A non-volatile storage system performs programming for a plurality of non-volatile storage elements and selectively performs re-erasing of at least a subset of the non-volatile storage elements that were supposed to remain erased, without intentionally erasing programmed data.
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13. A method for operating non-volatile storage, comprising:
erasing a set of non-volatile storage elements, said non-volatile storage elements are flash memory devices connected to a common word line;
receiving data to be stored by said set of non-volatile storage elements, said data indicates that some of said non-volatile storage elements are to be programmed and some of said non-volatile storage elements are to remain erased;
programming said data into said set of non-volatile storage elements; and
selectively performing re-erasing of at least a first subset of non-volatile storage elements that were supposed to remain erased without intentionally erasing any non-volatile storage elements in a second subset storing properly programmed data by
applying non-negative boosting signals to unselected word lines for said set of non-volatile storage elements;
applying a boosting enabling voltage to bit lines for said first subset of non-volatile storage elements;
applying a boosting disabling voltage to bit lines for said second subset of non-volatile storage elements; and
applying a non-negative voltage to said common word line.
19. A method for operating non-volatile storage, comprising:
erasing non-volatile storage elements;
performing programming for said non-volatile storage elements; and
selectively performing re-erasing of a subset of groups of non-volatile storage elements that were supposed to remain erased and which are connected to a common first set of control lines without intentionally erasing programmed data, each group includes multiple non-volatile storage elements in series and sharing a common channel area, by performing one or more erase operations for the subset of groups of non-volatile storage elements that were supposed to remain erased comprising
applying a boosting enabling voltage to a second set of control lines only for said subset of groups,
applying a boosting disabling voltage to a third set of control lines for groups of non-volatile storage elements not in said subset, and charging a common substrate for said groups, whether in or not in said subset, to a non-negative voltage, and
erasing one or more non-volatile storage elements in each group of said subset without intentionally erasing non-volatile storage elements in groups not in said subset by applying the non-negative voltage to said common first set of control lines.
1. A method for operating non-volatile storage, comprising:
erasing non-volatile storage elements;
performing programming for said non-volatile storage elements; and
selectively performing re-erasing of a first subset of non-volatile storage elements that were supposed to remain erased without intentionally erasing programmed data by performing one or more erase operations for the first subset of non-volatile storage elements that were supposed to remain erased comprising
boosting a first set of channel regions to a first voltage range for the first subset of non-volatile elements that were supposed to remain erased without boosting a second set of channel regions to said first voltage range for a second subset of non-volatile elements that were supposed to be programmed, said first set of channel regions and said second set of channel regions are part of a common substrate region,
applying a boosting enabling voltage to said first subset of non-volatile storage elements,
applying a boosting disabling voltage to said second subset of non-volatile storage elements,
charging said common substrate region,
applying a voltage signal to an unselected common control line for coupling said first subset and said second subset of non-volatile storage elements to said unselected common control line,
applying a boosting signal beyond said voltage signal to said unselected common control line to boost said first set of channel regions, and
applying a common enabling voltage to said first subset of non-volatile storage elements and said second subset of non-volatile storage elements in order to lower threshold voltages of said first subset of non-volatile storage elements without intentionally lowering threshold voltages of said second subset of non-volatile storage elements.
2. A method according to
identifying which non-volatile storage elements that should remain erased as the first subset of non-volatile storage elements;
testing whether said non-volatile storage elements that were supposed to remain erased appear to have been altered past a threshold; and
performing one or more erase operations for the first subset of non-volatile storage elements that should remain erased and appear to have been altered past said threshold.
3. A method according to
said non-volatile storage elements are NAND flash memory devices and said common control line is a common word line.
4. A method according to
said performing programming for said non-volatile storage elements comprises receiving data to be stored by said non-volatile storage elements, said data indicates that a first subset of said non-volatile storage elements are to remain erased and a second subset of said non-volatile storage elements are to be programmed, said performing programming changes threshold voltages for said second subset of said non-volatile storage elements and attempts to not change threshold voltages for said first subset of said non-volatile storage elements.
5. A method according to
said first subset of non-volatile storage elements are flash memory devices that are connected to a common word line and are each part of a different NAND string.
