This is a Continuation Application of PCT Application No. PCT/JP2004/012420, filed Aug. 23, 2004, which was published under PCT Article 21(2) in English.
This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from prior Japanese Patent Application No. 2003-338545, filed Sep. 29, 2003, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrically rewritable nonvolatile semiconductor memory device and, more particularly, to a flash memory which selectively uses, as memory blocks that store binary information, some memory blocks in a memory cell array which stores multilevel information.
2. Description of the Related Art
In many memory systems, a file allocation table (FAT) is necessary. The FAT is a block which stores the position of each file. The FAT must be rewritten every time a write or erase is executed for the memory system. For this purpose, the write speed must be as high as possible in the area where the FAT is written.
In current flash memories, normal memory cells (binary technique) which store 1-bit information in one cell and memory cells which use a multilevel technique capable of storing 2-bit information (or information of three or more bits) in one cell are known.
In a memory cell using the multilevel technique, for example, the distribution of a threshold voltage Vth of the memory cell is changed in four steps, as shown in
In the flash memory that employs the multilevel technique, the write speed is lower than in the binary technique. As a measure against this, the memory cell array is divided into a plurality of blocks, and the multilevel technique is not used in a block such as a FAT that is frequently write-accessed, i.e., the write using the binary technique is selectively executed, as shown in
A NAND flash memory uses different write methods for the binary technique and multilevel technique. The binary technique uses a self-boost (SB) method. The multilevel technique uses an erased area self-boost (EASB) method. In both methods, a “0”-write is executed in the same way. A write voltage Vpgm (e.g., 20V) is applied to a selected word line (a control gate CG of a selected cell transistor). An intermediate voltage Vpass (e.g., 10V) is applied to unselected word lines. A bit line BL is set to 0V, and the gate of a select transistor SGD on the bit line side is set to a power supply voltage Vdd to set the select transistor SGD in the conductive state. Accordingly, electrons are injected to the floating gate of the selected cell transistor to increase the threshold voltage.
Conversely, the manner a “1”-write (non-write) is executed changes between the SB method and the EASB method. In the SB method, as shown in
On the other hand, in the EASB method, as shown in
The cell transistor must be set to a threshold voltage that is cut off when the control gate voltage is 0V. For this reason, the erase method also changes. To execute the write by the EASB method, the threshold voltage of the cell transistor must not be too low. Hence, an operation (soft-program) must be performed to write the threshold voltage Vth, which is distributed by the erase as indicated by the alternate long and two-dashed line in
As described above, the binary technique and multilevel technique use different write and erase methods. If one memory cell array should include both binary technique blocks and multilevel technique blocks, the binary blocks and multilevel blocks must be discriminated after the erase.
For example, Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2001-210082 discloses a nonvolatile semiconductor memory device and a data storage system, in which a binary memory cell area and a multilevel memory cell area are separately formed in a memory cell array. In writing data, flag data that identifies the binary area or multilevel area is written for each word line. When the flag data is read out, a binary page or multilevel page can be identified so that a write or read corresponding to the binary technique or multilevel technique can be executed. In the technique disclosed in this prior art, however, the binary memory cell area and multilevel memory cell area are separately formed in advance. For this reason, the degree of freedom in selection by the user is low.
Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2001-006374 discloses a semiconductor memory device and system which are selectively operated in a binary or multilevel mode. In the technique disclosed in this prior art, to selectively use a storage area as a binary area or multilevel area for each word line, a binary/multilevel management table is prepared to indicate that a storage area is assigned to the binary area or multilevel area. The user can freely operate the device in the binary or multilevel mode. However, dedicated hardware is necessary for discriminating between the binary blocks and the multilevel blocks, resulting in an increase in chip size.
As described above, for the conventional nonvolatile semiconductor memory devices, if blocks in the memory cell array should be selectively operated in the binary or multilevel mode, the degree of freedom in selection by the user becomes low. If the degree of freedom in block selection should be increased, dedicated hardware is necessary, resulting in an increase in chip size.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a nonvolatile semiconductor memory device comprising a memory cell array constituted by a plurality of memory blocks having electrically rewritable nonvolatile semiconductor memory cells, an interface that communicates with an external device, and a write circuit which writes data in the memory cell array by first write procedures or second write procedures in accordance with a data write command input to the interface, when the data write command by the first write procedures is input from the interface, the write circuit executing the write command when flag data written in a memory cell in a block to be write-accessed by the write command has a first value and not executing the write command when the flag data has a second value.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a nonvolatile semiconductor memory device comprising a memory cell array constituted by a plurality of memory blocks having electrically rewritable nonvolatile semiconductor memory cells, an interface that communicates with an external device, an erase circuit which erases data in the memory cell for each memory block by first erase procedures or second erase procedures in accordance with a data erase command input to the interface, when the data erase command by the first erase procedures is input from the interface, the erase circuit executing an erase of the memory cell in a selected memory block by using the first erase procedures and writing flag data in some memory cells in the erased memory block, and a write circuit which writes data in each page of each memory block by first write procedures when the erase is executed by using the first erase procedures or by second write procedures when the erase is executed by using the second erase procedures in accordance with a data write command input to the interface, when the data write command by the first write procedures is input from the interface, the write circuit executing the write command when the flag data written in some memory cells in a block to be write-accessed by the write command has a first value and not executing the write command when the flag data has a second value.
