Abstract:
A phase change memory device with memory cells (2) formed by a phase change memory element (3) and a selection switch (4) . A reference cell (2a) formed by an own phase change memory element (3a) and an own selection switch (4a) is associated to a group (7) of memory cells to be read. An electrical quantity of the group of memory cells is compared with an analogous electrical quantity of the reference cell, thereby compensating any drift in the properties of the memory cells.
Abstract:
A process for manufacturing an array of cells, including: implanting, in a body (10) of semiconductor material of a first conductivity type, a common conduction region (11) of the first conductivity type; forming, in the body, above the common conduction region, a plurality of active area regions (12) of a second conductivity type and a first doping level; forming, on top of the body, an insulating layer (21) having first and second openings (27a, 27b); implanting first portions of the active area regions through the first openings (27a) with a doping agent of the first conductivity type, thereby forming, in the active area regions, second conduction regions (14) of the first conductivity type; implanting second portions of the active area regions through the second openings (27b) with a doping agent of the second conductivity type, thereby forming control contact regions (15) of the second conductivity type and a second doping level, higher than the first doping level; forming, on top of the body, a plurality of storage components (3), each storage component having a terminal connected to a respective second conduction region (14).
Abstract:
The present invention relates to a circuit for generating a regulated voltage (RV), in particular for gate terminals of non-volatile memory cells of the floating gate type, which comprises a generator circuit (OSC,CHP) adapted to generate an unregulated voltage (VCHP) on its output, a comparator circuit coupled to the output of the generator circuit (OSC,CHP), including a reference element consisting of a non-volatile memory cell (REFC) of the floating gate type and adapted to output an electric error signal (ID) tied to the difference between the unregulated voltage (VCHP) and the threshold voltage of the cell (REFC), and a regulator circuit (CSEL,CBIAS,IVC,DRV,TR) coupled to the output of the comparator circuit and operative to regulate the unregulated voltage (VCHP) based on the value of the electric error signal (ID). Through the present circuit, the regulated voltage (RV) is made programmable and tied to the parameters of the memory cell (REFC).
Abstract:
An electrically-modifiable, non-volatile, semiconductor memory comprising a plurality of user memory locations which can be addressed individually from outside the memory in order to read and to modify user memory location, there is a corresponding pair of physical memory locations ((X1, Y1), (X2, Y2); WORDn) in the memory, which assume, alternatively, the functions of an active memory location and of a non-active memory location, the active memory location containing a previously-written datum and the non-active memory location being available for the writing of a new datum to replace the previously-written datum, so that, upon a request to replace the previous datum with the new datum, the previous datum is kept in the memory until the new datum has been written.