electrically connecting channel regions of the cell strings to the common source line.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The operating method of claim 14, wherein the floating electrically separates the unselected cell strings from both of the bit lines and the common source line, and electrically couples the selected cell strings to the common source line.

### Claim 16

A semiconductor memory device, comprising:
cell strings including memory cells stacked over a substrate and coupled to a plurality of word lines; and
a peripheral circuit coupled to the cell strings through the plurality of word lines, and configured to set channel regions of unselected cell strings among the cell strings before a read operation,
wherein the peripheral circuit is further configured to:
bias the channel regions of the unselected cell strings to an initial voltage while applying a first pass voltage to the plurality of word lines;
float the channel regions of the unselected cell strings immediately after biasing the channel regions of the unselected cell strings; and
increases the first pass voltage to a second pass voltage.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The semiconductor memory device of claim 16,
wherein the cell strings are coupled between bit lines and a common source line, and
wherein the peripheral circuit floats the channel regions of the unselected cell strings by electrically separating the channel regions of the unselected cell strings from the bit lines and the common source line.

### Claim 18 (depends on 16)

The semiconductor memory device of claim 16,
wherein the cell strings are coupled between bit lines and a common source line, and
the peripheral circuit biases the channel regions of the unselected cell strings to the initial voltage by applying the initial voltage to the bit lines, and by electrically connecting the channel regions of the unselected cell strings to the bit lines.

### Claim 19 (depends on 16)

The semiconductor memory device of claim 16,
wherein the cell strings are coupled between bit lines and a common source line, and
the peripheral circuit biases the channel regions of the unselected cell strings to the initial voltage by applying the initial voltage to the common source line, and by electrically connecting the channel regions of the unselected cell strings to the common source line.

### Claim 20 (depends on 16)

The semiconductor memory device of claim 16,
wherein the cell strings are coupled between bit lines and a common source line, and
the peripheral circuit biases the channel regions of the unselected cell strings to the initial voltage by applying the initial voltage to both of the bit lines and the common source line, and by electrically connecting the channel regions of the unselected cell strings to the bit lines and the common source line.