JP2005353275A - Semiconductor integrated circuit - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To shorten a required time for a whole write sequence by enabling input operation of write data in parallel with data write operation, in a NAND cell type EEPROM. <P>SOLUTION: This circuit is provided with first operation and second operation in which a pass/fail result of its operation is held in a semiconductor chip after finish of operation, and the circuit has such operation that when the first operation and the second operation are performed continuously, both of the pass/fail result of the first operation and the pass/fail result of the second operation are outputted after finish of the first and the second operation. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a semiconductor integrated circuit that outputs a pass / fail result of an internal operation to the outside of a semiconductor chip, and more particularly to a nonvolatile semiconductor memory device such as a NAND cell EEPROM, a NOR cell EEPROM, a DINOR cell EEPROM, and an AND cell type EEPROM. .

  As one of semiconductor memory devices, an EEPROM that can be electrically rewritten is known. In particular, a NAND cell type EEPROM in which a plurality of memory cells are connected in series to form a NAND cell block is attracting attention as being capable of high integration.

  One memory cell of the NAND cell type EEPROM has a FET-MOS structure in which a floating gate serving as a charge storage layer and a control gate are stacked on a semiconductor substrate via an insulating film. A plurality of memory cells are connected in series so that adjacent memory cells share a source / drain to form a NAND cell, which is connected to the bit line as a unit.

  Such NAND cells are arranged in a matrix to form a memory cell array. The memory cell array is integrated in a p-type well region or a p-type substrate. The drains on one end side of the NAND cells arranged in the column direction of the memory cell array are commonly connected to the bit line via the selection gate transistors, respectively, and the source on the other end side is connected to the common source line via another selection gate transistor. .

  The control gate of the memory cell transistor and the gate electrode of the selection gate transistor are extended in the row direction of the memory cell array, and become a common control gate line (word line) and selection gate line, respectively.

  The operation of this NAND cell type EEPROM is as follows.

  The data write operation is performed in order from the memory cell farthest from the bit line contact. A high voltage Vpgm (= about 18 V) is applied to the control gate of the selected memory cell. An intermediate potential Vmw (= about 10 V) is applied to each of the control gate and the selection gate of the memory cell located on the bit line contact side from the selected memory cell, and 0 V or the intermediate potential Vmb (depending on data) is applied to the bit line. = About 8V).

  When 0 V is applied to the bit line, the potential is transmitted to the drain of the selected memory cell, and electron injection due to a tunnel current occurs from the drain to the floating gate. As a result, the threshold value of the selected memory cell is shifted in the positive direction. This state is, for example, a “0” write state.

  When Vmb is applied to the bit line, electron injection does not occur, so the threshold does not change and remains negative. This state is referred to as a “1” write state.

  Data erasure is performed simultaneously on all the memory cells in the selected NAND cell block. That is, 0V is applied to all control gates in the selected NAND cell block, and a high voltage Vera (= about 22V) is applied to the p-type well region or the p-type substrate. In addition, the bit line, the source line, the control gate in the non-selected NAND cell block, and all the selection gate lines are brought into a floating state.

  Thereby, in all the memory cells in the selected NAND cell block, the electrons of the floating gate are emitted to the p-type well region or the p-type substrate by the tunnel current. Thereby, the threshold voltage shifts in the negative direction after erasing.

  In the data read operation, 0 V is applied to the control gate of the selected memory cell, and the power supply voltage Vcc or a read voltage VH slightly higher than the power supply voltage is applied to the control gate and select gate of the other memory cells. . The value of the voltage VH is usually a voltage level that is twice or less Vcc, for example, 5 V or less. At this time, data is sensed by detecting whether or not current flows in the selected memory cell.

  FIG. 35 shows an example of the configuration of a conventional NAND cell type EEPROM memory cell array and bit line control circuit.

  In FIG. 35, the memory cell array 1 has an example in which, for example, 33792 bit lines BL0 to BL33791 and 1024 blocks Block0 to block1023 are provided, and row decoders are respectively arranged on both sides in the row direction. .

  In the bit line control circuit 2, a sense latch circuit 22 is provided between the IO, / IO line pairs and the bit lines BLi, BLi + 1,... (I = 0), which are paths for exchanging data with the data input / output buffer. Is provided. That is, one sense latch circuit 31 is connected between the IO, / IO line pair and two bit lines in the odd and even columns adjacent to each other.

  FIG. 36 shows an example of an algorithm of a data write sequence in the NAND cell type EEPROM of FIG.

  In this algorithm, data is written in order for each of a plurality of pages. During the data write operation, the sense latch circuit 31 is in operation, that is, in use, so the sense latch circuit 31 cannot be used for other operations such as data input.

  That is, in this data write sequence, a write data input operation and a data write operation are performed for one page, and this is repeated for each page. Therefore, the write data input operation is performed in parallel with the data write operation. Can't do it.

  In the actual operation, after the data write operation is completed, the written data is read out, a write verify operation is performed to determine whether it matches the data to be written, and whether or not normal writing has been performed. / Fail condition is confirmed.

  Accordingly, the write data input operation and the data write operation are alternately repeated during the data write sequence. The time required for the entire data write sequence is mainly the sum of the time required for the write data input operation and the time required for the data write operation, and the required time for the entire data write sequence becomes longer.

  FIG. 37 shows an example of an algorithm of a data read sequence in the NAND cell type EEPROM of FIG.

