Apparatus, systems, and methods to operate a memory

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10090053-B2
Application number	US-201815954282-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 16, 2018
Priority date	Dec 17, 2014
Publication date	Oct 2, 2018
Grant date	Oct 2, 2018

Abstract

Various embodiments, disclosed herein, include apparatus and methods to read a logic level in a selected memory cell in a selected string of a memory by sensing the logic level in response to a read current flowing through the selected string to a data line. Additional apparatus, systems, and methods are disclosed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
a string in a memory block, the string coupled to a data line and to a common region, the string including a pillar of semiconductor material about which charge storage devices are stacked as memory cells, with the pillar providing a channel for each of the charge storage devices;
a first node to operatively couple the data line to a first voltage in a read operation of a selected charge storage device of the charge storage devices; and
control circuitry structured to operatively couple the common region to a second voltage in the read operation to read a logic level in the selected charge storage device in response to a read current flowing from the common region through the channels to the data line, wherein the second voltage is greater than the first voltage.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first node is connected to a NMOS load transistor with the NMOS load transistor connected to a second node, the second node operatively coupled to the first voltage.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the first voltage is a power supply voltage or ground.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the apparatus includes a verify circuit coupled to the data line, the verify circuit having a flip-flop, an output of the flip-flop coupled to a load transistor coupled to the data line.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the charge storage devices are stacked between a select transistor coupled to the data line and a select transistor coupled to the common region.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the semiconductor material includes polysilicon.

7. An apparatus comprising:
a memory device, the memory device including:
a three-dimensional memory having a block of memory cells, a set of data lines, and a common region;
a set of strings in the block, each string coupled to a respective data line of the set of data lines and to the common region, each string including a pillar of semiconductor material about which charge storage devices are stacked as memory cells of the block, with the pillar providing a channel for each of the charge storage devices, each respective data line operatively coupled to a first voltage in a read operation of a selected charge storage device of the charge storage devices:
control circuitry structured to operatively couple the common region to a second voltage in the read operation to read a logic level in the selected charge storage device in response to a read current flowing from the common region through the channels to the data line, wherein the second voltage is greater than the first voltage;
a sense amplifier configured to read the logic level in the selected charge storage device in response to the read current flowing from the common region through the selected charge storage device to the data line; and
inputs to receive the first and second voltages and/or a regulator to internally provide the first and second voltages.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein each charge storage device is a single-level memory cell.

9. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the memory device includes a verify circuit for each data line, the verify circuit having a flip-flop, an output of the flip-flop coupled to a load transistor coupled to the respective data line.

10. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein each data line is coupled to a NMOS load transistor with the NMOS load transistor connected to a second node, the second node operatively coupled to the first voltage.

11. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein each string has a select transistor coupling the stacked charge storage devices of the respective string to the common region and the control circuitry is arranged to render the select transistors of strings in the block, in which the selected charge storage device is not disposed, non-conductive during the read operation of the selected charge storage device.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the control circuitry is arranged to control a precharge before a read operation, by precharging all of the channels of the pillars of the block from the common region by providing a precharge voltage coupled to the data line and applying a voltage at a level higher than the precharge voltage to the common region, the select transistors of the strings, and control gates of the charge storage devices of each string of the block.

13. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the control circuitry is arranged to control provisioning of voltages to select a string of the set of strings and a charge storage device of the selected string and to read a logic level of the selected charge storage device of the selected string, the provisioning in a read interval including:
application of the second voltage to a control gate of a select transistor that couples the stacked charge storage devices of the selected string to the data line;
application of the first voltage to control gates of select transistors that couple the stacked charge storage devices of non-selected strings to the data line;
application of the second voltage to the common region and to gates of select transistors that couple the stacked charge storage devices of each string to the common region;
application of a read voltage to a control gate of the selected charge storage device of the selected string, the read voltage having a voltage level between the first voltage and the second voltage; and
application of a pass-read voltage to a control gate of each non-selected charge storage device of each tier in the selected string and to control gates of non-selected charge storage devices in non-selected strings of the same tiers coupled to common control gate lines, the pass-read voltage being greater than or equal to the second voltage.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the first voltage is a first supply voltage or ground and the second voltage is a second supply voltage.

15. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the set of strings includes sixteen strings along a direction, each string along the direction having thirty-two tiers of charge storage devices with each charge storage device of a tier having a control gate coupled to a control gate line different from control gate lines coupled to control gates of charge storage devices of other tiers.

16. A system comprising:
a processor, and
a memory device operatively coupled to the processor, the memory device including:
a three-dimensional memory having a block of memory cells, a set of data lines, and a common region;
a set of strings in the block, each string coupled to a respective data line of the set of data lines and to the common region, each string including a pillar of semiconductor material about which charge storage devices are stacked as memory cells of the block, with the pillar providing a channel for each of the charge storage devices, each respective data line operatively coupled to a first voltage in a read operation of a selected charge storage device of the charge storage devices:
control circuitry structured to operatively couple the common region to a second voltage in the read operation to read a logic level in the selected charge storage device in response to a read current flowing from the common region through the channels to the data line, wherein the second voltage is greater than the first voltage; and
a sense amplifier configured to read the logic level in the selected charge storage device in response to the read current flowing from the common region through the selected charge storage device to the data line.

17. The system of claim 16 , wherein the control circuitry inc

Assignees

• Micron Technology Inc

Inventors

• Sakui Koji
• Hasegawa Takehiro
• Helm Mark

Classifications

• G11C16/24

  Bit-line control circuits · CPC title

• G11C16/0483 Primary

  comprising cells having several storage transistors connected in series · CPC title

• G11C16/3459

  Circuits or methods to verify correct programming of nonvolatile memory cells · CPC title

• G11C16/26

  Sensing or reading circuits; Data output circuits · CPC title

• G11C16/10

  Programming or data input circuits · CPC title