6. A method according to
performing a first pass of a first multi-pass programming process for non-volatile storage elements connected to a first control line;
performing a first pass of a second multi-pass programming process for non-volatile storage elements connected to a second control line;
after performing said first pass of said second multi-pass programming process, selectively performing re-erasing of at least a subset of said non-volatile storage elements connected to said first control line that were supposed to remain erased;
selectively performing re-erasing of at least a subset of said non-volatile storage elements connected to said second control line that were supposed to remain erased;
after selectively performing re-erasing of at least a subset of said non-volatile storage elements connected to said first control line, performing a second pass of said first multi-pass programming process for at least some of said non-volatile storage elements connected to said first control line; and
performing a second pass of said second multi-pass programming process for at least some of said non-volatile storage elements connected to said second control line.
7. A method according to
said first pass of said first multi-pass programming process is a coarse stage of said first multi-pass programming; and
said second pass of said first multi-pass programming process is a fine stage of said first multi-pass programming.
8. A method according to
said first pass of said first multi-pass programming process causes said non-volatile storage elements connected to said first control line to be in a first number of data states; and
said second pass of said first multi-pass programming process causes said non-volatile storage elements connected to said first control line to be in a second number of data states, said second number of data states is greater than said first number of data states.
9. A method according to
performing a first pass of a third multi-pass programming process on non-volatile storage elements connected to a third control line;
selectively performing re-erasing of at least a subset of said non-volatile storage elements connected to said third control line that were supposed to remain erased; and
performing a second pass of said third multi-pass programming process for said non-volatile storage elements connected to said third control line;
wherein said selectively performing re-erasing of at least a subset of said non-volatile storage elements connected to said second control line is performed after performing said first pass of said third multi-pass programming process.
10. A method according to
said first pass of said first multi-pass programming process and said second pass of said first multi-pass programming process program a common set of data.
11. A method according to
performing a first pass of a first multi-pass programming process for said non-volatile storage elements connected to a first control line;
performing a first pass of a second multi-pass programming process for said non-volatile storage elements connected to a second control line after performing said first pass of said first multi-pass programming process;
after performing said first pass of said second multi-pass programming process, selectively performing re-erasing of at least a subset of said non-volatile storage elements connected to said first control line that were supposed to remain erased;
after selectively performing re-erasing of at least a subset of said non-volatile storage elements connected to said first control line, selectively performing re-erasing of at least a subset of said non-volatile storage elements connected to said second control line that were supposed to remain erased;
after selectively performing re-erasing of at least a subset of said non-volatile storage elements connected to said second control line, performing a second pass of said first multi-pass programming process for at least some of said non-volatile storage elements connected to said first control line; and
after performing said second pass of said first multi-pass programming process, performing a second pass of said second multi-pass programming process for at least some of said non-volatile storage elements connected to said second control line.
12. A method according to
said non-volatile storage elements are connected to a common word line;
said performing programming and said selectively performing re-erasing are performed on a word line basis; and
said erasing is performed on a block basis.
14. A method according to
said set of non-volatile storage elements include floating gates;
said programming said data into said set of non-volatile storage elements includes adding charge to floating gates indicated by said data to change state and not adding charge to floating gates indicated by said data to not change state.
15. A method according to
said first subset of non-volatile storage elements are each part of different NAND strings.
16. A method according to
performing a first pass of a first multi-pass programming process for non-volatile storage elements connected to a first control line;
performing a first pass of a second multi-pass programming process for non-volatile storage elements connected to a second control line;
after performing said first pass of said second multi-pass programming process, selectively performing re-erasing of at least a first subset of said non-volatile storage elements connected to said first control line that were supposed to remain erased;
selectively performing re-erasing of at least a third subset of said non-volatile storage elements connected to said second control line that were supposed to remain erased;
after selectively performing re-erasing of at least said first subset of said non-volatile storage elements connected to said first control line, performing a second pass of said first multi-pass programming process for non-volatile storage elements connected to said first control line; and
performing a second pass of said second multi-pass programming process for non-volatile storage elements connected to said second control line.
17. A method according to
said first pass of said first multi-pass programming process is a coarse stage of said first multi-pass programming; and
said second pass of said first multi-pass programming process is a fine stage of said first multi-pass programming.
18. A method according to
said first pass of said first multi-pass programming process causes said non-volatile storage elements connected to said first control line to be in a first number of data states; and
said second pass of said first multi-pass programming process causes said non-volatile storage elements connected to said first control line to be in a second number of data states, said second number of data states is greater than said first number of data states.
20. The method according to
said groups of non-volatile storage elements are NAND strings; and
said common first set of control lines are word lines.
0. 21. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
the non-volatile storage elements are arranged in three-dimensions.
0. 22. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
the non-volatile storage elements are arranged in a three-dimensional memory structure.
0. 23. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
the non-volatile storage includes a three-dimensional memory array including the non-volatile storage elements.