  This algorithm shows a sequence in the case where data is continuously read from each page of a plurality of pages. During the data read operation, the sense latch circuit 22 is in operation, that is, in use, so the sense latch circuit 22 cannot be used for other operations such as data output.

  In the algorithm of FIG. 37, the required time of the entire data read sequence is determined by the sum of the required times of both the cell data read operation and the read data output operation, and the required time of the entire data read sequence becomes longer.

Note that a memory circuit including a data rewrite / read circuit that temporarily holds write data and read data so as to realize a cache function and a multi-valued logic operation is described in, for example, Patent Document 1.
JP 2001-325796 A

  As described above, the conventional NAND cell type nonvolatile semiconductor memory device cannot perform the write data input operation in parallel during the data write operation, and the time required for the entire data write sequence becomes long. there were.

  In addition, the read data output operation cannot be performed in parallel during the data read operation, and the time required for the entire data read sequence is increased.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and a first object of the present invention is to perform a first operation and a second operation in which a pass / fail result of the operation is held in the chip after the operation is completed. To provide a semiconductor integrated circuit capable of outputting both pass / fail results to the outside when continuously performed, and improving convenience in control outside the chip. .

  A second object of the present invention is to realize a semiconductor memory circuit capable of inputting write data in parallel during a data write operation, reducing the time required for the entire data write sequence, and having a high-speed data write function. An object of the present invention is to provide a semiconductor integrated circuit.

  Furthermore, a third object of the present invention is to realize a semiconductor memory circuit capable of outputting read data in parallel during the data read operation, reducing the time required for the entire data read sequence, and having a high-speed data read function. An object of the present invention is to provide a semiconductor integrated circuit.

  In the semiconductor integrated circuit of the first invention, the first operation and the second operation can be executed in parallel, and the first information indicating whether or not the first operation is being executed and the first operation The second information indicating whether or not the second operation can be executed is output to the outside.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a semiconductor integrated circuit including an internal circuit capable of executing the first operation and the second operation in parallel, information indicating whether or not the first operation is being executed, and the first operation being performed. And an output circuit for outputting both information indicating whether or not the second operation can be executed to the outside.

  A semiconductor integrated circuit according to a third aspect of the present invention is connected to a data input / output line and temporarily stores data, and is connected to the data cache circuit and senses data read from a memory cell, And a sense latch circuit for latching and latching data to be written to the memory cell.

  According to the semiconductor integrated circuit of the present invention, when the first operation and the second operation in which the pass / fail result of the operation is held in the chip after the operation is completed, both pass / fail results are obtained. Can be output, and convenience in control outside the semiconductor integrated circuit can be enhanced.

  Further, a write data input operation can be performed in parallel during the data write operation, the time required for the entire data write sequence can be shortened, and a semiconductor memory device having a high-speed data write function can be realized.

  In addition, a read data output operation can be performed in parallel during the data read operation, the time required for the entire data read sequence can be shortened, and a semiconductor memory device having a high-speed data read function can be realized.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

<First Embodiment>
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the whole NAND cell type EEPROM according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  In the memory cell array 1, as will be described later, a plurality of memory cells each having a control gate and a selection gate are provided. Each of these memory cells is connected to a bit line and a word line. The plurality of memory cells are divided into a plurality of blocks, and any one block is selected during operation.

  A bit line control circuit 2 is connected to the memory cell array 1. The bit line control circuit 2 reads data from a plurality of memory cells in the memory cell array 1 and writes data to each memory cell.

  Therefore, the bit line control circuit 2 functions as both a sense amplifier for sense-amplifying the potential of the bit line in the memory cell array 1 and a data latch circuit for latching data for writing. A sense latch circuit (sense amplifier / data latch circuit). Then, data such as write data / read data is transferred between the bit line control circuit 2 and the data input / output control circuit 3.

  As will be described later, the data input / output control circuit 3 includes a data cache circuit that holds write data / read data, and performs input / output control of internal data or external data such as write data and read data. A data input / output buffer (I / O buffer) 4 is connected to the data input / output control circuit 3.

  The data input / output control circuit 3 is controlled by an output of a column decoder 6 that receives an address signal from an address buffer (address latch) 5 that receives an address input.

  A row decoder 7 for controlling the control gate and select gate of the memory cell is connected to the memory cell array 1. Further, a well potential control circuit 8 for controlling the potential of the p-type well region or the p-type substrate in which the memory cell array 1 is formed is connected to the memory cell array 1. A source line control circuit 9 for controlling the source line voltage in the memory cell array 1 is connected to the memory cell array 1.

  A word line control circuit 10 for controlling the potential of the word line in the selected block, that is, the control gate line, and a row decoder power control circuit 11 for controlling the power supply potential of the row decoder circuit 7 are provided. Both the word line control circuit 10 and the row decoder power supply control circuit 11 are connected to the row decoder circuit 7.

  Further, a high voltage for writing / intermediate voltage, a high voltage for erasing, a high voltage for reading, etc. are generated and supplied to the p-type well region or the p-type substrate during the erasing operation, and in the memory cell array 1 during the writing operation. A high voltage / intermediate voltage generation circuit 12 is provided for supplying the word lines and bit lines, the row decoder circuit 7 and the like. The high voltage / intermediate voltage generation circuit 12 is connected to the memory cell array 1, the bit line control circuit 2, the word line control circuit 10, and the row decoder power supply control circuit 11.

