Post-write read techniques to improve programming reliability in a memory device
Granted: April 30, 2024
Patent Number:
11972815
The memory device includes a controller that is configured to program a plurality of memory cells of a selected word line in a plurality of programming loops and count the number of programming loops to complete programming. The controller is also configured to compare the number of programming loops to complete programming of the memory cells of the selected word line to at least one of a predetermined upper limit and a predetermined lower limit to determine if a plane containing the…
Ferroelectric devices including a single crystalline ferroelectric layer and method of making the same
Granted: April 30, 2024
Patent Number:
11973123
A semiconductor structure includes an active region including a source region, a drain region, and a channel region extending between the source region and the drain region, a gate stack, and a gate dielectric layer located between the gate stack and the active region. The gate stack includes an electrically conductive gate electrode and a single crystalline III-nitride ferroelectric plate located between the electrically conductive gate electrode and the gate dielectric layer, and an…
Non-volatile memory with efficient signal routing
Granted: April 30, 2024
Patent Number:
11973044
An integrated memory assembly comprises a control die bonded to a memory die. The memory die includes multiple non-volatile memory structures (e.g., planes, arrays, groups of blocks, etc.), each comprising a stack of alternating conductive and dielectric layers forming staircases at one or more edges of the non-volatile memory structures. The non-volatile memory structures are positioned with gaps between the non-volatile memory structures such that the gaps separate the staircases of…
Three-dimensional memory device including stairless word line contact structures and method of making the same
Granted: April 30, 2024
Patent Number:
11973026
A three-dimensional memory device includes an alternating stack of insulating layers and electrically conductive layers located over a substrate, memory openings located in a memory array region and vertically extending through the alternating stack, memory opening fill structures located in the memory openings, and laterally-isolated contact via assemblies located in a contact region. Each of the laterally-isolated contact via assemblies includes a contact via structure contacting a top…
Method of making a three-dimensional memory device using composite hard masks for formation of deep via openings
Granted: April 30, 2024
Patent Number:
11972954
An alternating stack of first material layers and second material layers can be formed over a semiconductor material layer. A patterning film is formed over the alternating stack, and openings are formed through the patterning film. Via openings are formed through the alternating stack at least to a top surface of the semiconductor material layer by performing a first anisotropic etch process that transfers a pattern of the openings in the patterning film. A cladding liner can be formed…
Programmable ECC for MRAM mixed-read scheme
Granted: April 30, 2024
Patent Number:
11972822
Technology is disclosed for a fast ECC engine for a mixed read of MRAM cells. A codeword read from MRAM cells using a referenced read is decoded using a first ECC mode. If decoding passes, results are provided to a host. If decoding fails, a self-referenced read (SRR) is performed. The data read using the SRR is decoded with a second ECC mode that is capable of correcting a greater number of bits than the first ECC mode. The second ECC mode may have a higher mis-correction rate than the…
Non-volatile memory with tier-wise ramp down after program-verify
Granted: April 30, 2024
Patent Number:
11972820
Memory cells are arranged as NAND strings to form a block divided into sub-blocks, and each NAND string includes a dummy memory cell connected to a dummy word line. Memory cells are programmed by applying programming pulses to a selected word line in a selected sub-block with program-verify performed between pulses. Unselected NAND strings are inhibited from programming by boosting channels of the unselected NAND strings in the selected sub-block from a positive pre-charge voltage to a…
Non-volatile memory with one sided phased ramp down after program-verify
Granted: April 30, 2024
Patent Number:
11972819
In a non-volatile memory system that performs programming of selected memory cells (in coordination with pre-charging and boosting of channels for unselected memory cells) and program-verify to determine whether the programming was successful, the system transitions from program-verify to the next dose of programming by concurrently lowering a voltage applied to a selected word line and voltages applied to word lines on a first side of the selected word line at the conclusion of…
Refresh frequency-dependent system-level trimming of verify level offsets for non-volatile memory
Granted: April 30, 2024
Patent Number:
11972818
A memory apparatus and method of operation are provided. The apparatus includes memory cells each connected to word lines. The memory cells are disposed in strings and configured to retain a threshold voltage corresponding to data states. A control means is configured to apply verification pulses of program verify voltages each associated with one of the data states to selected ones of the word lines to determine whether the memory cells connected thereto have the threshold voltage above…
State look ahead quick pass write algorithm to tighten ongoing natural threshold voltage of upcoming states for program time reduction
Granted: April 30, 2024
Patent Number:
11972817
A memory apparatus and method of operation are provided. The apparatus includes memory cells connected to word lines. The memory cells are disposed in strings and are configured to retain a threshold voltage corresponding to data states. A control means is configured to apply verification pulses of program verify voltages each associated with one of the data states to selected ones of the word lines to determine whether the memory cells connected thereto have the threshold voltage above…
Non-volatile memory with data refresh based on data states of adjacent memory cells
Granted: April 30, 2024
Patent Number:
11972812
A memory system identifies memory cells connected to a common word line that have had their threshold voltage unintentionally drift lower than programmed by determining whether memory cells meet two criteria: (1) the memory cells have threshold voltages within an offset of a read compare voltage of a data state; and (2) adjacent memory cells (connected to word lines that are adjacent to the common word line) are in one or more low data states. For those memory cells meeting the two…
Memory device using a multilayer ferroelectric stack and method of forming the same
Granted: April 23, 2024
Patent Number:
11968839
A memory device includes a semiconductor channel, a gate electrode, and a stack located between the semiconductor channel and the gate electrode. The stack includes, from one side to another, a first ferroelectric material portion, a second ferroelectric material portion, and a gate dielectric portion that contacts the semiconductor channel.