0. 24. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
the non-volatile storage elements use a dielectric layer for storing charge.
0. 25. The method of claim 13 further comprising:
the set of non-volatile storage elements are arranged in three-dimensions.
0. 26. The method of claim 13 further comprising:
the set of non-volatile storage elements are arranged in a three-dimensional memory structure.
0. 27. The method of claim 13 further comprising:
the non-volatile storage includes a three-dimensional memory array including the set of non-volatile storage elements.
0. 28. The method of claim 13 further comprising:
the dielectric layer includes spatially separated charge storage regions for multi-state data storage.
0. 29. The method of claim 19 further comprising:
the non-volatile storage elements are arranged in three-dimensions.
0. 30. The method of claim 19 further comprising:
the non-volatile storage elements are arranged in a three-dimensional memory structure.
0. 31. The method of claim 19 further comprising:
the non-volatile storage includes a three-dimensional memory array including the non-volatile storage elements.
0. 32. The method of claim 19 further comprising:
the non-volatile storage elements use a dielectric layer for storing charge, the dielectric layer includes spatially separated charge storage regions for multi-state data storage.
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This application is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/167,135, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,014,209, “Programming And Selectively Erasing Non-Volatile Storage”, filed on Jul. 2, 2008, by Lutze, et al., and which is incorporated herein by reference.
1. Field
The present invention relates to technology for non-volatile storage.
2. Description of the Related Art
Semiconductor memory has become more popular for use in various electronic devices. For example, non-volatile semiconductor memory is used in cellular telephones, digital cameras, personal digital assistants, mobile computing devices, non-mobile computing devices and other devices. Electrical Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EEPROM) and flash memory are among the most popular non-volatile semiconductor memories.
Both EEPROM and flash memory utilize a floating gate that is positioned above and insulated from a channel region in a semiconductor substrate. The floating gate is positioned between the source and drain regions. A control gate is provided over and insulated from the floating gate. The threshold voltage of the transistor is controlled by the amount of charge that is retained on the floating gate (or other charge storage region). That is, the minimum amount of voltage that must be applied to the control gate before the transistor is turned on to permit conduction between its source and drain is controlled by the level of charge on the floating gate (or other charge storage region).
When programming an EEPROM or flash memory device, such as a NAND flash memory device, typically a program voltage is applied to the control gate and the bit line is grounded. Electrons from the channel are injected into the floating gate. When electrons accumulate in the floating gate, the floating gate becomes negatively charged and the threshold voltage of the memory cell is raised so that the memory cell is in a programmed state. More information about programming can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,859,397, titled “Source Side Self-Boosting Technique For Non-Volatile Memory,” and U.S. Pat. No. 6,917,545, titled “Detecting Over Programmed Memory,” both of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
Some EEPROM and flash memory devices have a floating gate (or other charge storage region) that is used to store two ranges of charges and, therefore, the memory cell can be programmed/erased between two states (an erased state and a programmed state). Such a flash memory device is sometimes referred to as a binary memory device.
A multi-state memory device is implemented by identifying multiple distinct allowed/valid programmed threshold voltage ranges separated by forbidden ranges. Each distinct threshold voltage range corresponds to a data state associated with a predetermined value for the set of data bits encoded in the memory device.
Shifts in the apparent charge stored on a floating gate can occur because of the coupling of an electric field based on the charge stored in adjacent floating gates (or other charge types of charge storage regions). This floating gate to floating gate coupling phenomena is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,867,429, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
The effect of the floating gate to floating gate coupling is of greater concern for multi-state devices because in multi-state devices the allowed threshold voltage ranges and the forbidden ranges are narrower than in binary devices. Therefore, the floating gate to floating gate coupling can result in memory cells being shifted from an allowed threshold voltage range to a forbidden range or to the wrong allowed threshold voltage range.
The floating gate to floating gate coupling can occur between sets of adjacent memory cells that have been programmed at different times. For example, a first memory cell is programmed to add a level of charge to its floating gate that corresponds to one set of data. Subsequently, one or more adjacent memory cells are programmed to add a level of charge to their floating gates that correspond to a second set of data. After the one or more of the adjacent memory cells are programmed, the charge level read from the first memory cell appears to be different than programmed because of the effect of the charge on the adjacent memory cells being coupled to the first memory cell. The coupling from adjacent memory cells can shift the apparent charge level being read a sufficient amount to lead to an erroneous reading of the data stored.
