Patent ID: 7468918

Claim:
A non-volatile memory system, comprising: a set of non-volatile storage elements, said set of non-volatile storage elements includes a particular non-volatile storage element, a first subset of one or more non-volatile storage elements on a drain side of said particular non-volatile storage element and a second subset of two or more non-volatile storage elements, said first subset is subjected to partial programming before completing programming for said particular non-volatile storage element; managing circuitry in communication with said set of non-volatile storage elements to provide signals to said set of non-volatile storage elements, said managing circuitry pre-charges said set of non-volatile storage elements prior to applying a program signal to said particular non-volatile storage element of said set of non-volatile storage elements, said managing circuitry applies one or more first pre-charge enable signals to said first subset of one or more non-volatile storage elements and applies one or more second pre-charge enable signals to said second subset of two or more non-volatile storage elements, said one or more first pre-charge enable signals are at higher voltages than said one or more second pre-charge enable signals, said managing circuitry applies said program signal to said particular non-volatile storage element when said set of non-volatile storage elements is pre-charged.