A nonvolatile semiconductor memory device comprises a cell unit including a first and a second selection gate transistor and a memory string provided between the first and second selection gate transistors and composed of a plurality of serially connected electrically erasable programmable memory cells operative to store effective data; and a data write circuit operative to write data into the memory cell, wherein the number of program stages for at least one of memory cells on both ends of the memory string is lower than the number of program stages for other memory cells, and the data write circuit executes the first stage program to the memory cell having the number of program stages lower than the number of program stages for the other memory cells after the first stage program to the other memory cells.

A selective non-volatile memory programming method for a selected memory cell in a memory array is described so as to reduce or avoid program disturbance on an unselected memory cell. This selective programming method comprises: applying a programming pulse to a selected memory cell to be programmed and an unselected memory cell, wherein the programming pulse allows a change of the unselected memory cell within a range specified; boosting a region of the unselected memory cell; and setting a threshold time of the programming pulse, wherein the threshold time is defined when an absolute magnitude of a voltage difference between a floating gate of the unselected memory cell and the boosted region of the unselected memory cell reaches a threshold value defined.

A semiconductor device includes: a semiconductor layer having a main surface; a first-conduction-type well region formed on a surface portion of the main surface of the semiconductor layer; a second-conduction-type first region formed on a surface portion of the well region; a second-conduction-type second region formed on the surface portion of the well region at an interval from the first region; a first-conduction-type diffusion layer formed on the surface portion of the main surface adjacent to the first region; a planar gate structure formed on the main surface of the semiconductor layer to face a first-conduction-type channel region between the first region and the second region; and a memory structure including a charge storage film arranged adjacent to a lateral side of the planar gate structure on a side of the first region.

An erasable programmable single-poly non-volatile memory cell and an associated array structure are provided. In the memory cell of the array structure, the assist gate region is composed at least two plate capacitors. Especially, the assist gate region at least contains a poly/poly plate capacitor and a metal/poly plate capacitor. The structures and the fabricating processes of the plate capacitors are simple. In addition, the uses of the plate capacitors can effectively reduce the size of the memory cell.

A floating-node memory device includes a metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) transistor including a first polysilicon gate, a source region, and a drain region in a first well region, a tunneling device including a second polysilicon gate in a second well region, and a metal-insulator-metal (MIM) capacitor including a conductive top plate and a bottom plate formed in a metal interconnect layer. The floating-node device includes a floating-node comprising the first polysilicon gate, the second polysilicon gate, and the conductive top plate of the MIM capacitor coupled together, a control node at the bottom plate of the MIM capacitor, an erase node in the second well region, a source node at the source region of the MOS transistor, and a drain node at the drain region of the MOS transistor.

A non-volatile memory device includes a floating-node memory cell disposed in an integrated circuit (IC). The memory cell includes a floating-node, a control node, an erase node, a source node, and a drain node. The memory device also includes a high-voltage input node for coupling to an external programmable high-voltage source external to the IC. The memory device also includes a high-voltage switch circuit coupled to the high-voltage input node for providing a voltage signal for performing hot-electron programming of charges to the floating node and tunneling erase of charges from the floating node.

In an embodiment a non-volatile memory cell includes a substrate, a first body in the substrate, a second body in the substrate, a first storage transistor having a first conduction region and a second conduction region in the first body, the first and second conduction regions delimiting a first channel region in the first body, a first control gate region in the second body, an insulating region overlying the substrate, a single floating gate region extending on the substrate and embedded in the insulating region, the single floating gate region having a first portion on the first body and a second portion on the second body, the first portion and second portion being connected and electrically coupled, a first selection via extending through the insulating region and electrically coupling the first conduction region with a first conduction node, a second selection via extending through the insulating region and electrically coupling the second conduction region with a second conduction node and a first control via extending though the insulating region and electrically coupling the first control gate region with a first control node.

A charge pump circuit includes a power switch, a first pull-low circuit, an output pull-low circuit, a first charge pump stage and an output charge pump stage. The power switch receives an enabling signal. The first pull-low circuit and the output pull-low circuit receive a pull-low signal. The first charge pump stage includes a first boost capacitor used to receive a first phase signal, a first transfer transistor, a first gate-control transistor and a first storage capacitor used to receive a second phase signal. The output charge pump stage includes an output boost capacitor used to receive a third phase signal, an output transfer transistor and an output gate-control transistor. The charge pump circuit generates voltages in an erasing operation, a program operation and a read operation according to the enabling signal, the pull-low signal, the first phase signal, the second phase signal and the third phase signal.

A non-volatile memory cell includes a first select transistor, a first floating gate transistor, a second floating gate transistor and a second select transistor. The first select transistor is connected with a program source line and a program word line. The first floating gate transistor includes a floating gate. The first floating gate transistor is connected with the first select transistor and a program bit line. The second floating gate transistor includes a floating gate. The second floating gate transistor is connected with a read source line. The second select transistor is connected with the second floating gate transistor, the read word line and the read bit line. The floating gate of the second floating gate transistor is connected with the floating gate of the first floating gate transistor.

A method can be used to make a semiconductor device. A number of projecting regions are formed over a first semiconductor layer that has a first conductivity type. The first semiconductor layer is located on an insulating layer that overlies a semiconductor substrate. The projecting regions are spaced apart from each other. Using the projecting regions as an implantation mask, dopants having a second conductivity type are implanted into the first semiconductor layer, so as to form a sequence of PN junctions forming diodes in the first semiconductor layer. The diodes vertically extend from an upper surface of the first semiconductor layer to the insulating layer.