The floating gate to floating gate coupling can also occur between sets of adjacent memory cells that have been programmed concurrently. For example, two adjacent multi-state memory cells may be programmed to different target levels such that a first memory cell is programmed to a state corresponding to a lower threshold voltage and a second memory cell is programmed to a state corresponding to a higher threshold voltage. The memory cell being programmed to the state corresponding to the lower threshold voltage is likely to reach that state and be locked out from further programming before the second memory cell reaches the state corresponding to the higher threshold voltage. After the second memory cell reaches the state corresponding to the higher threshold voltage, it will couple to the first memory cell and cause the first memory cell to have a higher apparent threshold voltage than programmed.
As memory cells continue to shrink in size, the natural programming and erase distributions of threshold voltages are expected to increase due to short channel effects, greater oxide thickness/coupling ratio variations and more channel dopant fluctuations, thereby reducing the available separation between adjacent data states/allowed threshold voltage ranges. This effect is much more significant for multi-state memories than memories using only two states (binary memories). Furthermore, the reduction of the space between word lines and reduction of the space between bit lines will also increase the coupling between adjacent floating gates. As coupling increases and threshold voltage distributions increase, it will become more difficult to implement multi-state memories.
In a population of memory cells that are being programmed with data, those memory cells that are to remain erased can potentially experience more coupling than memory cells being programmed. Therefore, a system is provided that can selectively erase or otherwise adjust some memory cells without erasing or otherwise adjusting all memory cells. This way, memory cells that were supposed to remain erased but appear to have been changed due to coupling can be re-erased or otherwise adjusted.
One embodiment includes erasing non-volatile storage elements, and performing programming for the non-volatile storage elements as well as selectively performing re-erasing of at least a subset of non-volatile storage elements that were supposed to remain erased without intentionally erasing programmed data.
One embodiment includes erasing a set of non-volatile storage elements and receiving data to be stored by the set of non-volatile storage elements. The received data indicates that some of the non-volatile storage elements are to be programmed and some of the non-volatile storage elements are to remain erased. The process further includes programming the data into the set of non-volatile storage elements and selectively performing re-erasing of at least a subset of non-volatile storage elements that were supposed to remain erased without intentionally erasing non-volatile storage element storing properly programmed data.
One embodiment includes erasing a set of non-volatile storage elements connected to a first control line and a set of non-volatile storage elements connected to a second control line, performing a first pass of a first multi-pass programming process for non-volatile storage elements connected to the first control line, performing a first pass of a second multi-pass programming process for the non-volatile storage elements connected to the second control line, (after performing the first pass of the second multi-pass programming process) selectively performing re-erasing of at least a subset of the non-volatile storage elements connected to the first control line that were supposed to remain erased, selectively performing re-erasing of at least a subset of the non-volatile storage elements connected to the second control line that were supposed to remain erased, (after selectively performing re-erasing of at least a subset of the non-volatile storage elements connected to the first control line) performing a second pass of the first multi-pass programming process for the non-volatile storage elements connected to the first control line, and performing a second pass of the second multi-pass programming process for the non-volatile storage elements connected to the second control line.
One example implementation includes a plurality of non-volatile storage elements and one or more managing circuits in communication the plurality of non-volatile storage elements. The one or more managing circuits erase the non-volatile storage elements and perform programming for the non-volatile storage elements as well as selectively perform re-erasing of at least a subset of non-volatile storage elements that were supposed to remain erased without intentionally erasing programmed data.
One example implementation includes a plurality of non-volatile storage elements, means for erasing the non-volatile storage elements, and means for performing programming for the non-volatile storage elements as well as selectively performing re-erasing of at least a subset of non-volatile storage elements that were supposed to remain erased without intentionally erasing programmed data.
One example of a flash memory system uses the NAND structure, which includes arranging multiple transistors in series, sandwiched between two select gates. The transistors in series and the select gates are referred to as a NAND string.
Note that although
A typical architecture for a flash memory system using a NAND structure will include several NAND strings. Each NAND string is connected to the source line by its source select gate controlled by select line SGS and connected to its associated bit line by its drain select gate controlled by select line SGD. Each bit line and the respective NAND string(s) that are connected to that bit line via a bit line contact comprise the columns of the array of memory cells. Bit lines are shared with multiple NAND strings. Typically, the bit line runs on top of the NAND strings in a direction perpendicular to the word lines and is connected to one or more sense amplifiers.
Relevant examples of NAND type flash memories and their operation are provided in the following U.S. patents/patent applications, all of which are incorporated herein by reference: U.S. Pat. No. 5,570,315; U.S. Pat. No. 5,774,397; U.S. Pat. No. 6,046,935; U.S. Pat. No. 6,456,528; and U.S. Pat. Publication No. US2003/0002348.
