Abstract:
The invention concerns a method of avoiding disturbance during the step of programming and erasing an electrically programmable, semiconductor integrated non-volatile memory device which comprises a matrix of memory cells divided into sectors and programmable in a byte mode. An operation of verification of the contents of the byte to be programmed, to be carried out for each individual bit, is provided even before the first program pulse is applied. The invention further provides for the parallel erasing of several sectors during an erase step, and a verification of the erase step for each sector in the matrix. If the verification shows that a sector has been erased, the sector is applied no further erase pulses.
Abstract:
A circuit for switching between supply voltages and in particular for non-volatile flash memory devices and of the type comprising a first and a second circuit branch each incorporating a pair of transistors (MA,MB;Mc,MD) connected in series provides that at least one branch (2) of the circuit be structured with a bridge circuit made up of P-channel MOS transistors. The bridge is made of a first (5) and a second (4) pairs of transistors (M1,M2,M3,M4) connected between a first supply voltage reference (SUPPLY1) and a common node (D). The first pair (5) comprises transistors (M1,M2) bigger than the transistors (M3,M4) of the second pair (4) while between the transistors (M3,M4) making up the second pair (4) is inserted a pair of resistors (R1,R2). Between the pair of resistors (R1,R2) there is an interconnection node (F) connected to a corresponding interconnection node (E) between the transistors (M1,M2) of the first pair (5).
Abstract:
A Flash EEPROM comprises: at least one memory sector (S1-S8) comprising a plurality of rows (WL0-WL255) and columns (BL0-BL1024) of memory cells (MC); at least one negative voltage generator means (NP1-NP8) for generating a negative voltage (VP1-VP8) commonly charging said plurality of rows (WL0-WL255) to a negative potential during an erase pulse for erasing the memory cells (MC) of said at least one memory sector (S1-S8); control logic means (COM,SEQ) activating said negative voltage generator means (NP1-NP8) at the beginning of said erase pulse and deactivating said negative voltage generator means (NP1-NP8) at the end of the erase pulse. The Flash EEPROM comprises means (CC,CHC,DCHC) for controlling a discharge time of the rows (WL0-WL255) of said at least one memory sector (S1-S8) at the end of said erase pulse.
Abstract:
A negative word line voltage regulation circuit, integratable in an electrically erasable semiconductor memory device for regulating a negative word line voltage (01-08) to be supplied to word lines (WL) of the memory device during an electrical erasure of the memory device, comprises an operational amplifier (2) with a first input (3) coupled to a reference voltage (GND), a second input (4) coupled to the negative word line voltage (01-08) and an output (6) controlling a voltage regulation branch (8,13,14,151-158), connected between an external power supply (VCC) and the negative word line voltage (01-08), to provide a regulation current (IR) for regulating the negative word line voltage (01-08). The output (6) of the operational amplifier (2) also controls a voltage sensing branch (7,9,10,121-128), connected between the external power supply (VCC) and the negative word line voltage (01-08), to provide a sensing signal (11) coupled to the second input (4) of the operational amplifier (2).
Abstract:
The regulation of the output voltage of a voltage multiplier driven by a ring oscillator, an inverter of which is substituted by a NOR gate for providing a terminal through which stopping the oscillation, is effected by controlling the oscillation frequency in function of the current delivered by the voltage multiplier by means of a transistor T1 working as a current generator connected in series with a regulating chain of series-connected diodes by biasing the gate of the transistor with a constant voltage Vref, thus imposing a reference current Iref through the transistor. The voltage signal across the transistor is fed to the input of a first inverter with a preset triggering threshold and the output signal of the inverter is fed through an amplifying and phase-regenerating stage to said terminal for stopping the oscillation of said NOR gate of the ring oscillator. When the discharge current through the regulating chain becomes greater than the imposed current Iref, across the transistor T1 a voltage signal develops which, beyond a certain threshold, determines the switching of the inverter and, through the amplifying and phase-regenerating stage, causes a stop of the oscillation which resumes only when conduction through the regulating chain stops. At steady state the oscillation frequency will result controlled so as to maintain constant the output voltage of the voltage multiplier and to limit the discharge current through the regulating chain thus limiting power consumption.
Abstract:
A Flash EEPROM comprises negative voltage generator means (8) for generating a negative voltage to be supplied to control gate electrodes (CG) of memory cells (2) for erasing the memory cells (2). The Flash EEPROM comprises first positive voltage generator means (10) for generating a first positive voltage (VO), independent from an external power supply (VCC) of the Flash EEPROM, to be supplied to source regions (S) of the memory cells (2) during erasing.
Abstract:
A wholly integrated, multistage, CMOS voltage multiplier utilizes as a diode structure for transferring electric charge from an input node to an output node of each stage an enhancement type MOS transistor, the gate of which is coupled to the same switching phase to which the output capacitor of the stage is connected by means of a coupling capacitor. During a semicycle of charge transfer through said MOS transistor, the coupling capacitor charges through a second MOS transistor of the same type and having the same threshold of said charge transfer MOS transistor, connected in a diode configuration between the output node of the stage and the gate of the charge transfer MOS transistor, in order to cut-off the latter when reaching a voltage lower than the voltage reached by the output node by a value equal to the threshold value of said second transistor. In this way, a significant voltage drop across the charge transfer transistor is efficiently eliminated, thus allowing the generation of a sufficiently high output voltage though having available a relatively low supply voltage.