Semiconductor memory device

• US 6,807,101 B2
• Filed: 12/23/2002
• Issued: 10/19/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Renesas Electronics Corporation
• Original Assignee: Renesas Technology Corporation (Renesas Electronics Corporation)
• Inventors: Kato, Hiroshi, Ooishi, Tsukasa, Ohtani, Jun
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, THONG QUOC
• Application Number:
  US10/326,141
• Publication Number:
  US 20030169622A1
• Time in Patent Office: 666 Days
• Field of Search: 365/185.21, 365/189.01, 365/189.22, 365/185.24, 365/244, 365/189.07
• US Class Current: 365/185.21
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 16/28 using differential sensing or reference cells, e.g. dummy cells
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 16/3436 Arrangements for verifying correct programming or erasure

Abstract

A plurality of sense amplifiers are connected to a selected bit line. Each sense amplifier is supplied with a residual current corresponding to a current flowing in a memory cell and a reference current serving as a reference for a threshold voltage of the memory cell to sense the currents. Operations of the sense amplifiers are controlled such that different sense margins are provided to different sense amplifiers and a margin failure is detected according to coincidence/non-coincidence in logical level between output signals of the sense amplifiers. The address of a memory cell with the margin failure is registered. With such a construction, a threshold voltage defect of a non-volatile memory cell is compensated for to enable internal reading of memory cell data with correctness.

Claims

1. A non-volatile semiconductor memory device comprising:

a plurality of non-volatile memory cells each for storing data in a non-volatile manner and each including a memory cell transistor having a threshold voltage changed in accordance with storage data;

detection circuitry for detecting and storing a change in threshold voltage characteristic for each of the plurality of non-volatile memory cells;

read circuitry for reading stored data in a selected memory cell of said plurality of non-volatile memory cells, in accordance with comparison of a read current corresponding to a current flowing in said selected memory cell with a reference current; and

reference current control circuitry for setting a magnitude of said reference current in accordance with a result of detection by said detection circuitry.

2. The non-volatile semiconductor memory device according to claim 1, wherein

said reference current control circuitry is configured to change a magnitude of said reference current, in accordance with a result of detection by said detection circuitry, such that an influence on said read current exerted by a change in threshold voltage characteristic of said selected memory cell is cancelled.

3. The non-volatile semiconductor memory device according to claim 1, wherein

each memory cell transistor has a threshold voltage changed in accordance with its change in threshold voltage characteristic, and

said reference current control circuitry is configured to, according to the result of detection by said detection circuitry, increase a magnitude of said reference current when said read current increases in accordance with the change in threshold voltage characteristic of said selected memory cell.

4. The non-volatile semiconductor memory device according to claim 1, wherein

each memory cell transistor has a threshold voltage changed in accordance with its change in threshold voltage characteristic, and

said reference current control circuitry is configured to, according to the result of detection by the detection circuitry, decrease a magnitude of said reference current when said read current decreases in accordance with the change in threshold voltage characteristic of said selected memory cell.

5. The non-volatile semiconductor memory device according to claim 1, wherein

said detection circuitry includes:

an address storage circuit for storing an address of a memory cell of which threshold voltage characteristic changes; and

a comparison circuit for comparing an applied address designating said selected memory cell with a stored address in said address storage circuit and outputting a signal indicating a result of comparison, and

said reference current control circuitry is configured to set a magnitude of said reference circuit in accordance with said result of comparison.

6. The non-volatile semiconductor memory device according to claim 5, wherein

said address storage circuit further stores, associated with the address indicating a location of said memory cell, information indicating a direction of a change in threshold voltage of said memory cell due to the change in threshold voltage characteristic.

7. The non-volatile semiconductor memory, device according to claim 5, wherein

said address storage circuit includes:

a first address storage circuit for storing an address of a memory cell having a threshold voltage increased in accordance with the change in threshold voltage characteristic; and

a second address storage circuit, for storing an address of a memory cell having a threshold voltage decreased in accordance with the change in threshold voltage characteristic.

