Patent ID: 8072812

Claim:
A bulk storage device, comprising: a NAND architecture non-volatile memory device adapted to receive and transmit analog data signals indicative of data values of two or more bits of information; a controller for communicating with an external device; and a read/write channel coupled to the controller and the memory device; wherein the read/write channel is adapted to convert the analog data signals received from the memory device to digital data signals for transmission to the controller, and to convert digital data signals received from the controller to the analog data signals for transmission to the memory device; and wherein the NAND architecture non-volatile memory device is adapted to read a threshold voltage from one or more selected memory cells of one or more NAND memory cell strings of a NAND memory array of the NAND architecture non-volatile memory device in a source follower sensing operation by, coupling each NAND string to a bit line and a source line, coupling an elevated source voltage (V source ) to the source line, coupling a pass voltage (V pass ) to one or more word lines coupled to control gates on one or more unselected memory cells of each NAND string, and coupling a read gate voltage (V g ) to a word line coupled to a control gate of the selected memory cell of each NAND string.