FIGS. 6 to 8 are views for explaining a nonvolatile semiconductor memory device according to the embodiment of the present invention.
A memory cell array 1 is constructed by arraying flash memory cells in a matrix. A column control circuit 2 is arranged adjacent to the memory cell array 1. The column control circuit 2 controls the bit lines of the memory cell array 1 to execute a data erase, data write, or data read for the memory cells. A row control circuit 3 is arranged to select a word line of the memory cell array 1 and apply a voltage necessary for the erase, write, or read to the word line. In addition, a source line control circuit 4 which controls the source line of the memory cell array 1 and a p-well control circuit 5 which controls the p-well in which the memory cell array 1 is formed are arranged.
A data input/output buffer 6 is connected to an external host (not shown) through an I/O line to receive write data, output readout data, and receive address data or command data. The data input/output buffer 6 sends received write data to the column control circuit 2 and receives readout data from the column control circuit 2. Additionally, to select a memory cell, the data input/output buffer 6 sends external address data to the column control circuit 2 or row control circuit 3 through a state machine 8. Also, the data input/output buffer 6 sends command data from the host to a command interface 7.
Upon receiving a control signal from the host, the command interface 7 determines whether the data input to the data input/output buffer 6 is write data, command data, or address data. If the data is command data, it is transferred to the state machine 8 as a reception command signal.
The state machine 8 manages the entire flash memory. The state machine 8 receives a command input from the host through the command interface 7 and manages the read, write, erase, and data input/output.
As shown in
In this example, each NAND memory unit is constituted by connecting four memory cells (cell transistors) M in series. One terminal of the NAND memory unit is connected to bit lines BL (BLe0 to BLe4255 and BLo0 to BLo4255) through a select gate S connected to a select gate line SGD. The other terminal of the NAND memory unit is connected to a common source line C-source through the select gate S connected to a select gate line SGS. The control gate of each memory cell M is connected to a word line WL (WL0_i to WL3_i). A data write/read is executed independently for even-numbered bit lines BLe and odd-numbered bit lines BLo counted from 0. Of the 8,512 memory cells connected to one word line WL, 4,256 memory cells are connected to the even-numbered bit lines BLe, for which the data write/read is executed simultaneously. Data of the 4,256 memory cells each storing 1-bit data constitute a unit called a page. Similarly, 4,256 memory cells connected to the odd-numbered bit lines BLo constitute another page. The data write/read is executed simultaneously for the memory cells in the page.
In each block BLOCK shown in
In the binary flag data area, normally, data called a hot count (HC) is stored to count the number of erases. Binary flag data that identifies the binary mode or multilevel mode is written in part of the hot count. Every time the erase is executed, data is written in the hot count to increment the count value by “1”. To execute the write and erase for a multilevel memory device by selectively using the binary technique, the multilevel and binary modes must be discriminated in each memory block. In the multilevel memory device, when the erase is executed upon receiving a signal for the binary mode operation, predetermined flag data is written in the memory cells in the binary flag data area so that the block is recognized as a binary block. To use the block as a multilevel block (MLC Block), the binary flag data is set to “1111” (i.e., the memory cell erased state). To use the block as a binary block (SLC Block), “0000” is written as binary flag data. The 4-bit binary flag data is read out, and the block is identified as a multilevel block or binary block in accordance with the majority theory.
The operation of the NAND flash memory with the above arrangement shown in FIGS. 6 to 8 will be described next with reference to the flowcharts shown in
When the operation is to be controlled by software using a controller, binary flag data is read out from each of the memory blocks BLOCK0 to BLOCK1023 in the memory cell array 1 at power-on time. Each of the memory blocks BLOCK0 to BLOCK1023 is recognized in advance as a block to be accessed in the binary sequence or a block to be accessed in the multilevel sequence.
