Re-writable memory device and method for limiting the number of times it is re-programmed, which is based on use of a counter that is incremented each time re-programming occurs with a limiting value set by the manufacturer

摘要

Memory device has the following characteristics: a memory region (12) with at least a re-writable memory cell that is re-written in programming steps; and a counter (14) that counts the number of times the memory region has been re-written. The memory device can be configured so that re-writing of the memory is prevented once a preset number of re-writes has occurred. An Independent claim is made for a method for counting the number of re-write processes a memory cell has undergone.