Partial erase of nonvolatile memory blocks

摘要

Erasing blocks of a nonvolatile memory may include two erase steps. A first erase step brings the memory cells of a block to an intermediate state between their programmed states and an erased state. The block is then maintained with the memory cells in the intermediate state for a period of time. Subsequently, a second erase step on the block brings the memory cells from the intermediate state to the erased state.

主权项

1. A method comprising:
performing a first erase step on memory cells of a programmed block, the first erase step bringing the memory cells to an intermediate state between their programmed states and an erased state; maintaining the block with the memory cells in the intermediate state for a period of time; performing a second erase step on the block, the second erase step bringing the memory cells from the intermediate state to the erased state; and wherein the second erase step is performed in response to identifying the block as a destination for storage of user data, and wherein the user data is stored after the second erase step.