On the basis of the recognition result, the erase is executed for a memory block to be write-accessed in the binary mode in accordance with the first procedures shown in
On the other hand, for a memory block to be write-accessed in the multilevel mode, the erase is executed in accordance with the second procedures shown in
The write operation will be described next. On the basis of the recognition result which indicates that a block should be accessed in the binary sequence or multilevel sequence, for a memory block for which the erase has been executed in accordance with the first erase procedures, binary data is written in accordance with the first write procedures shown in
For a memory block for which the erase has been executed in accordance with the second erase procedure, multilevel data is written in accordance with the second write procedures shown in
To read out the binary flag data to the external device, as shown in
In the above embodiment, the binary flag data is read out at power-on time, and the operation is controlled by software using a controller. The same operation as described above can be implemented by hardware.
In this case, after the erase is executed in accordance with the first or second erase procedures shown in
For a memory block for which the erase has been executed in accordance with the second erase procedure, multilevel data is written in accordance with the second write procedures shown in
According to the nonvolatile semiconductor memory device having the above arrangement, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) In the memory cell array formed as a multilevel memory cell array, a block to be used in the binary mode can be freely selected. For this reason, an arbitrary memory block in the memory cell array can be selectively operated in the binary mode or multilevel mode at a high degree of freedom. In addition, when a block such as a FAT that is to be frequently rewritten is used in the binary mode, the write speed can be greatly increased.
(2) The binary flag data can be placed in any memory page of any memory block and therefore can be placed anywhere in a remaining area. In addition, since the binary flag data is written in the memory block to be used in the binary mode, no dedicated hardware is necessary. Hence, the block can be used in the binary mode without increasing the chip size.
(3) In the erase using the multilevel technique, soft-program is executed after the erase of a cell. Since the threshold voltage of a cell can exceed 0V, the reliability is lower than the binary technique. However, in the erase operation by the binary technique, no soft-program is executed. Hence, a high reliability can be ensured.
(4) For a memory block for which the binary flag is set (a memory block to be accessed in the binary mode), the write using the multilevel technique is rejected and cannot be executed. Accordingly, the write speed and reliability can be ensured for the memory block.
(5) The binary flag data can be output to the external device through the interface (data input/output buffer 6 and command interface 7). Hence, it can easily be identified from the external device whether a memory block is a binary block or multilevel block.
(6) The binary flag data is written in a plurality of memory cells in each memory cell block. When the binary flag data is read out, error correction is executed in accordance with the majority theory. Hence, any recognition error for the memory block can be prevented.
As described above, in the nonvolatile semiconductor memory device according to this embodiment, when the erase is executed simultaneously with the input of a binary mode command, predetermined flag data is written in predetermined memory cells of a given memory page so that the block is recognized as a binary mode block. The write time of a multilevel NAND flash memory is longer than that of a binary product. However, when some memory blocks are selectively set as binary blocks and write-accessed by the SB method, the write time for the blocks can be shortened. Especially, when a block such as a FAT that is frequently rewritten is set as a binary mode block, the write speed can be increased. In addition, since the reliability of the binary mode is higher than that of the multilevel mode, the reliability can also be ensured. Furthermore, when the flag data is written in a plurality of memory cells, and error correction is executed in accordance with the majority theory in reading out the flag data, the reliability can further be increased. Since the flag data can be output to the external device, the block set in the binary mode can easily be confirmed from the external device.
With this arrangement, an arbitrary memory block in the memory cell array can be selectively operated in the binary mode or multilevel mode with a high degree of freedom.
In the above embodiment, a NAND flash memory has been described as an example of a nonvolatile semiconductor memory device. However, the present invention can also be applied to a semiconductor integrated circuit device in which a NAND flash memory and logic circuit are embedded, or a semiconductor integrated circuit device called a SOC in which a system is formed in one chip. The present invention can also be applied to an IC card or memory card in which the nonvolatile semiconductor memory device is mounted on a card-shaped package or various memory systems such as a system using the memory card.
As described above, according to one aspect of this invention, each memory block in the memory cell array can freely be selected, and data can be written in accordance with the first or second write procedures. The flag data can be placed in any memory page of any memory block and therefore can be placed anywhere in a remaining area. In addition, since the flag data is written in the memory block to be write-accessed or erased, no dedicated hardware is necessary, and any increase in chip size can be prevented. With this arrangement, an arbitrary memory block in the memory cell array can be selectively operated in the binary mode or multilevel mode with a high degree of freedom.
According to the embodiment of the present invention, a nonvolatile semiconductor memory device can be obtained, which can selectively operate an arbitrary memory block in a memory cell array in the binary mode or multilevel mode with a high degree of freedom without increasing the chip size.
Additional advantages and modifications will readily occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific details and representative embodiments shown and described herein. Accordingly, various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the general inventive concept as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2003-338545 | Sep 2003 | JP | national |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | PCT/JP04/12420 | Aug 2004 | US |
Child | 11391299 | Mar 2006 | US |