  The data input / output buffer 4 exchanges various data with the outside. The data input / output buffer 4 is connected to, for example, eight I / O pads composed of I / O-1 to I / O-8. Then, write data, addresses, commands, etc. are supplied from the outside via these eight I / O pads I / O-1 to I / O-8, and read data and various signals are supplied from the inside to these eight I / O pads I / O-1 to I / O-8. Output to the outside via I / O pads I / O-1 to I / O-8.

  The data input / output buffer 4 is further connected to the address buffer 5 and the command decoder 13.

  When a command is input from the I / O pads I / O-1 to I / O-8, the command decoder 13 receives and latches this command via the data input / output buffer 4, and data is transmitted according to the latched command. A control signal for controlling various operations such as a read operation, a write operation, and an erase operation is output.

  Further, a pass / fail determination circuit (pass / fail determination circuit) 14 and a pass / fail holding circuit (pass / fail holding circuit) 15 are provided. The Pass / Fail determination circuit 14 is connected to the bit line control circuit 2, and the Pass / Fail holding circuit 15 is connected to the Pass / Fail determination circuit 14. The Pass / Fail holding circuit 15 is composed of a shift register, for example.

  The Pass / Fail determination circuit 14 determines whether writing or erasure has been normally performed. Then, if writing or erasure is normally performed, it is determined as a pass state, and if not, it is determined as a fail state.

  The Pass / Fail determination in the Pass / Fail determination circuit 14 is sent to and held in the Pass / Fail holding circuit 15 after the end of the write or erase operation. When a command for checking the Pass / Fail state is supplied from the outside via the I / O pads I / O-1 to I / O-8, this command is sent via the data input / output buffer 4 to the command decoder. 13, the control signal is output from the command decoder 13, and the Pass / Fail determination result held in the Pass / Fail holding circuit 15 is input to the data input / output buffer 4 based on this control signal. It is selectively output from any of the I / O pads I / O-1 to I / O-8.

  In addition, a ready / busy control circuit (R / B control circuit) 16 is provided. The R / B control circuit 16 is connected to the data input / output control circuit 3 and the data input / output buffer 4. Based on the operation of the data input / output control circuit 3, the R / B control circuit 16 generates a ready / busy signal indicating the operating state of the chip. This Ready / Busy signal is input to the data input / output buffer 4 and then selectively output from any of the I / O pads I / O-1 to I / O-8.

  2A and 2B are a plan view and an equivalent circuit diagram showing one NAND cell portion extracted from the memory cell array 1 in FIG. 1, and FIGS. 3A and 3B are diagrams respectively. It is sectional drawing which follows the 3A-3A line in 2 (a), and a sectional view which follows the 3B-3B line.

A memory cell array composed of a plurality of NAND cells is formed on a p-type silicon substrate (or p-type well region) 22 surrounded by the element isolation oxide film 21. One NAND cell includes a plurality of memory cells connected in series (in this example, eight memory cells M1 to M8) that are adjacent to each other, and are n-type diffusion layers 23 (source and drain regions). 23 ₀ , 23 ₁ , ..., 23 ₁₀ ).

Further, select gate transistors 24 ₉ , 25 ₉ and 24 ₁₀ , 25 ₁₀ formed simultaneously with the floating gate and the control gate of the memory cell are provided on the drain side and the source side of the NAND cell, respectively.

In each of the memory cells M1 to M8, a floating gate 24 (24 ₁ , 24 ₂ ,..., 24 ₈ ) is formed on a semiconductor substrate 22 via a gate insulating film 26, and a gate insulating film 27 is further formed thereon. And a control gate 25 (25 ₁ , 25 ₂ ,..., 25 ₈ ) are stacked.

The substrate on which the element is thus formed is covered with a CVD oxide film 28, and a bit line 29 is disposed thereon. Bit line 29 is put in contact with the diffusion layer 23 ₀ on the drain side of one end of the NAND cell.

  The NAND cells as described above are arranged in a matrix, the select gate transistors on the drain side of the NAND cells are commonly connected to the bit lines, and the select gate transistors on the source side are connected to the common source line (source line voltage Cell-Source). Yes.

  The control gates 24 of the memory cells M1 to M8 are commonly arranged in the row direction of the memory cell array as control gate lines (word lines) CG1, CG2,.

The gates of the selection gate transistors 24 ₉ , 25 ₉ and 24 ₁₀ , 25 ₁₀ are also arranged in the row direction of the memory cell array as selection gate lines SG 1 and SG 2, respectively.

  FIG. 4 shows a part of the equivalent circuit of the memory cell array 1 in FIG. 1 in which NAND cells as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B are arranged in a matrix.

  A NAND cell group sharing the same word line or selection gate line is called a block. For example, in the figure, a region surrounded by a broken line is one block. Operations such as reading / writing are performed on one selected block selected from the plurality of blocks.

  FIG. 5 shows an example of the configuration of the memory cell array 1, the bit line control circuit 2, and the data input / output control circuit 3 in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 5, IO / IO line pairs, which are paths for exchanging data with the data input / output buffer 4, pass through a plurality of data cache circuits 31 provided in the data input / output control circuit 3. Are connected to a plurality of sense latch circuits 32 provided in the bit line control circuit 2. Each of the data cache circuit 31 and each sense latch circuit 32 includes two inverter circuits each having an input / output node cross-connected. More specifically, each data cache circuit 31 includes a latch circuit 33 composed of two inverter circuits, and a switch transistor 34 connected between one data storage node N1 of the latch circuit 33 and the IO line. And a switch transistor 35 connected between the other data storage node N2 of the latch circuit 33 and the / IO line, and a switch transistor connected between the data storage node N2 and the sense latch circuit 32 And the transistor 36.

