Methods and devices for reducing program disturb in non-volatile memory cell arrays

1. A memory device, comprising:

a plurality of pairs of non-volatile memory cells arranged in rows and columns, each pair including, a first memory cell including a first memory gate and a first select gate, and a second memory cell including a second memory gate and a second select gate, wherein the first and second memory cells are disposed in a same column and share a source region disposed between the first and second memory gates, and wherein the first and second memory gates are not connected to one another, and

wherein the first memory gate of a first pair of non-volatile memory cells is connected to another memory gate in a second pair of non-volatile memory cells of the same column on a side opposite from the second memory gate of the first pair of non-volatile memory cells, and the second memory gate is connected to another memory gate in a third pair non-volatile memory cells of the same column on a side opposite from the first memory gate.

2. The memory device of claim 1 , wherein the first and second memory cells include a mirrored orientation, and the first and second memory gates face one another.

3. The memory device of claim 1 , wherein when the first memory cell is selected for programming and the second memory cell is not selected for the programming, the first and second memory gates are configured to receive a first voltage and a second voltage respectively, and wherein the first and second voltages are different voltages.

4. The memory device of claim 3 , wherein the first voltage is a high voltage in an approximate range of 5 V to 10 V, and the second voltage is a low voltage in an approximate range of 0 V to 5 V.

5. The memory device of claim 3 , wherein the first select gate is configured to receive a high voltage to select the first memory cell for programming, and the second select gate is configured to receive a low voltage to inhibit the second memory cell for the programming.

6. The memory device of claim 1 , wherein the first and second memory cells include split gate memory cells.

7. The memory device of claim 1 , wherein each of the first and second memory gates comprises a charge trapping layer.

8. The memory device of claim 1 , wherein the first and second memory cells are multi-bit memory cells.

9. A method, comprising:

operating a non-volatile memory array, wherein the non-volatile memory array includes a plurality of pairs of non-volatile memory cells arranged in rows and columns, each pair including,

a first memory cell including a first memory gate and a first select gate, and a second memory cell including a second memory gate and a second select gate, wherein the first and second memory cells are disposed in a same column and share a source region disposed between the first and second memory gates, and wherein a bit line is disposed adjacent to the first select gate and the second select gate, wherein the first and second memory gates are not connected to one another, and wherein the first and second memory gates are each connected to at least one other memory gate of at least one other pair of non-volatile memory cells of the same column;

providing a high select voltage to the first select gate to select the first memory cell for programming;

providing a low select voltage to the second select gate to deselect the second memory cell for programming; and

providing a high voltage to the first memory gate and a low voltage to the second memory gate,

wherein during programming of the first memory cell: the high select voltage is in an approximate range of 0.65 V to 1.35 V, and the low select voltage is approximately 0 V; the high voltage applied to the first memory gate is in an approximate range of 5 V to 10 V, and the low voltage applied to the second memory gate is in an approximate range of 0 V to 5 V; and the high source voltage is in an approximate range of 3 V to 7 V.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the low voltage provided to the second memory gate during programming of the first memory cell is configured to inhibit transient program disturb of the second memory cell.

11. The method of claim 9 , further comprising: providing, during programming of the first memory cell a program voltage to the bit line.

12. A non-volatile memory array, comprising:

a plurality of memory cell pairs arranged in rows and columns, each of the plurality of memory cell pairs including a first and second memory cells, wherein,

the first memory cell includes a first memory gate and a first select gate, and the second memory cell includes a second memory gate and a second select gate,

the first and second memory cells share a source line disposed between the first and second memory gates, and

the first and second memory gates of a same memory cell pair are not electrically coupled to one another,

wherein the first memory gate of at least one memory cell pair share a memory gate routing with the second memory gate of an adjacent memory cell pair of a same column, and wherein first memory gate of the at least one memory cell pair is not separated from the second memory gate of the adjacent memory cell pair by another memory gate.

13. The memory array of claim 12 , wherein the first and second memory cells of the same memory cell pair include a mirrored orientation, and the first and second memory gates faces one another.

14. The memory array of claim 12 , wherein the first and second memory gates of the same pair of memory pair do not share a memory gate routing, and are configured to receive different voltages.

15. The memory array of claim 12 , wherein memory cell pairs of a same column do not include common source line.

16. The memory array of claim 12 , wherein the first connector is further coupled to at least one other first and second memory gates of memory cell pairs of the same column via a conducting line bridge.

17. The memory array of claim 12 , wherein memory cell pairs of a same column share a common bit line.