IP Library Granted Patent US 10,741,266
Granted Patent B2
US 10,741,266 · App. 16/534,359 · Granted Aug 11, 2020

Semiconductor integrated circuit adapted to output pass/fail results of internal operations

Inventors: Hiroshi Nakamura (Fujisawa, JP); Kenichi Imamiya (Tokyo, JP); Toshio Yamamura (Yokohama, JP); Koji Hosono (Yokohama, JP); Koichi Kawai (Yokohama, JP)
Assignee: TOSHIBA MEMORY CORPORATION
G11C16/3459G06F3/0659G06F12/0246G11C7/065G11C7/1006G11C7/106G11C7/1051G11C7/1063G11C16/06G11C16/08G11C16/10G11C16/26G11C2207/104G11C2216/14
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,741,266
App. No.
16/534,359
Granted
Aug 11, 2020
Kind
B2
Abstract

In a semiconductor integrated circuit, an internal circuit is capable of executing a first operation and a second operation concurrently, and an output circuit outputs to the outside of the semiconductor integrated circuit information indicating whether or not the first operation is being executed and information indicating whether or not the second operation is executable.

Claims (60)

1. A semiconductor memory device comprising:

a memory cell array including a plurality of pages of memory cells;

a latch circuit configured to latch one page of data read from one page of the memory cells; and

a cache circuit configured to hold the one page of data transferred from the latch circuit,

wherein

upon receipt of

a first command,

an address indicating N page among the pages,

a second command, and

a third command,

the semiconductor memory device outputs the N-th page data stored at the cache circuit while reading (N+1)-th page data from the memory cell array to the latch circuit, N being an integer larger than 1.

2. The semiconductor memory device according to claim 1 , wherein

the semiconductor memory device concurrently outputs first and second information to outside of the semiconductor memory device in a status read operation,

the first information is true ready/busy information, and

the second information is cache ready/busy information.

3. The semiconductor memory device according to claim 1 , wherein

the N-th page data and the (N+1)-th page data are read from an identical block, and

memory cells included in the block are concurrently erasable.

4. The semiconductor memory device according to claim 2 , wherein

the semiconductor memory device outputs the first information from a first I/O pad to outside of the semiconductor memory device, and outputs the second information from a second I/O pad to the outside of the semiconductor memory device.

5. The semiconductor memory device according to claim 1 , wherein

after the semiconductor memory device receives another third command, an operation of outputting, by the cache circuit, the (N+1)-th page data to outside of the semiconductor memory device is executable in parallel with and concurrently with an operation of reading (N+2)-th page data from the memory cell by the latch circuit.

6. The semiconductor memory device according to claim 1 , wherein the latch circuit includes two inverters.

7. The semiconductor memory device according to claim 6 , wherein the cache circuit includes two inverters.

8. The semiconductor memory device according to claim 1 , further comprising an output circuit coupled to the latch circuit via the cache circuit.

9. The semiconductor memory device according to claim 8 , wherein

the output circuit is coupled to an I/O pad, and

the semiconductor memory device outputs the N-th page of data to outside of the semiconductor memory device from the I/O pad.

10. The semiconductor memory device according to claim 8 , wherein the cache circuit is coupled between a bit line and the output circuit.

11. A semiconductor memory device comprising:

a memory cell array including a plurality of pages of memory cells;

a cache circuit configured to hold one page of data input from an I/O pad; and

a latch circuit configured to latch the one page of data transferred from the cache circuit and transfer the latched data to one page of the memory cells,

wherein

upon receipt of

a first command,

a first address,

N-th page data,

a second command,

a third command,

a second address,

(N+1)-th page data, and

a fourth command,

the semiconductor memory device receives the (N±1)-th page data at the cache circuit while performing an operation of applying a voltage to write the N-th data to the memory cell in a write operation,

the third command is identical to the first command,

the fourth command is different from the second command, and

the latch circuit ends programming after the semiconductor memory device receives the fourth command.

12. The semiconductor memory device according to claim 11 , wherein

the N-th data and the (N+1)-th data are transferred to an identical block, and

memory cells included in the block are concurrently erasable.

13. The semiconductor memory device according to claim 11 , wherein

the latch circuit includes two inverters.

14. The semiconductor memory device according to claim 13 , wherein

the cache circuit includes two inverters.

15. The semiconductor memory device according to claim 11 , further comprising

a data input/output buffer coupled to the latch circuit via the cache circuit.

16. The semiconductor memory device according to claim 15 , wherein

the data input/output buffer is coupled to the I/O pad.

17. The semiconductor memory device according to claim 15 , wherein

the cache circuit is coupled between a bit line and the data input/output buffer.

Assignments (3)
CHANGE OF NAME AND ADDRESS Recorded Jan 22, 2021
From: K.K. PANGEA
To: TOSHIBA MEMORY CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 055669/0401 →
MERGER Recorded Jan 22, 2021
From: TOSHIBA MEMORY CORPORATION
To: K.K. PANGEA
Reel/Frame 055659/0471 →
CHANGE OF NAME AND ADDRESS Recorded Jan 22, 2021
From: TOSHIBA MEMORY CORPORATION
To: KIOXIA CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 055669/0001 →
Priority Claims (2)
JP 2001-386596 · Dec 19, 2001 · national
JP 2002-311475 · Oct 25, 2002 · national
Continuity (12)
Continuation 15831805 · Dec 5, 2017
Continuation 15363808 · Nov 29, 2016
Continuation 14258265 · Apr 22, 2014
Continuation 13901093 · May 23, 2013
Continuation 13489977 · Jun 6, 2012
Continuation 12981063 · Dec 29, 2010
Continuation 12252896 · Oct 16, 2008
Continuation 11742600 · May 1, 2007
Continuation 11515005 · Sep 5, 2006
Continuation 11119744 · May 3, 2005
Division 10318167 · Dec 13, 2002
Related Publication 20190362800A1 · Nov 28, 2019