Patent ID: 11972817
Assignee: SANDISK TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
Field: Computer technology (Electrical engineering)
Classification: CPC G | IPC G

Claim 13:
14. A method of operating a memory apparatus including memory cells each connected to one of a plurality of word lines and disposed in strings and configured to retain a threshold voltage corresponding to one of a plurality of data states, the method comprising the steps of:
applying verification pulses of a plurality of program verify voltages each associated with one of the plurality of data states to selected ones of the plurality of word lines to determine whether the memory cells connected thereto have the threshold voltage above each of the plurality of program verify voltages associated with the plurality of data states targeted for each of the memory cells being programmed during each of a plurality of verify loops of a program-verify operation; and
slowing the memory cells targeted for a selected one of the plurality of data states identified as being faster to program than other ones of the memory cells targeted for the selected one of the plurality of data states during one of the plurality of verify loops associated with an earlier one of the plurality of data states, the selected one of the plurality of data states corresponding to the threshold voltage of the memory cells being higher than for the earlier one of the plurality of data states.