Three-dimensional memory device including discrete charge storage elements with laterally-protruding profiles and methods of making thereof
Granted: April 23, 2024
Patent Number:
11968834
A three-dimensional memory device includes an alternating stack of insulating layers and electrically conductive layers located over a substrate, memory openings vertically extending through the alternating stack and having lateral protrusions at levels of the electrically conductive layers, and memory opening fill structures located in the memory openings. Each of the memory opening fill structures includes a vertical semiconductor channel, a dielectric material liner laterally…
Three-dimensional memory device with replacement select gate electrodes and methods of manufacturing the same
Granted: April 23, 2024
Patent Number:
11968827
An alternating stack of insulating layers and sacrificial material layers is formed over a substrate. The sacrificial material layers include a stack of word-line-level sacrificial material layers and at least one drain-select-level sacrificial material layer. Drain-select-level openings are formed through the at least one drain-select-level sacrificial material layer, which is replaced with at least one drain-select-level electrically conductive layer. Memory openings are formed by…
Three-dimensional memory device with metal-barrier-metal word lines and methods of making the same
Granted: April 23, 2024
Patent Number:
11968826
A three-dimensional memory device includes an alternating stack of insulating layers and electrically conductive layers, memory openings extending through the alternating stack, and memory opening fill structures located in the memory openings and containing a respective vertical semiconductor channel and a respective memory film. Each of the electrically conductive layers includes a tubular metallic liner in contact with a respective outer sidewall segment of a respective one of the…
Three-dimensional memory device containing on-pitch drain select level structures and methods of making the same
Granted: April 23, 2024
Patent Number:
11968825
A three-dimensional memory device includes an alternating stack of insulating layers and word-line-level electrically conductive layers located over a substrate, and a vertical layer stack located over the alternating stack, the vertical layer stack including an insulating cap layer, drain select electrodes, and a drain-select-level insulating layer. The drain select electrodes are laterally spaced apart from each other by drain-select-level isolation structures. Memory stack structures…
Field effect transistors with gate fins and method of making the same
Granted: April 23, 2024
Patent Number:
11967626
A field effect transistor includes at least one line trench extending downward from a top surface of a channel region which laterally surrounds or underlies the at least one line trench, a gate dielectric contacting all surfaces of the at least one line trench and including a planar gate dielectric portion that extends over an entirety of a top surface of the channel region, a gate electrode, a source region, and a drain region.
Mixing normal and reverse order programming in NAND memory devices
Granted: April 23, 2024
Patent Number:
11967382
The memory device includes a plurality of dies, and each die includes a plurality of blocks with a plurality of word lines. Some of the word lines are arranged in a plurality of exclusive OR (XOR) sets with each XOR set containing word lines in the same positions across the plurality of dies. The memory device further includes a controller that is configured to program the word lines of the blocks of at least one of the dies in a first programming direction. The controller is further…
Non-volatile storage system with program execution decoupled from dataload
Granted: April 23, 2024
Patent Number:
11966621
Technology is disclosed for a non-volatile memory system that decouples dataload from program execution. A memory controller transfers data for a program operation and issues a first type of program execution command. When in a coupled mode, the die programs the data in response to the first type of program execution command. When in a decoupled mode, rather than program the data into non-volatile memory cells the die enters a wait state. Optionally, the memory controller can instruct…
Three-dimensional memory device with dielectric or semiconductor wall support structures and method of forming the same
Granted: April 16, 2024
Patent Number:
11963354
A three-dimensional memory device includes an alternating stack of insulating layers and electrically conductive layers, memory openings vertically extending through each layer of the alternating stack; memory opening fill structures located in the memory openings, and a perforated wall structure including lateral openings at levels of the insulating layers.
