| abstract |
The maximum allowable number of voltage programming pulses to program memory elements of a non-volatile memory device is adjusted to account for changes in the memory elements which occur over time. Programming pulses are applied until the threshold voltage of one or more memory elements reaches a certain verify level, after which a defined maximum number of additional pulses may be applied to other memory elements to allow them to also reach associated target threshold voltage levels. The technique enforces a maximum allowable number of programming pulses that can change over time as the memory is cycled. |