Patent ID: 7400536

Claim:
A regulator for regulating a voltage provided to a sector selecting unit in a memory device, the regulator comprising: an operating amplifier having a first input capable of receiving a reference voltage; a program path emulation apparatus, comprising: a bit line selection emulation unit having an electrical characteristic substantially equal to an electrical characteristic of a bit line selecting unit of a bit line selector of the memory device; a path resistor having a resistance substantially equal to a resistance of a program path of a memory cell of the memory device; and a sector selection emulation unit, coupled to an output of the operating amplifier and sector selecting units of a sector selector of the memory device, having an electrical characteristic substantially equal to an electrical characteristic of a sector selecting unit of the sector selector of the memory device; wherein the bit line selection emulation unit, the path resistor and the sector selection emulation unit are electrically coupled in series; and a current mirror coupled to the program path emulation apparatus and a second input of the operating amplifier, the current mirror being capable of controlling a current flowing in the program path emulation apparatus a multiple of a predetermined current.