  Each sense latch circuit 32 includes a latch circuit 37 composed of two inverter circuits, and a switch transistor 38 having one end connected to the data storage node N3 of the latch circuit 37. In the bit line control circuit 2, two switch transistors 39 and 40 are provided for each sense latch circuit 32, respectively. The one transistor 39 is connected between the other end of the transistor 38 and any one bit line in the even-numbered column in the memory cell array 1, and the other transistor 40 is connected to the other end of the transistor 38 and the memory cell array 1. It is connected between any one of the odd-numbered columns. The transistors 39 and 40 are gate-controlled by a bit line selection signal BTL0 or BTL1.

  That is, only the data cache circuit 31 is directly connected to the IO / IO line pair, and the sense latch circuit 32 is connected to the data cache circuit 31.

  5 shows an example in which the memory cell array 1 has 33792 bit lines BL0 to BL33791 and 1024 blocks Block0 to block1023, and row decoders are provided on both sides in the row direction. ing.

  In the circuit of FIG. 5, two types of latch circuits, that is, one sense latch circuit 32 and one data cache circuit 31 are provided between two bit lines of odd and even columns and an IO / IO line pair. And exist. Therefore, at the time of data write operation or data read operation, only one of the two bit lines connected to the sense latch circuit 32 is selected, and only the data for the memory cell connected to the selected bit line is selected. It is possible to perform writing / reading.

  Since only the sense latch circuit 32 is used in the data write operation, the data cache circuit 31 can be used for an operation independent of the data write operation. For example, it can be used for input operation of write data to be used for next data write, that is, write data to the next page.

  FIG. 6 shows an algorithm in an example of a data write sequence using the circuit of FIG.

  This algorithm shows a state in which a data write operation and a write data input operation to the next page are performed in parallel in a data write sequence in which data is sequentially written to each page of a plurality of pages. In the first step, write data input operation to the data cache circuit 31 is performed (to Data Cache), and in the next step, write data is transferred from the data cache circuit 31 to the sense latch circuit 32 (Data Cache → Sense Latch). In the next step, the data latched by the sense latch circuit 32 is written into the memory cell (use of Sense Latch). In parallel with this data write operation, the next write data is input to the data cache circuit 31 (to Data Cache).

  Thereafter, similarly, write data is transferred from the data cache circuit 31 to the sense latch circuit 32, and a data write operation is performed.

  In the algorithm of FIG. 6, a data transfer operation from the data cache circuit 31 to the sense latch circuit 32 is required. However, the time required for the data transfer operation is usually much shorter than the data write operation (usually about 200 μs) and the write data input operation (usually about several tens to several hundreds μs), and usually about 2 to 3 μs. The time required for the entire sequence is hardly affected.

  Here, the advantage of the algorithm of FIG. 6 over the algorithm of FIG. 36 shown in the conventional example will be described by comparing the time required for data write operation per page.

  The time required for the data write operation per page according to the algorithm of FIG. 6 is the time required for the longer one of the data write operation and the write data input operation performed in parallel therewith, and the write data transfer operation. It is the sum of the time required. On the other hand, the time required for the data write operation per page according to the algorithm of FIG. 36 shown in the conventional example is the sum of the time required for the data write operation and the write data input operation.

  In general, the time required for the data write operation is about 200 μs at most, and the time required for the write data input operation is several tens to several hundreds μs. Since the required time is required, when the algorithm of FIG. 6 is used, the time required for the data write operation per page is about several hundred μs.

  In contrast, the time required for the data write operation per page by the algorithm of FIG. 36 is several hundred μs + several hundred μs, and the time required for the entire sequence can be significantly shortened by using the algorithm of FIG.

  FIGS. 7A to 7F schematically show the operation of the circuit of FIG. 5 when the algorithm of FIG. 6 is used.

  In FIG. 7, the data write operation performed in parallel with the write data input operation is represented as “Background”, and the single operation of the data write operation is represented as “Foreground”. The data write operation is expressed as “Data Prog.”, And is executed by repeating the data write voltage application operation “programming” and the write verify operation “verification” to the memory cell.

  In the data write operation to the last page in the data write sequence, it is not necessary to input the write data for the next page, so that both of FIG. 6 and FIG. Therefore, the background operation is unnecessary in the data write operation to the last page. In other words, it is not necessary to execute the operation in parallel with other operations, so the Foreground operation can be used.

  FIG. 8 shows an example of a method for controlling the data write sequence of the semiconductor chip on which the NAND cell type EEPROM of FIG. 1 is formed. Note that the operations in the periods Ta to Tf in FIG. 8 correspond to the operations (a) to (f) in FIG.

  Control methods for realizing the write operation include: input of address / data input command (COM1), input of address to write data, input of write data, input of data write operation start command, start of data write operation, The sequence is generally, and as the data write operation start command, for the background, that is, the command COM2 for the data write operation that can be executed in parallel with the write data input operation, and for the foreground, that is, executed in parallel with other operations There are two types of command COM3 for data write operations that cannot be performed.

