Patent ID: 6711054
Filing Date: 2004-03-23
Classification: G11C

Abstract:
A memory card comprising:a controller; a buffer; an interface circuit; and a nonvolatile memory device comprising a plurality of nonvolatile memory cells and a plurality of word lines, wherein said interface circuit receives data from outside of the memory card, wherein said buffer stores data received in said interface circuit; wherein each of said nonvolatile memory calls is capable of storing multi-bit data as a threshold voltage within one of a plurality of threshold voltage distributions, one of said threshold voltage distributions indicates an erase state and others of said threshold voltage distributions indicate program states, wherein each of said word lines is coupled to corresponding ones of said nonvolatile memory cells, wherein said controller is capable of specifying a first programming to said nonvolatile memory device, and wherein, in operation of said first programming, said nonvolatile memory device receives data stored in said buffer, selects one word line and stores data to first ones of said nonvolatile memory cells coupled to said selected word line, said first ones of nonvolatile memory cells have a threshold voltage within said erase state threshold voltage distribution and second ones of said nonvolatile memory cells coupled to said selected word line have a threshold voltage within one of said program states threshold voltage distributions, respectively.