Method of operating an integrated circuit, integrated circuit and method to determine an operating point
View Patent ↗Embodiments of the present invention relate to a method to operate an integrated circuit that includes a memory. The memory encompasses a first and a second threshold level. The invention further relates to integrated circuits including a memory with a first and a second threshold level and a method to determine an operating point of an integrated circuit.
1. A method of operating an integrated circuit comprising a memory, the memory comprising:
a first threshold level representative of a first programming state and a second threshold level representative of a second programming state, the method comprising:
starting a programming operation for the first programming state, thereby affecting the second threshold level;
monitoring the second threshold level; and
determining an end of the programming operation for the first programming state based on the monitoring of the second threshold level.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the programming operation comprises:
modifying the first threshold level, thereby affecting the second threshold level; and
determining the second threshold level;
wherein the end of the programming operation is determined if a predefined amount of change of the second threshold level is reached or exceeded.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein modifying the first threshold level and determining the second threshold level are performed repeatedly, the method further comprising:
determining a difference of the second threshold level determined in subsequent repetitions.
4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the end of the programming operation is determined if the determined difference exceeds a predetermined threshold value.
5. The method of claim 3 , wherein the end of the programming operation is determined if the determined difference exceeds a previously determined difference.