  When one data write operation command COM3 is input, the Busy period in the Ready / Busy state representing the operation state of the chip becomes long, and the Busy state continues until the data write operation corresponding to the command COM3 input is completed. This Ready / Busy state is detected by the R / B control circuit 17 based on the operation of the data input / output control circuit 3 in FIG. 1, and a Ready signal / Busy signal is generated according to this detected state.

  When the other data write operation command COM2 is input, the period of the busy state in the Ready / Busy state indicating the operation state of the chip is shortened, and the write data input immediately before the command COM2 is input is transferred from the data cache circuit 31 to the sense latch circuit 32. Immediately after being transferred to, the Busy state returns to the Ready state.

  Normally, as the data write operation start command, the command COM2 is used except for the last page in the data write sequence, so that the data write operation and the write data input are realized in parallel to shorten the required time. For the page, it is easy to detect the completion of the sequence by using the command COM3. That is, it is particularly effective to use a method that enables detection by examining the Ready / Busy state.

  Each required time shown in FIG. 8 is 2112 bytes per page as the amount of input data, the data input cycle is 50 ns, the data transfer required time from the data cache circuit 31 to the sense latch circuit 32 is 3 μs, and the data write operation The number when the required time is 200 μs is described, and data writing is performed in the order of page 1 to page N.

  In the method shown in FIG. 8, the Ready state is pseudo-output during execution of the background write operation as in the periods Tc and Td. In this pseudo-ready state, commands other than commands related to write operations such as COM1, COM2, and COM3, especially commands related to other operations, such as data read operations and data erase operations, are prohibited. . Normally, the input of the prohibit command is described in the chip specification.

  When the above-described prohibited command is input, it is effective to design the chip so that the background operation is continued by ignoring the prohibited command, and malfunction can be prevented.

  Specific examples of valid commands, prohibited commands, or ignored commands are as follows. The valid command is a command that outputs a write command such as COM1, COM2, and COM3, a reset command, and a signal indicating a Ready / Busy state or a Pass / Fail state. The prohibited command or the ignored command is a command other than the valid command, for example, a read command or an erase command.

  Although there is no problem even if it belongs to either the above-mentioned valid command or prohibited command such as a command for chip ID output, these have an advantage that a circuit that is simpler is generally put in the prohibited command.

  In the above-described first embodiment, the circuit configuration in FIG. 5 has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this example, and various modifications can be made.

  FIG. 9 is a circuit diagram showing a configuration according to a first modification of the memory cell array 1, the bit line control circuit 2, and the data input / output control circuit 3 of the first embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the memory cell array 1 is divided in half in the word line extending direction to form two memory cell arrays 1-1 and 1-2, and one block is divided into two memory cell arrays 1-1 and 1 as shown in FIG. Needless to say, the present invention is also effective when the halves are arranged in half.

  In the configuration of FIG. 9, half of the memory cells for one page are arranged in the two memory cell arrays 1-1 and 1-2, and the memory cells for one page arranged in the left and right memory cell arrays As described above, the present invention is also effective when the operation is executed.

  Further, in the configuration of FIG. 9, one page of memory cells is arranged only in one memory cell array, one different page is selected simultaneously in each of the left and right memory cell arrays, and a total of two pages are selected, as described above. The present invention is also effective when performing various operations.

  FIG. 10 is a circuit diagram showing a configuration according to a second modification of the memory cell array 1, the bit line control circuit 2, and the data input / output control circuit 3 of the first embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the memory cell array 1 is divided in half in the extending direction of the word lines to form two memory cell arrays 1-1 and 1-2, and one block is divided into one memory cell array 1-1 or Needless to say, the present invention is also effective when it is arranged only at 1-2.

  In the case of FIG. 10, the present invention is also effective in the case where one different page is selected in the left and right memory cell arrays, and a total of two pages are selected and the above operation is executed. In this case, data can be simultaneously written into memory cells for two pages in different blocks.

  In addition, even when the memory cell array is divided into three or more instead of two, it goes without saying that the same operation as described above can be realized and the present invention is effective.

  Next, the control method for data writing according to the present invention is compared with the control method for conventional data writing.

  FIG. 11A shows an outline of a conventional control method for data writing, and FIG. 11B shows an outline of a control method for data writing shown in FIG.

  In the conventional method shown in FIG. 11A, the data write operation is performed for all pages in the foreground operation. However, in the method of this example shown in FIG. Done in

  FIG. 12 shows an outline of another example of a control method for data writing according to the present invention.

  This is a control method in which the data write operation is performed for all pages in the background operation, and the present invention is also effective in this case.

  FIGS. 13A to 13D and FIGS. 14A and 14B are output examples of a busy signal during a data write operation when the control method of FIG. 11B is used. Show. In addition, in the description part of the command input in the figure, the display of the address / data input is omitted, but it goes without saying that these are actually input.

  The signal Cache-R / B in FIGS. 13A to 13D, 14A and 14B is in the ready / busy state described above, for example, ready / busy in FIG. This corresponds to the busy state, and usually corresponds to the ready / busy state of the chip output from any of the I / O pads I / O-1 to I / O-8 in FIG. On the other hand, the signal True-R / B represents an operation state in the chip including the background operation, and is always a busy state during the background operation.

  FIG. 13A shows a case where a conventional data write operation is executed alone and corresponds to a Foreground operation. In this case, the states of the two types of signals Cache-R / B and True-R / B coincide in the data write operation period tPROG.

  FIGS. 13B and 13D show the write operation period tPROG and busy signal when the second operation start command is input after the end of the first operation when the data write operation is performed twice. Represents a state.