Other types of non-volatile storage devices, in addition to NAND flash memory, can also be used. For example, non-volatile memory devices are also manufactured from memory cells that use a dielectric layer for storing charge. Instead of the conductive floating gate elements described earlier, a dielectric layer is used. Such memory devices utilizing a dielectric storage element have been described by Eitan et al., “NROM: A Novel Localized Trapping, 2-Bit Nonvolatile Memory Cell,” IEEE Electron Device Letters, vol. 21, no. 11, November 2000, pp. 543-545. An ONO dielectric layer extends across the channel between source and drain diffusions. The charge for one data bit is localized in the dielectric layer adjacent to the drain, and the charge for the other data bit is localized in the dielectric layer adjacent to the source. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,768,192 and 6,011,725 disclose a nonvolatile memory cell having a trapping dielectric sandwiched between two silicon dioxide layers. Multi-state data storage is implemented by separately reading the binary states of the spatially separated charge storage regions within the dielectric. Other types of non-volatile storage can also be used.
Control circuitry 220 cooperates with the read/write circuits 230A and 230B to perform memory operations on the memory array 200. The control circuitry 220 includes a state machine 222, an on-chip address decoder 224 and a power control module 226. The state machine 222 provides chip-level control of memory operations. The on-chip address decoder 224 provides an address interface between that used by the host or a memory controller to the hardware address used by the decoders 240A, 240B, 242A, and 242B. The power control module 226 controls the power and voltages supplied to the word lines and bit lines during memory operations. In one embodiment, power control module 226 includes one or more charge pumps that can create voltages larger than the supply voltage.
In one embodiment, one or any combination of control circuitry 220, power control circuit 226, decoder circuit 224, state machine circuit 222, decoder circuit 242A, decoder circuit 242B, decoder circuit 240A, decoder circuit 240B, read/write circuits 230A, read/write circuits 230B, and/or controller 244 can be referred to as one or more managing or control circuits. The one or more managing or control circuits perform the processes described herein.
A block contains a set of NAND stings which are accessed via bit lines (e.g., bit lines BL0-BLX) and a common set of word lines (WL0, WL1, WL2, WL3).
Each block is typically divided into a number of pages. In one embodiment, a page is a unit of programming. Other units of programming can also be used. One or more pages of data are typically stored in one row of memory cells. For example, one or more pages of data may be stored in memory cells connected to a common word line. A page can store one or more sectors. A sector includes user data and overhead data (also called system data). Overhead data typically includes header information and Error Correction Codes (ECC) that have been calculated from the user data of the sector. The controller (or state machine, or other component) calculates the ECC when data is being programmed into the array, and also checks it when data is being read from the array. Alternatively, the ECCs and/or other overhead data are stored in different pages, or even different blocks, than the user data to which they pertain. A sector of user data is typically 512 bytes, corresponding to the size of a sector in magnetic disk drives. A large number of pages form a block, anywhere from 8 pages, for example, up to 32, 64, 128 or more pages. Different sized blocks, pages and sectors can also be used.
In some embodiments, the memory cells include a triple well comprising a p substrate, a n-well within the p substrate, and a p-well within the n-well. The channel regions, source regions and drain regions are typically positioned in the p-well. The p-well and n-well are considered part of the substrate. In one embodiment, the entire array of memory cells is within one p-well, with trenches in the p-well providing electrical isolation between NAND strings. In one implementation all of the blocks in the same p-well that share the same set of bit lines are referred to as a plane. In other embodiments, different blocks can be in different p-wells.
In addition, the device can have the reverse polarity such that the triple well comprises a n substrate, a p-well within the n substrate, and a n-well within the p-well. In this configuration, the channel regions, the source regions and the drain regions are typically positioned in the n-well.
Sense module 480 comprises sense circuitry 470 that determines whether a conduction current in a connected bit line is above or below a predetermined level. In some embodiments, sense module 480 includes a circuit commonly referred to as a sense amplifier. Sense module 480 also includes a bit line latch 482 that is used to set a voltage condition on the connected bit line. For example, a predetermined state latched in bit line latch 482 will result in the connected bit line being pulled to a state designating program inhibit (e.g., Vdd).
Common portion 490 comprises a processor 492, a set of data latches 494 and an I/O Interface 496 coupled between the set of data latches 494 and data bus 420. Processor 492 performs computations. For example, one of its functions is to determine the data stored in the sensed memory cell and store the determined data in the set of data latches. The set of data latches 494 is used to store data bits determined by processor 492 during a read operation. It is also used to store data bits imported from the data bus 420 during a program operation. The imported data bits represent write data meant to be programmed into the memory. I/O interface 496 provides an interface between data latches 494 and the data bus 420.
