A non-volatile semiconductor memory device includes an electrically data rewritable non-volatile semiconductor memory cell and a write circuit for writing data in the memory cell, the write circuit writing a data in the memory cells by supplying a write voltage Vpgm and a write control voltage VBL to the memory cell, continuing the writing of the data in the memory cell by changing the value of the write control voltage VBL in response to an advent of a first write state of the memory cell and inhibiting any operation of writing a data to the memory cell by further changing the value of the write control voltage VBL to Vdd in response to an advent of a second write state of the memory cell.

A semiconductor memory device includes a memory cell includes a charge storage layer, a word line that is connected to a gate of the memory cell, and a controller that performs a write operation on the memory cell by applying a write voltage to the word line, and a verify operation to verify a threshold voltage of the memory cell after the write operation. The verify operation includes a first verify operation using a first verify voltage, and a second verify operation using a second verify voltage higher than the first verify voltage.

During a phase of programming the cell, a first voltage is applied to the source region and a second voltage, higher than the first voltage, is applied to the drain region until the cell is put into conduction. The numerical value of the item of data to be written is controlled by the level of the control voltage applied to the control gate and the item of data is de facto written with the numerical value during the putting into conduction of the cell. The programming is then stopped.

A semiconductor memory device may include a memory cell array including a plurality of cell strings, a peripheral circuit unit configured to perform a program loop for alternately performing a program operation and a verification operation on the memory cell array, and a control logic configured to control the peripheral circuit unit to perform the program loop, wherein, in performing the program loop, a second pass voltage applied to unselected word lines adjacent to a selected word line among a plurality of word lines coupled to the memory cell array is lower than a first pass voltage applied to remaining unselected word lines during the program operation, wherein a potential level of the first pass voltage is adjusted in accordance with an arrangement position of each of the plurality of word lines and the plurality of word lines are defined as a plurality of groups, and the first pass voltages applied to the plurality of groups, respectively, are different from one another.

A semiconductor device includes a memory array having a plurality of complementary cells, each including a first memory element and a second memory element, for holding binary data depending on a difference of threshold voltage therebetween, and a control circuit for initializing the complementary cells. The control circuit performs a first initialization control of reducing the threshold voltage of both the first memory element and the second memory element of the complementary cell and changing the threshold voltage of at least one of the first memory element and the second memory element at an intermediate level lower than a first writing level and higher than an initialization level, a first writing control of changing the threshold voltage of one of the first memory element and the second memory element of the complementary cell at the first writing level, and a second initialization control of changing the threshold voltage of both the first memory element and the second memory element of the complementary cell at the initialization level.

A non-volatile semiconductor memory device includes an electrically data rewritable non-volatile semiconductor memory cell and a write circuit for writing data in the memory cell, the write circuit writing a data in the memory cells by supplying a write voltage Vpgm and a write control voltage VBL to the memory cell, continuing the writing of the data in the memory cell by changing the value of the write control voltage VBL in response to an advent of a first write state of the memory cell and inhibiting any operation of writing a data to the memory cell by further changing the value of the write control voltage VBL to Vdd in response to an advent of a second write state of the memory cell.

During a phase of programming the cell, a first voltage is applied to the source region and a second voltage, higher than the first voltage, is applied to the drain region until the cell is put into conduction. The numerical value of the item of data to be written is controlled by the level of the control voltage applied to the control gate and the item of data is de facto written with the numerical value during the putting into conduction of the cell. The programming is then stopped.

According to one embodiment, a semiconductor memory device includes: first to third pages; first to third word line; and row decoder. In data writing, data is written into the first page before data is written into the second page. The row decoder is configured to apply first to third verify voltages to the gates of the first to third memory cells in a program verify operation.

A nonvolatile memory device is provided as follows. A memory cell array includes a plurality of memory cells. An address decoder provides a first verify voltage to selected memory cells among the plurality of memory cells in a first program loop and provides a second verify voltage to the selected memory cells in a second program loop. A control logic determines the second program loop as a verify voltage offset point in which the first verify voltage is changed to the second verify voltage based on a result of a verify operation of the first program loop.

A semiconductor memory device may include a memory cell array including a plurality of cell strings, a peripheral circuit unit configured to perform a program loop for alternately performing a program operation and a verification operation on the memory cell array, and a control logic configured to control the peripheral circuit unit to perform the program loop, wherein, in performing the program loop, a second pass voltage applied to unselected word lines adjacent to a selected word line among a plurality of word lines coupled to the memory cell array is lower than a first pass voltage applied to remaining unselected word lines during the program operation, wherein a potential level of the first pass voltage is adjusted in accordance with an arrangement position of each of the plurality of word lines and the plurality of word lines are defined as a plurality of groups, and the first pass voltages applied to the plurality of groups, respectively, are different from one another.