Patent ID: 8144511
Filing Date: 2012-03-27
Classification: G11C

Abstract:
1. A method of operating non-volatile storage having a plurality of non-volatile storage elements and a plurality of word lines associated with the plurality of non-volatile storage elements, the method comprising: erasing the plurality of non-volatile storage elements; programming data in a first group of the plurality of non-volatile storage elements while leaving unprogrammed a second group of the plurality of non-volatile storage elements, for every non-volatile storage element in the first group any neighbor non-volatile storage element on a word line either above or below the non-volatile storage element in the first group is a member of the second group that remains unprogrammed; erasing the data in at least the first group of non-volatile storage elements while the second group of non-volatile storage elements remain unprogrammed; programming at least a portion of the second group of the non-volatile storage elements, for every non-volatile storage element in the portion of the second group any neighbor non-volatile storage element on a word line either above or below the non-volatile storage element in the portion of the second group remains unprogrammed; and erasing data in the at least a portion of the second group of non-volatile storage elements while the neighbor non-volatile storage elements on word lines either above or below the non-volatile storage element in the at least the portion of the second group remain unprogrammed.