Patent ID: 9633739
Date: 2017-04-25
CPC Classifications: G11C

Claim:
1. A method of erasing information stored on an electronic semiconductor component in a plurality of non-volatile memory elements, comprising: irradiating the semiconductor component with erasing radiation until a target dose of the erasing radiation has been absorbed by the semiconductor component; wherein the erasing radiation penetrates the semiconductor component and at least part of the erasing radiation is absorbed in the semiconductor component with an ionization effect occurring, wherein, when the target dose is reached, the concentration of charge carriers stored on the memory elements is influenced by the ionization effect such that the statistical distribution of the threshold voltages of the memory elements forms a contiguous region; wherein the target dose of the erasing radiation is selected such that the statistical distribution permanently and irreversibly forms the contiguous region; and wherein the concentration of the charge carriers on the memory elements is changed by the ionization effect such that the concentration of charge carriers on the memory elements after the irradiation process is independent of the concentration of the charge carriers before the irradiating process.