Patent ID: 7995394

Claim:
A method for operating a non-volatile storage system, comprising: applying a first plurality of program pulses with incrementally increasing amplitudes to selected non-volatile storage elements in a set of non-volatile storage elements, the set of non-volatile storage elements is in communication with a set of word lines, and the first plurality of program pulses are applied to the selected non-volatile storage elements via a selected word line of the set of word lines; when each program pulse of the first plurality of program pulses is applied to the selected word line, applying a pass voltage whose amplitude is at a first level to at least one adjacent unselected word line which is adjacent to the selected word line; determining when a condition is met for changing the amplitude of the pass voltage; when the condition is met, applying a second plurality of program pulses with incrementally increasing amplitudes to the selected word line, an amplitude of a first program pulse of the second plurality of program pulses is reduced relative to an amplitude of a last program pulse of the first plurality of program pulses; and when each program pulse of the second plurality of program pulses is applied to the selected word line, applying a pass voltage whose amplitude is at a second level, higher than the first level, to the at least one adjacent unselected word line.