Writable tracking cells

• US 20050169051A1
• Filed: 02/22/2005
• Published: 08/04/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SanDisk Technologies LLC (Western Digital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Daniel C. Guterman, Geoffrey S. Gongwer, Kevin M. Conley, Richard Simko, Shahzad B. Khalid
• Inventors: Gongwer, Geoffrey S., Conley, Kevin M., Guterman, Daniel C., Simko, Richard, Khalid, Shahzad B.
• Granted Patent: US 7,301,807 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 365/185.30
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 11/5642 Sensing or reading circuits; Data output circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 2211/5634 Reference cells
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 27/005 with non-volatile charge storage, e.g. on floating gate or MNOS
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 7/06 Sense amplifiers; Associated circuits , e.g. timing or triggering circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 7/14 Dummy cell management; Sense reference voltage generators

Abstract

The present invention presents several techniques for using writable tracking cells. Multiple tracking cells are provided for each write block of the memory. These cells are re-programmed each time the user cells of the associated write block are written, preferably at the same time, using the same fixed, global reference levels to set the tracking and user cell programmed thresholds. The threshold voltages of the tracking cells are read every time the user cells are read, and these thresholds are used to determine the stored logic levels of the user cells. In one set of embodiments, populations of one or more tracking cells are associated with different logic levels of a multi-state memory. These tracking cell populations may be provided for only a subset of the logic levels. The read points for translating the threshold voltages are derived for all of the logic levels based upon this subset. In one embodiment, two populations each consisting of multiple tracking cells are associated with two logic levels of the multi-bit cell. In an analog implementation, the user cells are read directly using the analog threshold values of the tracking cell populations without their first being translated to digital values. A set of alternate embodiments provide for using different voltages and/or timing for the writing of tracking cells to provide less uncertainty in the tracking cells'"'"' final written thresholds.

Claims

1. A multi-state memory comprising:

a plurality of multi-state memory cells, each for storing one of a plurality of N multi-states;

at least one plurality of M populations of tracking cells, wherein each of said populations is associated with one of said multi-states, and wherein M is less than N; and

a read circuit for reading said multi-state memory cells using read points for each of said plurality of multi-states based upon the threshold voltages associated with the programmed state of said populations of tracking cells.

2-129. -129. (canceled)