Patent ID: 7259976

Claim:
A program control method of a flash memory device including a plurality of MLCs that shares word lines and bit lines, comprising: a first program to affect programming of MLCs of a selected page by applying a program voltage, which is increased by a step voltage, to a selected word line of the word lines during a first predetermined time in each of first to Ith (I is an integer) program cycles in response to a first cycle control signal; a second program to affect programming of the MLCs of the selected page by applying a first last program voltage (i.e., a program voltage that has been finally increased in the first program step) to the selected word line, while increasing the last program voltage by a step voltage, during a second predetermined time in each of first to (I+1)th to Jth (J is an integer) program cycles in response to a second cycle control signal; and a third program to affect programming of the MLCs of the selected page by applying a second last program voltage (i.e., a program voltage that has been finally increased in the second program step) to the selected word line, while increasing the second to last program voltage by the step voltage, during a third predetermined time in each of first to (J+1)th to Kth (K is an integer) program cycles in response to a third cycle control signal.