8. A semiconductor memory device comprising:

a plurality of memory cells arranged in rows and columns;

a plurality of bit lines, provided corresponding to the memory cell columns, each connecting to the memory cells on a corresponding column connected;

a plurality of sense amplifiers, electrically coupled commonly to a bit line connecting to an addressed memory cell of said plurality of memory cells, each for amplifying data of said addressed memory cell appearing on said bit line when activated; and

sense control circuitry for controlling operations of said plurality of sense amplifiers in different ways from each other.

9. The semiconductor memory device according to claim 8, wherein

each of said plurality of sense amplifiers is configured to compare a read current corresponding to a current flowing through the bit line connecting to the addressed memory cell with reference data on a reference data line and outputs a signal indicating a result of comparison.

10. The semiconductor memory device according to claim 9, wherein

said reference data line is configured to transmit a reference current as said reference data, and

each sense amplifier is configured to compare a read current corresponding to the current flowing through the bit line connecting to the addressed memory cell with the reference current, and outputs a signal indicating a result of comparison.

11. The semiconductor memory device according to claim 8, wherein

said sense control circuitry is configured to activate said plurality of sense amplifiers such that each of said plurality of sense amplifiers has a sensing margin, different from those of the other sense amplifiers, for the data of the addressed memory cell.

12. The semiconductor memory device according to claim 8, further comprising

detection circuitry for detecting a sense margin failure for stored data of said addressed memory cell in accordance with output signals of said plurality of sense amplifiers.

13. The semiconductor memory device according to claim 8, further comprising

internal read circuitry for generating internal read data corresponding to stored data of said addressed memory cell in accordance with an output signal of a prescribed sense amplifier of said plurality of sense amplifiers.

14. A semiconductor memory device comprising:

a plurality of memory cells;

reference circuitry for generating and outputting reference data having a condition thereof changeable;

internal read circuitry for comparing data read from a selected memory cell of said plurality of memory cells with said reference data and reading the data in said selected memory cell on the basis of a result of comparison; and

reference data control circuitry for selectively changing, in a specific operation mode, the condition for the reference data outputted by said reference circuitry in accordance with an address of said selected memory cell.

15. The semiconductor memory device according to claim 14, further comprising:

an address storage circuit for storing an address of a memory cell which is determined that its threshold voltage characteristic changes; and

a determination circuit for determining whether an address of said selected memory cell is stored in said address storage circuit;

wherein

said reference data control circuitry is configured to change the condition for the reference data in accordance with a result of determination of the determination circuit.

16. The semiconductor memory device according to claim 14, wherein

each of said plurality of memory cells includes a memory transistor having an charge accumulating region accumulating a charge and having a threshold voltage changed in accordance with the charge accumulated in said charge accumulating region, and

said reference data control circuitry is configured to change the condition for said reference data in a verify operation mode for detecting whether charges corresponding to stored data are accumulated in said charge accumulating region of said selected memory cell.

17. The semiconductor memory device according to claim 16, wherein

said verify operation mode is an operating mode of detecting whether said selected memory cell is set to a first state where a charge is extracted from said charge accumulating region,

said reference data is a current flow, and

said reference data control circuitry is configured to change a magnitude of the current flow as said reference data on the basis of a threshold voltage of said selected memory cell in said first state.

18. The semiconductor memory device according to claim 16, wherein

said verify operation mode is an operating mode of detecting whether said selected memory cell is set to a first state where a charge is injected into said charge accumulating region,

said reference data is a current flow, and

said reference data control circuitry is configured to change a magnitude of the current flow as said reference data on the basis of a threshold voltage of said selected memory cell in said first state.

19. The semiconductor memory device according to claim 14, further comprising:

an address storage circuit for storing an address; and

a determination circuit for determining whether an address stored in said address storage circuit is designated in a read mode for reading the data in said selected memory cell, wherein

said reference data control circuitry is configured to change the condition for said reference data when said determination circuit determines that said address stored in said address storage circuit is designated in a read mode for reading the data in said selected memory cell.

20. The semiconductor memory device according to claim 19, wherein

said internal read circuitry includes a circuit for comparing a current corresponding to the data in said selected memory cell with a reference current corresponding to said reference data, and

said reference data control circuitry is configured to change a magnitude of said reference current.