During read or sensing, the operation of the system is under the control of state machine 222 that controls (using power control 226) the supply of different control gate voltages to the addressed memory cell(s). As it steps through the various predefined control gate voltages corresponding to the various memory states supported by the memory, the sense module 480 may trip at one of these voltages and an output will be provided from sense module 480 to processor 492 via bus 472. At that point, processor 492 determines the resultant memory state by consideration of the tripping event(s) of the sense module and the information about the applied control gate voltage from the state machine via input lines 493. It then computes a binary encoding for the memory state and stores the resultant data bits into data latches 494. In another embodiment of the core portion, bit line latch 482 serves double duty, both as a latch for latching the output of the sense module 480 and also as a bit line latch as described above.
It is anticipated that some implementations will include multiple processors 492. In one embodiment, each processor 492 will include an output line (not depicted in
Data latch stack 494 contains a stack of data latches corresponding to the sense module. In one embodiment, there are three (or four or another number) data latches per sense module 480. In one embodiment, the latches are each one bit.
During program or verify, the data to be programmed is stored in the set of data latches 494 from the data bus 420. During the verify process, Processor 492 monitors the verified memory state relative to the desired memory state. When the two are in agreement, processor 492 sets the bit line latch 482 so as to cause the bit line to be pulled to a state designating program inhibit. This inhibits the memory cell coupled to the bit line from further programming even if it is subjected to programming pulses on its control gate. In other embodiments the processor initially loads the bit line latch 482 and the sense circuitry sets it to an inhibit value during the verify process.
In some implementations (but not required), the data latches are implemented as a shift register so that the parallel data stored therein is converted to serial data for data bus 420, and vice versa. In one preferred embodiment, all the data latches corresponding to the read/write block of m memory cells can be linked together to form a block shift register so that a block of data can be input or output by serial transfer. In particular, the bank of read/write modules is adapted so that each of its set of data latches will shift data in to or out of the data bus in sequence as if they are part of a shift register for the entire read/write block.
Additional information about the sensing operations and sense amplifiers can be found in (1) United States Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0057287, “Non-Volatile Memory And Method With Reduced Source Line Bias Errors,” published on Mar. 25, 2004; (2) United States Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0109357, “Non-Volatile Memory And Method with Improved Sensing,” published on Jun. 10, 2004; (3) U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 20050169082; (4) U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2006/0221692, titled “Compensating for Coupling During Read Operations of Non-Volatile Memory,” Inventor Jian Chen, filed on Apr. 5, 2005; and (5) U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2006/0158947, titled “Reference Sense Amplifier For Non-Volatile Memory”, Inventors Siu Lung Chan and Raul-Adrian Cernea, filed on Dec. 28, 2005. All five of the immediately above-listed patent documents are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
At the end of a successful programming process, the threshold voltages of the memory cells should be within one or more distributions of threshold voltages for programmed memory cells or within a distribution of threshold voltages for erased memory cells, as appropriate.
