MULTIPLE PROGRAMMING OF FLASH MEMORY WITHOUT ERASE

摘要

To store, successively, in a plurality of memory cells, first and second pluralities of input bits that are equal in number, a first transformation transforms the first input bits into a first plurality of transformed bits. A first portion of the cells is programmed to store the first transformed bits according to a mapping of bit sequences to cell levels, but, if the first transformation has a variable output length, only if there are few enough first transformed bits to fit in the first cell portion. Then, without erasing a second cell portion that includes the first portion, if respective levels of the cells of the second portion, that represent a second plurality of transformed bits obtained by a second transformation of the second input bits, according to the mapping, are accessible from the current cell levels, the second portion is so programmed to store the second transformed bits.