Patent ID: 8437188

Claim:
A nonvolatile memory for reading and writing data in a random manner in response to a read and write command input from an outside, comprising: a memory area that includes a nonvolatile memory area formed of a plurality of nonvolatile memory cells which is used in a nonvolatile-mode write operation, and a volatile memory area formed of a plurality of nonvolatile memory cells which is used in a volatile-mode write operation; a register that stores nonvolatile memory area information indicating the nonvolatile memory area, and volatile memory area information indicating the volatile memory area; a control circuit that performs the nonvolatile-mode write operation when an address in response to the write command is in the nonvolatile memory area information, and the volatile-mode write operation when an address in response to the write command is in the volatile memory area information; and a writing driver circuit that generates a write pulse in response to a write command, the write pulse comprising a first write pulse in the nonvolatile-mode write operation and a second write pulse in the volatile-mode write operation, the first write pulse having one of a different period and a different current than the second write pulse.