  FIGS. 13C and 14A show the write operation period tPROG when the second operation start command is input during the first operation when the data write operation is performed twice. And the state of the busy signal.

  FIG. 14B shows the operation period tPROG and the state of the busy signal when a data write operation start command is input after completion of the busy signal output operation by an operation other than the write operation.

  As shown in FIGS. 13B to 13D and FIGS. 14A and 14B, when the background operation is involved, the ready / busy state varies depending on the input timing of the operation start command. I understand that.

  Usually, in order to check the pass / fail state after completion of an operation, the chip status output command COMS is input to the I / O pads I / O-1 to I / O-8. The chip status output command COMS input from the I / O pads I / O-1 to I / O-8 is sent to the command decoder 13 via the data input / output buffer 4 in FIG. 1, where Pass / Fail A control signal is generated that is used to output the status.

  On the other hand, as described above, the pass / fail holding circuit 15 holds the pass / fail state indicating whether normal writing has been performed after the data write operation is completed. In order to check the pass / fail state, a chip status command COMS is input to the I / O pads I / O-1 to I / O-8. As a result, the data held by the Pass / Fail holding circuit 15 is output from the I / O pads I / O-1 to I / O-8 via the data input / output buffer 4.

  Generally, an operation of outputting a chip status state including a pass / fail state after inputting a chip status command COMS is called a status read (Status-Read).

  FIGS. 15A to 15C and FIGS. 16A to 16C show an example of the timing dependency of the pass / fail output result at the time of status reading when the write operation is continuous. Yes.

  FIGS. 17A to 17C and FIGS. 18A and 18B show the timing dependency of the pass / fail output result at the time of status read when the operation other than the write operation and the write operation are continuous. An example is shown.

  In FIG. 15 to FIG. 18, the notation “A1-Status” represents the pass / fail state (pass / fail status) with respect to the operation (A1 operation) in the A1 period. Similarly, “A2-Status”, “B1-Status”, “B2-Status”,... Also indicate the pass / fail state for the A2 operation, B1 operation, B2 operation,.

  As shown in FIGS. 15 (a) to 15 (c) and FIGS. 16 (a) to 16 (c), when a pass / fail output including a background operation is considered, it is output by a status read. It is very important to clarify which data write operation, that is, which page corresponds to the pass / fail. If this can be clarified, a page including defective data can be specified if a write failure occurs.

  In order to clarify the correspondence between the pass / fail and the page, as shown in detail in FIGS. 15A to 15C and FIGS. 16A to 16C, the write operation is performed. Are consecutive, pass / fail for the past two write operations are output simultaneously or sequentially. That is, after inputting the chip status command COMS as shown, signals corresponding to the pass / fail state are output from the two I / O pads I / O-1 and I / O-2. Note that “invalid” is meaningless data that does not reflect the pass / fail state.

  FIG. 19A shows an example of data output contents output from the eight I / O pads I / O-1 to I / O-8 at the time of status reading in the first embodiment.

  The chip status (Chip Status-I) for the previous operation is output from the I / O pad I / O-1. From the I / O pad I / O-2, when the write operation continues, the chip status (Chip Status-II) corresponding to the write start command immediately before is output. Each chip status is “0” in the case of Pass and “1” in the case of Fail.

  Note that when the methods of FIGS. 15A to 15C and FIGS. 16A to 16C are used, depending on the timing of Cache-R / B and True-R / B and status read. Since the status of pass / fail status changes, it is desirable that Cache-R / B and True-R / B are also included in the output data of the status read. In this case, the output is as shown in FIG. In the status read described above, a pass / fail state or a ready / busy state is output after the command COMS is input.

  FIGS. 20A to 20C and FIGS. 21A to 21F accumulate the pass / fail state of two consecutive write operations during the status read in the first embodiment. An embodiment in the case of outputting a pass / fail status as a result will be described.

  “(A1 + A2) -Status” in FIG. 20A is the cumulative result of the pass / fail status of the operations of A1 and A2, that is, if a failure occurs in either A1 or A2, the fail status is The state maintained as it is is shown.

  In actual operation, data is often written continuously from several pages to several tens of pages. In this case, a cumulative status that outputs the pass / fail status of several to several tens of pages of write operation is output. The

  For this cumulative status, there is a method that can be reset by a normal reset command, and a method that can be reset only by a dedicated reset command of the cumulative status.

  As a cumulative status, there is a method of accumulating the pass / fail status from the operation immediately after the reset to the last operation, and there is a method for accumulating a pass / fail only for a specific operation or command, for example, a write operation or a write command. There is also a method of accumulating fail status.

  FIG. 19C shows an example of data output at the time of status reading including the output of the cumulative status as described above. In this case, a data signal corresponding to the cumulative status (cumulative Chip Status) is output from the I / O pad I / O-3.

  FIG. 19D shows an example of data output at the time of status reading not including the pass / fail status.

  That is, in the NAND cell type EEPROM of the first embodiment described above, when the first operation and the second operation in which the pass / fail result of the operation is held in the chip after the operation is completed are continuously performed. Both pass / fail results can be output to the outside of the semiconductor chip, and the convenience of control outside the chip can be enhanced.

  The NAND cell type EEPROM described above indicates whether or not the first operation, for example, the data write operation, and the second operation, for example, the write data input operation can be executed in parallel, and the first operation is being executed. There is an operation of outputting both data, for example, True-R / B, and data indicating whether the second operation can be executed during the first operation, for example, Cache-R / B, to the outside of the semiconductor chip.

