Page Buffer Ground Voltage Supply for Non-Volatile Memory
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Solution Overview
Problem
Non-volatile memory devices face issues with the low-voltage fixing phenomenon of sense nodes, which prevents the page buffer from precharging to a high level, leading to verification failure during programming operations.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a second ground voltage supply unit that applies a ground voltage to the registers irrespective of the sense node's voltage level, ensuring data storage and retrieval operations are not affected by the low-voltage fixing phenomenon.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If page buffers are arranged densely to reduce process dimensions, then manufacturing density is improved, but the sense node voltage level becomes fixed to low level due to neighboring sense nodes being shorted
Solution Approach 1:
The ground voltage supply is segmented into two independent units: a first ground voltage supply unit that responds to sense node voltage levels, and a second ground voltage supply unit that provides ground voltage independently regardless of sense node state. This segmentation allows the second unit to compensate for the low-voltage fixing effect caused by dense page buffer arrangement.
2Temperature
If precharge signal PRECH_N is applied to precharge sense node to high level, then sense node voltage should increase, but low-voltage fixing phenomenon prevents this
Solution Approach 1:
The second ground voltage supply unit acts as an intermediary that provides ground voltage to the register independently of the sense node voltage level. This ensures that even when the sense node remains at low voltage due to the low-voltage fixing phenomenon, the register can still be properly grounded and data operations can proceed reliably.
3Reliability
If verification operation is performed during programming, then data integrity should be verified, but verification fails when low-voltage fixing occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the parameter of ground voltage supply by introducing a second ground voltage supply unit that operates independently of the sense node voltage level. This parameter change ensures that the register can be properly grounded even when the sense node remains at low voltage, enabling verification operations to complete successfully and maintain data integrity during programming.
Data Source
AI summary
A page buffer includes a first ground voltage supply unit for applying a ground voltage to first and second registers according to a level of a sense node, and a second ground voltage supply unit for applying the ground voltage to the first and second registers irrespective of a level of the sense node. A method of programming a non-volatile memory device includes storing a high-level data in a first node of a first register of a plurality of page buffers, precharging a sense node with a high level, resetting the data stored in the first node of the first register according to a voltage level of the sense node, precharging the sense node with a high level, storing external data in the first node according to a voltage level of the sense node, and performing a program operation according to the data stored in the first node.