Patent ID: 6714456
Filing Date: 2004-03-30
Classification: G11C,H01L

Abstract:
A method of programming a flash memory cell, wherein the flash memory cell comprises:a word gate on the surface of a semiconductor substrate; floating gates on the sidewalls of said word gates separated from said word gates by an insulating layer; a control gate adjacent to each of said floating gates and separated from each said floating gate by an insulating layer; and bit line diffusions within said semiconductor substrate and under each of said control gates; wherein one of said floating gates is a selected floating gate, and the other of said floating gates is an unselected floating gate, and wherein said bit line diffusion near said selected floating gate is a bit diffusion, and said bit line diffusion near said unselected floating gate is a source diffusion, wherein said method of programming the cell comprises the steps of: providing a voltage on said word gate which is greater than a sum of the word gate threshold voltage and an overdrive voltage; providing a voltage on said floating gates which is greater than a sum of the highest floating gate threshold voltage and an override delta voltage; and varying a voltage on said bit diffusion, or varying said voltage on said word gate, or varying voltages on said control gates and said bit diffusion.