Patent ID: 8320177

Claim:
A non-volatile storage system, comprising: a set of non-volatile storage elements; a set of word lines in communication with the set of non-volatile storage elements, including a selected word line and an adjacent word line of the selected word line; a set of bit lines in communication with the set of non-volatile storage elements; and at least one control circuit in communication with the set of word lines and the set of bit lines, the at least one control circuit: (a) performs at least one sense operation involving the adjacent word line, the at least one sense operation demarcates M≧2 groups of non-volatile storage elements on the adjacent word line, the M≧2 groups of non-volatile storage elements are associated with M≧2 corresponding groups of bit lines of the set of bit lines, including at least first and second groups of bit lines; and (b) performs multiple iterations of a programming sequence, including at least one iteration in which the at least one control circuit: (i) applies a first programming pulse to the selected word line and selects for programming, non-volatile storage elements of the selected word line which are associated with the first group of bit lines, inhibits programming of non-volatile storage elements of the selected word line which are associated with the second group of bit lines, and applies a first pass voltage to the adjacent word line, and (ii) applies a second programming pulse to the selected word line and selects for programming, the non-volatile storage elements of the selected word line which are associated with the second group of bit lines, inhibits programming of the non-volatile storage elements of the selected word line which are associated with the first group of bit lines, and applies a second pass voltage to the adjacent word line.