  Accordingly, the write data input operation can be performed in parallel during the data write operation. As a result, the time required for the entire data write sequence is determined by the longer one of the time required for the write data input operation and the time required for the data write operation, and the shorter required time is determined relative to the time required for the sequence. No longer affect. Therefore, the time required for the entire data writing sequence can be shortened, and a high-speed data writing function can be realized.

  Note that, as described above, the first operation and the second operation are performed in which the pass / fail result of the operation is held in the chip after the operation is completed, and the first operation and the second operation are continuously performed. In order to realize, in the semiconductor integrated circuit, an operation for outputting both the pass / fail result of the first operation and the pass / fail result of the second operation to the outside of the semiconductor chip after completion of the first and second operations. Basically, the following configuration requirements may be provided.

  That is, a pass / fail judgment circuit (Pass / Fail judgment circuit 14) for judging the result of the previous operation in the internal circuit of the integrated circuit and generating a pass / fail signal, and the input of the pass / fail signal as an input. A pass / fail holding circuit (Pass / Fail holding circuit 15) for separately holding each pass / fail result of the continuous first operation and the second operation in the circuit, and the first operation and the second operation. What is necessary is just to provide the output circuit (data input / output buffer 4) which outputs each pass / failure result of two operations hold | maintained at the pass / fail holding circuit when it carries out continuously.

  Further, by providing a cumulative result holding circuit for accumulating and holding the pass / fail results of each of the continuous first operation and second operation, the two operations held in the cumulative result holding circuit are provided. The accumulated result and / or the pass / fail result of each of the two operations held in the pass / fail holding circuit can be output to the outside of the semiconductor chip by the output circuit.

  FIG. 22 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the whole NAND cell type EEPROM according to the second embodiment of the present invention having the above-described accumulated result holding circuit.

  In this EEPROM, a cumulative result holding circuit 17 is newly added to the EEPROM of FIG. The accumulated result holding circuit 17 is connected to the Pass / Fail determination circuit 14 and the data input / output buffer 4. The accumulation result holding circuit 17 receives the pass / fail results of a plurality of operations generated by the Pass / Fail determination circuit 14 and accumulates the plurality of pass / fail results. The accumulated result is sent to the data input / output buffer 4 and thereafter output from the I / O pad I / O-3 to the outside of the chip as shown in FIG.

  Furthermore, if a cumulative data holding circuit for separately holding a plurality of cumulative pass / fail results output from the cumulative result holding circuit 17 is provided, the cumulative data held in the cumulative data holding circuit and / or the above-mentioned The pass / fail result of each of the two operations held in the pass / fail holding circuit can be output to the outside of the semiconductor chip by the output circuit.

  FIG. 23 is a block diagram showing a schematic overall configuration of a NAND cell type EEPROM according to the third embodiment of the present invention having the above-described accumulated data holding circuit.

  In this EEPROM, a cumulative data holding circuit 18 is newly added to the EEPROM of FIG. The accumulated data holding circuit 18 is connected to the accumulated result holding circuit 17 and the data input / output buffer 4. The accumulated data holding circuit 18 separately holds a plurality of accumulated pass / fail results output from the accumulated result holding circuit 17. The accumulated pass / fail result held by the accumulated data holding circuit 18 is sent to the data input / output buffer 4 and then output from any of the I / O pads I / O-1 to I / O-8 to the outside of the chip. Is done.

  In each of the above embodiments, the case where the background operation is used in the data write operation has been described as an example. However, the present invention is also effective in other cases, for example, when the background operation is used for the data read operation. .

  FIG. 24 shows an algorithm of a data read sequence when the present invention is applied to the data read operation in the circuit of FIG.

  Here, when data reading is continuously performed on a plurality of pages, the cell data reading operation and the reading data output operation are executed in parallel.

  As described above, since the cell data read operation and the data output operation for the second and subsequent pages are performed in parallel, the required time for the entire sequence is the longer required time of the cell data read operation and the data output operation. The time required for the operation with the shorter required time is not affected.

  That is, among the operations in FIG. 24, the read data transfer time is about 2 to 3 μs, the cell data read operation time is about 25 to 50 μs, and the read data output operation time is about 25 to 100 μs. The time required for read data transfer is extremely short compared to the others. Accordingly, the time required for the data read sequence is governed by the cell data read operation and the read data output operation.

  On the other hand, in the above-described conventional algorithm shown in FIG. 37, the required time of the entire sequence is determined by the sum of the required times of both the cell data read operation and the read data output operation. Therefore, the algorithm shown in FIG. 24 can realize a data reading sequence faster than the algorithm of the conventional example shown in FIG.

  FIG. 25A to FIG. 25F schematically show the data read operation of the circuit of FIG. 5 when the algorithm of FIG. 24 is used.

  FIG. 26A shows an outline of a control method for a conventional data read operation, and the data read operation is performed in Foreground for all pages.

  FIG. 26B shows an outline of a control method for the data read operation shown in FIG. The operations in the periods (1) to (6) in FIG. 26B correspond to the operations in FIGS. 25A to 25F.

  As can be seen from FIGS. 25 and 26 (b), the data read operation for the first page (period (1) in the figure) has the same control method as the conventional data read operation, that is, the same commands COM4 and COM5. Used and its operation is a Foreground operation.