Each distinct threshold voltage distribution of
In one embodiment, known as full sequence programming, memory cells can be programmed from the erased threshold voltage distribution/data state S0 directly to any of the programmed threshold voltage distributions/data states S1, S2 or S3. For example, a population of memory cells to be programmed may first be erased so that all memory cells in the population are in erased threshold voltage distribution/data state S0. While some memory cells are being programmed from threshold voltage distribution/data state S0 to threshold voltage distribution/data state S1, other memory cells are being programmed from threshold voltage distribution/data state S0 to threshold voltage distribution/data state S2 and/or from threshold voltage distribution/data state S0 to threshold voltage distribution/data state S3. Full sequence programming is graphically depicted by the three curved arrows of
Memory cells can suffer from capacitive coupling from neighbor memory cells on the same word line, on the same bit line, or an adjacent word line and an adjacent bit line. The capacitive coupling serves to raise the apparent threshold voltage of a memory cell because the neighbor memory cell has been programmed; however, the floating gate may not have added or lost an amount of charge. The increase in apparent threshold voltages for many memory cells causes the threshold voltage distributions to widen, as depicted in
The technology proposed herein selectively performs erase operations to re-erase those memory cells that should be in erased state 0 but, due to capacitive coupling (or other reasons), have threshold voltages that appear to be outside the threshold voltage distribution of erased data state S0. The selective erasing is performed without intentionally erasing programmed data in any of the memory cells that are supposed to be programmed. Thus, in one embodiment, threshold voltage distribution/data state S0 of
In step 552, memory cells are erased (in blocks or other units) prior to programming. Memory cells are erased in one embodiment by raising the p-well to an erase voltage (e.g., 20 volts) for a sufficient period of time and grounding the word lines of a selected block while the source and bit lines are floating. In blocks that are not selected to be erased, word lines are floated. Due to capacitive coupling, the unselected word lines, bit lines, select lines, and the common source line are also raised to a significant fraction of the erase voltage thereby impeding erase on blocks that are not selected to be erased. In blocks that a selected to be erased, a strong electric field is consequently applied to the tunnel oxide layers of selected memory cells and the selected memory cells are erased as electrons of the floating gates are emitted to the substrate side, typically by a Fowler-Nordheim tunneling mechanism. As electrons are transferred from the floating gate to the p-well region, the threshold voltage of a selected cell is lowered. Erasing can be performed on the entire memory array, on individual blocks, or another unit of cells. In one embodiment, after erasing the memory cells, all of the erased memory cells will be in data state S0 (see
At step 554, soft programming is (optionally) performed to narrow the distribution of erased threshold voltages for the erased memory cells. Some memory cells may be in a deeper erased state than necessary as a result of the erase process. Soft programming can apply programming pulses to the control gates in order to move the threshold voltage of the deeper erased memory cells closer to the erase verify level Ev. For example, looking at
Typically, the programming voltage (Vpgm) applied to the control gate during a program operation is applied as a series of program pulses. In between programming pulses are a set of verify pulses to enable verification. In many implementations, the magnitude of the program pulses is increased with each successive pulse by a predetermined step size. In step 608 of
In step 610, the program pulse is concurrently applied to all memory cells connected to the selected word line so that all of the memory cells connected to the selected word line that are selected for programming are programmed together. In this manner all of the memory cells connected to the selected word line will concurrently have their threshold voltage change, unless they have been locked out from programming.
In step 612, the states of the selected memory cells are verified using the appropriate set of target levels. Step 612 of
There are many ways to measure the conduction current of a memory cell during a read or verify operation. In one example, the conduction current of a memory cell is measured by the rate it discharges or charges a dedicated capacitor in the sense amplifier. In another example, the conduction current of the selected memory cell allows (or fails to allow) the NAND string that includes the memory cell to discharge the corresponding bit line, where the bit line was pre-charged to a known voltage. The voltage on the bit line is measured after a period of time to see whether it has been discharged or not. Note that the technology described herein can be used with different methods known in the art for verifying/reading. More information about verifying/reading can be found in the following patent documents that are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety: (1) United States Patent Application Pub. No. 2004/0057287, “Non-Volatile Memory And Method With Reduced Source Line Bias Errors;” (2) United States Patent Application Pub No. 2004/0109357, “Non-Volatile Memory And Method with Improved Sensing;” (3) United States Patent Application Pub. No. 20050169082; and (4) United States Patent Publication 2006/0221692, titled “Compensating for Coupling During Read Operations of Non-Volatile Memory.”
If it is detected that the threshold voltage of a selected memory cell has reached the appropriate target level, then the memory cell is locked out of further programming by, for example, raising its bit line voltage to Vdd during subsequent programming pulses.
Looking back at
If, in step 614, it is determined that not all of the memory cells have reached their target threshold voltages, then the programming process continues. In step 618, the program counter PC is checked against a program limit value (PL). One example of a program limit value PL is 20; however, other values can be used. If the program counter PC is not less than the program limit value, then it is determined in step 630 whether the number of memory cells that have not been successfully programmed is equal to or less than a predetermined number. If the number of unsuccessfully programmed memory cells is equal to or less than the predetermined number, then the programming process is considered successful and a status of PASS is reported in step 632. In many cases, the memory cells that are not successfully programmed can be corrected using error correction during the read process. If however, the number of unsuccessfully programmed memory cells is greater than the predetermined number, the program process is considered unsuccessful and a status of FAIL is reported in step 634.
If, in step 618, it is determined that the Program Counter PC is less than the Program Limit value PL, then the process continues at step 620 during which time the program counter PC is incremented by 1 and the program voltage Vpgm is stepped up to the next magnitude. For example, the next pulse will have a magnitude greater than the previous pulse by a step size (e.g., a step size of 0.1-0.4 volts). After step 620, the process loops back to step 610 and another program pulse is applied to the selected word line, and the process continues.
