IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,462,879
Granted Patent B2
US 12,462,879 · App. 18/296,789 · Granted Nov 4, 2025

Memory device and operating method of the memory device

Inventors: Dong Uk Lee (Icheon-si Gyeonggi-do, KR); Yun Cheol Kim (Icheon-si Gyeonggi-do, KR); Hae Chang Yang (Icheon-si Gyeonggi-do, KR)
Assignee: SK hynix Inc.
G11C16/16G11C16/102G11C16/3495
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,462,879
App. No.
18/296,789
Granted
Nov 4, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

There are provided a memory device and an operating method of the memory device. The memory device includes: a memory block including a plurality of sub-blocks; a peripheral circuit for performing first program and erase operations in a first manner in a first sub-block, among the plurality of sub-blocks, and performing second program and erase operations in a second manner in a second sub-block, among the plurality of sub-blocks; and a control circuit configured to, when a cycling number of the second program and erase operations that are performed in the second sub-block is equal to or greater than a reference number, control the peripheral circuit to perform a compensation operation that compensates for a threshold voltage of memory cells included in the first sub-block.

Claims (32)

1 . A memory device comprising:

a memory block including a plurality of sub-blocks;

a peripheral circuit configured to perform a first program operation in a first manner in a first sub-block, among the plurality of sub-blocks, and configured to perform a second program operation in a second manner in a second sub-block, among the plurality of sub-blocks; and

a control circuit configured to, when a program number of the second program operation that is performed in the second sub-block is equal to or greater than a reference number, control the peripheral circuit to perform a compensation operation that compensates for threshold voltages of memory cells included in the first sub-block.

2 . The memory device of claim 1 , wherein the peripheral circuit performs the first program operation in the first manner in the first sub-block and then performs the second program operation in the second manner in the second sub-block.

3 . The memory device of claim 1 , wherein, when the program number is equal to or greater than the reference number, the control circuit sets an offset in each of a re-erase operation and a re-program operation, which are to be performed in the compensation operation.

4 . The memory device of claim 3 , wherein the control circuit controls the peripheral circuit to increase an erase voltage to be used for the re-erase operation by setting the offset in the erase voltage.

5 . The memory device of claim 3 , wherein the control circuit controls the peripheral circuit to increase a start program voltage to be used for the re-program operation by setting the offset in the start program voltage.

6 . The memory device of claim 3 , wherein the control circuit controls the peripheral circuit to increase a step voltage corresponding to a voltage difference between program voltages that are used for the re-program operation by setting the offset in the step voltage.

7 . The memory device of claim 3 , wherein the control circuit controls the peripheral circuit to continuously perform the re-program operation after the re-erase operation is performed.

8 . The memory device of claim 1 , wherein, when the program number is less than the reference number, the control circuit controls the peripheral circuit to perform the second program operation and a second erase operation in the second sub-block until the program number becomes equal to or greater than the reference number.

9 . The memory device of claim 1 , wherein the first and second manners are different program manners.

10 . The memory device of claim 1 , wherein the control circuit controls the peripheral circuit to perform a third program operation in a third manner in a third sub-block, among the plurality of sub-blocks, when the compensation operation of the first sub-block is completed.

11 . The memory device of claim 10 , wherein the third manner is a program manner different from the first and second manners.

12 . The memory device of claim 11 , wherein the first to third manners are selected from a single level cell (SLC) manner, a multi-level cell (MLC) manner, a triple level cell (TLC) manner, and a quad level cell (QLC) manner.

13 . A method of operating a memory device, the method comprising:

performing a first program operation in a first manner in a first sub-block included in a memory block;

performing a second program operation in a second manner in a second sub-block included in the memory block;

comparing a program number of the second program operation that is performed in the second sub-block with a reference number; and

performing a compensation operation that compensates for a threshold voltage of memory cells included in the first sub-block when the program number is equal to or greater than the reference number.

14 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the first and second manners are different program manners.

15 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the first and second manners are selected from a single level cell (SLC) manner, a multi-level cell (MLC) manner, a triple level cell (TLC) manner, and a quad level cell (QLC) manner.

16 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the performing of the compensation operation includes:

setting an offset;

performing a re-erase operation in which the offset is set in the first sub-block; and

performing a re-program operation in which the offset is set in the first sub-block.

17 . The method of claim 16 , wherein, in the setting of the offset, an erase voltage to be used for the re-erase operation is set higher than a default level.

18 . The method of claim 16 , wherein, in the setting of the offset, a step voltage corresponding to a voltage difference between program voltages to be used in the program operation is set higher than a default level.

19 . The method of claim 16 , wherein, in the setting of the offset, a start program voltage to be used for the program operation is set higher than a default level.

20 . The method of claim 13 , wherein, when the program number is less than the reference number, the second program operation and a second erase operation are performed in the second sub-block until the program number becomes equal to or greater than the reference number.

21 . The method of claim 13 , wherein, which the compensation operation of the first sub-block is completed, a program operation is performed in a third manner in a third sub-block included in the memory block.

22 . The method of claim 21 , wherein the third manner is a program manner different from the first and second manners.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 6, 2023
From: LEE, DONG UK; KIM, YUN CHEOL; YANG, HAE CHANG
To: SK HYNIX INC.
Reel/Frame 063248/0111 →
Priority Claims (1)
KR 10-2022-0132326 · Oct 14, 2022 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20240127892A1 · Apr 18, 2024
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