IP Library Granted Patent US 6,950,347
Granted Patent B2
US 6,950,347 · App. 10/250,922 · Granted Sep 27, 2005

Nonvolatile semiconductor storage device

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 6,950,347
App. No.
10/250,922
Granted
Sep 27, 2005
Kind
B2
Abstract

A nonvolatile memory device of the present invention performs a programming operation by accumulating a charge in certain capacitance which is provided for each programming memory cell and injecting hot electrons generated when the charge is discharged via the memory cell into a floating gate. Thus, a variation in a programming characteristic of the nonvolatile semiconductor memory device is reduced, thereby realizing high-speed programming operation.

Claims (13)

1. A nonvolatile semiconductor memory device wherein programming or erase is performed by discharging a charge accumulated in capacitance via a memory cell and injecting hot electrons generated by the discharge into a charge-injected portion of the memory cell, wherein the capacitance is stray capacitance of a bit line.

2. The nonvolatile semiconductor memory device according to claim 1 , wherein the charge-injected portion is a floating gate.

3. The nonvolatile semiconductor memory device according to claim 1 , wherein the charge-injected portion is a silicon nitride film.

4. The nonvolatile semiconductor memory device according to claim 1 , wherein a portion of the stray capacitance is formed of pn junction capacitance of a diffusion layer of the memory cell.

5. The nonvolatile semiconductor memory device according to claim 1 , wherein an internal power source circuit for generating a voltage to be applied to a bit line is brought to an inactive state when a charge is injected to the charge-injected portion.

6. The nonvolatile semiconductor memory device according to claim 1 , wherein, after the programming or the erase is performed a plurality of times, an operation of verifying a threshold voltage of the memory cell is performed.

7. The nonvolatile semiconductor memory device according to claim 6 , wherein the number of repeating the programming or the erase is incremented every time the threshold voltage verification operation is performed.

8. A nonvolatile semiconductor memory device wherein capacitance is charged via a memory cell and hot electrons generated by the charging are injected into a charge-injected portion of the memory cell so as to perform programming or erase, wherein the capacitance is stray capacitance of a bit line.

9. The nonvolatile semiconductor memory device according to claim 8 , wherein the charge-injected portion is a floating gate.

10. The nonvolatile semiconductor memory device according to claim 8 , wherein the charge-injected portion is a silicon nitride film.

11. The nonvolatile semiconductor memory device according to claim 8 , wherein a portion of the stray capacitance is formed of pn junction capacitance of a diffusion layer of the memory cell.

12. The nonvolatile semiconductor memory device according to claim 8 , wherein, after the programming or the erase is performed a plurality of times, an operation of verifying a threshold voltage of the memory cell is performed.

13. The nonvolatile semiconductor memory device according to claim 12 , wherein the number of repeating the programming or the erase is incremented every time the threshold voltage verification operation is performed.

Assignments (8)
CHANGE OF ADDRESS Recorded Nov 29, 2017
From: RENESAS ELECTRONICS CORPORATION
To: RENESAS ELECTRONICS CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 044928/0001 →
MERGER AND CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Sep 23, 2015
From: RENESAS TECHNOLOGY CORP.; NEC ELECTRONICS CORPORATION
To: RENESAS ELECTRONICS CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 036667/0733 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 23, 2015
From: HITACHI DEVICE ENGINEERING CO., LTD.
To: RENESAS TECHNOLOGY CORP.
Reel/Frame 036667/0622 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 9, 2014
From: HITACHI ULSI SYSTEMS CO., LTD.
To: RENESAS ELECTRONICS CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 032859/0252 →
MERGER Recorded Sep 20, 2010
From: RENESAS TECHNOLOGY CORP.
To: RENESAS ELECTRONICS CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 025008/0362 →
CORRECTED COVER SHEET TO CORRECT INVENTOR'S NAME, PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL/FRAME 014606/0917 (ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST) Recorded Jan 11, 2005
From: KURATA, HIDEAKI; KOBAYASHI, NAOKI; SAEKI, SHUNICHI; KOBAYASHI, TAKASHI; KAWAHARA, TAKAYUKI; TAKASE, YOSHINORI; YOSHIDA, KEIICHI; KANAMITSU, MICHITARO; KUBONO, SHOJI; NOZOE, ATSUSHI
To: HITACHI, LTD.; HITACHI DEVICE ENGINEERING CO., LTD.; HITACHI ULSI SYSTEMS CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 016150/0451 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 16, 2004
From: HITACHI, LTD.
To: RENESAS TECHNOLOGY CORP.
Reel/Frame 015228/0401 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 8, 2003
From: KURATA, HIDEAKI; KOBAYASHI, NAOKI; SAEKI, SHUNICHI; KOBAYASHI, TAKASHI; KAWAHARA, TAKAYUKI; TAKASE, YOSHINORI; YOSHIDA, KEIICHI; KANAMITSU, MICHITARO; KUBONO, SHOJI; NOZEO, ATSUSHI
To: HITACHI, LTD.; HITACHI DEVICE ENGINEERING CO., LTD.; HITACHI ULSI SYSTEMS CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 014606/0917 →