Patent ID: 6898134

Claim:
A method for recalibrating a sense amplifier during a sense of a selected memory cell, comprising: measuring a physical property of the selected memory cell to produce a first measurement; comparing the first measurement to a first range, wherein the first range is indicative of a short circuit or an open in the selected memory cell; halting the sense of the selected memory cell if the first measurement exceeds the first range; comparing the first measurement to a second range, wherein the second range is a predetermined range signifying a recalibration of the sense amplifier may be necessary, proceeding with the sense if the first measurement is within the first range and the second range; repeating the steps of measuring and comparing for a predetermined number of iterations, if after each iteration, the measurement exceeds the second range but is within the first range; and recalibrating the sense amplifier, if after the predetermined number of iterations, the measurement still exceeds the second range but is within the first range.