In step 650, the memory cells that are supposed to remain erased are identified. For example, if state S0 corresponds to data 11, state S1 corresponds to data 10, state S2 corresponds to data 00 and state S3 corresponds to data 01, then all memory cells that are supposed to be storing data 11 should remain erased (e.g., remain in state S0). There are many suitable ways to identify the memory cells that are supposed to remain erased. In one example, data currently being programmed or recently programmed can be stored in a buffer (in RAM or flash memory). This data can be read from the buffer in step 650 and the system will identify memory cells that are supposed to be storing data 11 using the controller (see
In step 652, an erase verify operation is performed on the memory cells connected to the selected word line. The erase verify operation determines whether the memory cells have been properly erased. In one example, the erase verify operation determines whether the threshold voltages of the memory cells are greater then the erase verify compare voltage Vev (see
Note that the process of
In some embodiments, using a negative word line voltage requires a triple well structure for the row decoder and a negative pump to supply the voltage. In some cases, such an arrangement can be expensive.
In the second step (Charge WL and Well—step 802), the unselected and selected word lines are charged up from 0 volts to Vwell at time t2. Additionally, at t2 SGD is raised from 0 volts to Vwell+2V and SGS is raised from 0 volts to Vwell. The raising of the word lines to Vwell causes the bit lines to couple to Vwell+Vdd (approximately 10 volts) for bit lines associated with memory cells to be erased. Bit lines not associated with memory cells to be erased remain will be at Vwell. At t2, the p-well is also raised to Vwell which causes the channels for the NAND strings to be raised to Vwell.
In the third step (Boost Erase Channel—step 804), the unselected and selected word lines for the entire block are raised to Vwell+Vpass (approximately 17 volts) at time t3, which causes (at least partially) the boosting of the channel regions for NAND strings of memory cells to be erased to be boosted to Vwell+the boosting voltage (e.g., approximately 15 volts) or a range of voltages near that level. This boosting is occurring because the drain side select gate is cut off due to the bit lines of the selected memory cells being at Vwell+Vdd. Since the bit lines of unselected memory cells are only at Vwell, those drain side select gates do not cut off and the NAND strings channels for memory cells not to be erased will not be boosted to Vwell+the boosting voltage, but will remain at Vwell or a range of voltages near that level.
In step four, the selected word line has its voltage lowered to zero volts at time t4 to enable the erasing. The memory cells selected for erase will have 15 volts across the control gate and channel, which provides conditions suitable for erasing. The unselected memory cells in the same NAND string will have 17 volts at the word line and 15 volts at the channel, which does not provide conditions suitable for erasing. The unselected memory cells on the same selected word line will have zero volts at the control gate and 10 volts at the channel, which does not provide conditions suitable for erasing. In one embodiment, the erasing includes removing electrons from the floating gate to lower the threshold voltage. In one example, the electrons are transferred to the channel region.
In another embodiment, rather than transferring electrons off of the floating gate, there can be Gate Induced Drain Leakage (GIDL) at the junction under the selected word line/control gate to cause holes to be injected into the floating gate.
Looking back at
In one embodiment, the selective erasing can be performed as part of a two (or more) phased erase process that includes a coarse phase and a fine phase. During the course phase, the process of
During programming, one solution for achieving tight threshold voltage distributions without unreasonably slowing down the programming process is to use a two (or more) pass programming process. The first pass, a coarse programming phase, includes attempts to raise the threshold voltage in a faster manner paying relatively less attention to achieving a tight threshold voltage distribution. The second pass, a fine programming phase, attempts to raise the threshold voltage in a slower manner in order to reach the target threshold voltage while also achieving a tighter threshold voltage distribution.
The method of operation depicted in
In another embodiment, the two pass programming technique of
When memory cells are programmed, whether they use a single pass or a multiple pass programming process, it is possible that some memory cells become over programmed For example, a memory cell intended to be programmed to data state S2 may have its threshold voltage raised to a level which is greater than the threshold voltage distribution for state S2.
In some devices the lower data states (e.g., S1, S2, S3) experience more over programming than the upper states. In some devices the upper states do not experience over programming.
In one embodiment, the selective erase processes described above with respect to
In step 1002 of
The process of
In one implementation, the process of
In some embodiments over programming is a greater problem for the lower states; therefore, the system will only correct over programming for lower states.
In some embodiments, the selective erase process can be used to correct over programming without performing erase-verifies between each iteration of selective erasing. For example, step 1106 of
The foregoing detailed description of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. The described embodiments were chosen in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the claims appended hereto.
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