A non-volatile memory includes a cell array, a current supply circuit, a path selecting circuit and a judging circuit. The cell array includes plural multi-level memory cells in an m×n array. The cell array is connected with m word lines and n lines. The current supply circuit provides one of plural reference currents according to a current control value. The path selecting circuit is connected with the current supply circuit and the n bit lines. The judging circuit is connected with the path selecting circuit, and generates n output data. A first path selector of the path selecting circuit is connected with a path selecting circuit and a first bit line. A first judging device of the judging circuit is connected with the first path selector and generates a first output data.

A memory device comprises a first memory area including a first memory cell array having a plurality of first memory cells each for storing N-bit data, where N is a natural number, and a first peripheral circuit for controlling the first memory cells according to an N-bit data access scheme and disposed below the first memory cell array, a second memory area including a second memory cell array having a plurality of second memory cells each for storing M-bit data, where M is a natural number greater than N, and a second peripheral circuit for controlling the second memory cells according to an M-bit data access scheme and disposed below the second memory cell array, wherein the first memory area and the second memory area are included in a single semiconductor chip and share an input and output interface, and a controller configured to generate calculation data by applying a weight stored in the first memory area to sensing data in response to receiving the sensing data obtained by an external sensor, and store the calculation data in one of the first memory area or the second memory area according to the weight, wherein the plurality of first memory cells and the plurality of second memory cells are included in a first chip having a first metal pad, the first peripheral circuit and the second peripheral circuit are included in a second chip having a second metal pad, and the first chip and the second chip are vertically connected to each other by the first metal pad and the second metal pad.

There are provided a memory device for improving performance by decreasing a time at which a program operation is completed while decreasing a peak current flowing through a bit line, and an operating method of the memory device.

A semiconductor device capable of performing high-speed read or high-reliability read is provided. A reading method of a NAND flash memory includes: pre-charging a sensing node through a voltage-supply node; discharging the sensing node to the voltage-supply node for a prescribed operation; recharging the sensing node by the voltage-supply node after the prescribed operation; and discharging a NAND string and sensing a memory cell.

A method for programming three page user data in a memory array of a non-volatile memory system, comprising converting each three-bit value data pattern of the user data into a representative pair of two-bit data values, simultaneously programming two single-state memory cells with a first of the pair of representative two-bit data values, wherein the two single-state memory cells are located along a first common word line of two memory cell strings, and simultaneously programming two single-state memory cells with a second of the pair of representative two-bit data values, wherein the two single-state memory cells are located along a second common word line of the two memory cell strings.

Efficient data path architecture for flash devices requiring multi-pass programming utilizes an external memory as an intermediate buffer to store the encoded data used for a first pass programming of the flash device. The stored encoded data can be read from the external memory for subsequent passes programming instead of fetching the data from an on-chip memory, which stores the data received from a host system. Thus, the on-chip memory can be made available to speed up the next data transfer from the host system.

A memory device according to one embodiment includes a memory cell array, bit lines, amplifier units, a controller, and a register. The memory cell array includes a memory cell that stores data nonvolatilely. The bit lines are connected to the memory cell array. The sense amplifier units are connected to the bit lines, respectively. The controller performs a write operation. The register stores status information of the write operation. The memory cell array includes a first storage region specified by a first address. The plurality of sense amplifier modules include a buffer region capable of storing data.

A semiconductor memory device includes a plurality of memory cells, a plurality of word lines, including a word line that is connected to a group of the memory cells, and a control circuit configured to execute a write operation on the memory cells of the group. The write operation includes multiple program loops including a first program loop and a second program loop that is executed at a later time than the first program loop, and for each subsequent program loop, a program voltage that is applied to the first word line is increased from that of a current program loop. The program voltage is increased by a first amount from that of the current program loop if the next program loop is the first program loop and by a second amount that is less than the first amount if the next program loop is the second program loop.

A memory device includes a memory cell array, a plurality of bit lines, and a plurality of page buffers including a plurality of cache latches, exchanging data with the memory cell array through the plurality of bit lines, wherein the plurality of cache latches are arranged in a column direction in parallel with the plurality of bit lines and a row direction perpendicular to the plurality of bit lines, and have a two-dimensional arrangement of M stages in the column direction, where M is a positive integer not corresponding to 2.sup.L and L is zero or a natural number.

Embodiments herein describe a memory system that queues program requests to a block of flash memory until a predefined threshold is reached. That is, instead of performing program requests to write data into the block as the requests are received, the memory system queues the requests until the threshold is satisfied. Once the buffer for the block includes the threshold amount of program requests, the memory system performs the stored requests. In one embodiment, the memory system erases all the pages in the block before writing the new data in the program requests into the destination pages. The data that was originally stored in the pages that are not destination pages is rewritten into the pages. In this example, the queued program requests can be written into the pages using one erase and write step rather than individual erase and write steps for each of the requests.