  In the operation after input of the command COM6 in FIG. 26B (period (2) to (6) in the figure), the cell data read operation is the background operation, and is executed in parallel with the read data output operation. The

  The background read operation start command is COM6. After this command is input, first, read data transfer (Sense Latch → Data Cache) is performed by outputting the busy state, then the cell data read operation on the next page starts and the ready state Is output.

  Read data output is performed in order from column 0. If you want to specify a specific column address, input the column address between commands COM8 and COM9 as shown in FIG. A specific column address can be specified during the output operation.

  For the last page in the data read sequence, it is not necessary to read the cell data of the next page when the last page data is output. Therefore, it is effective to use the read data transfer dedicated command COM7 that does not involve the cell data read operation. By using this command COM7, unnecessary cell data read operation is eliminated, so that the operation required time, that is, the busy state time can be shortened.

  FIGS. 27A to 27D and FIGS. 28A and 28B show details of the ready / busy state of the data read operation when the control method of FIG. 26B is used. In addition, in the notation part of the command input in the figure, description of address / data input is omitted, but it goes without saying that these are actually input.

  The signal Cache-R / B in FIGS. 27A to 27D and FIGS. 28A and 28B is in the ready / busy state described above, for example, the ready / busy state in FIG. 26B. This corresponds to the ready / busy state of the chip output from any of the I / O pads I / O-1 to I / O-8 in FIG. On the other hand, the signal True-R / B represents an operation state in the chip including the background operation, and is always a busy state during the background operation.

  Since the pass / fail status is not normally output for the data read operation, the data output during the status read in this case is as shown in FIG.

  The period L1 in FIG. 27A corresponds to the case where the data read operation is executed alone, which corresponds to the Foreground operation. In this case, the states of the signal Cache-R / B and the signal True-R / B are Match.

  FIGS. 27B, 27D, and 28A show the read operation when the second operation start command is input after the first operation is completed when the data read operation is performed twice in succession. It represents the period and the state of the busy signal.

  FIGS. 27C and 28B show the read operation period when the second operation start command is input during the first operation when the data read operation is performed twice continuously. Indicates the state of the busy signal.

  As shown in FIGS. 27A to 27D and FIGS. 28A and 28B, when the background operation is involved, the busy / ready state varies depending on the input timing of the operation start command. I understand that.

  The background command during data reading (valid command, prohibited command or ignored command when Cache R / B is ready, True R / B is busy) is as follows. That is, the valid command is a read command such as COM6, COM7, COM8, COM9, a reset command, a status read command that outputs a ready / busy state or a pass / fail state. Further, the prohibited command or the command to be ignored is a command other than the above-mentioned valid command, and examples thereof include a write command and an erase command.

  There are cases where there is no problem even if the command for chip ID output belongs to either a valid command or a prohibited command. However, these commands generally have an advantage that a simpler circuit is provided in the prohibited command.

  FIGS. 29A and 29B collectively show valid commands and prohibit commands during the background operation in the NAND cell type EEPROM described above.

  As shown in FIG. 29A, in the data write operation, a period T from when the signal Cache R / B is switched from the busy state to the ready state until the signal True R / B is switched from the busy state to the ready state. Valid commands are write commands such as COM1, COM2, and COM3, status read commands COMS, and reset commands. Other commands are prohibited or ignored.

  As shown in FIG. 29B, at the time of data reading, a period T from when the signal Cache R / B is switched from the busy state to the ready state until the signal True R / B is switched from the busy state to the ready state. Valid commands include read commands such as COM6, COM7, COM8, and COM9, status read commands COMS, reset commands, and other commands are prohibited or ignored.

  In the operation of FIG. 29B, when reading the data of the last page, there is no next page. Therefore, even if the read command COM6 is continuously input, the data read operation is performed once for the last page. It is enough.

  Accordingly, when the read command COM6 is continuously input to the last page, the data read operation is omitted for the second and subsequent command COM6 inputs, and the busy state is set for a short time, for example, 2 to 3 μs. It is possible to use a system in which only the output is performed to some extent or only the read data transfer operation is performed. In this case, since the data read operation can be omitted, the operation time, that is, the busy period can be shortened.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to said each embodiment, A various change is possible.

  For example, in each of the above embodiments, the case where the number of memory cells connected in series in the NAND cell is eight has been described as an example, but in other cases, for example, the number of memory cells in the NAND cell is 1, 2, 4 Needless to say, the present invention is effective even in the case of 16, 32, 64.

  In the above embodiment, the present invention has been described by taking a NAND cell type EEPROM as an example, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and other devices such as a NOR cell type EEPROM, a DINOR cell type EEPROM, and the like. It can also be implemented in an AND cell type EEPROM, a NOR cell type EEPROM with a select transistor, and the like.

  For example, an equivalent circuit diagram of a memory cell array in a NOR cell type EEPROM is shown in FIG. 30, an equivalent circuit diagram of a memory cell array in a DINOR cell type EEPROM is shown in FIG. 31, and an equivalent circuit diagram of a memory cell array in an AND cell type EEPROM is shown in FIG. FIG. 33 and FIG. 34 show equivalent circuit diagrams of the memory cell array in the NOR cell type EEPROM with select transistor shown in FIG.

  For details on DINOR cell type EEPROM, see "H. Onoda et al., IEDM Tech. Digest, 1992, pp. 599-602". For details on AND cell type EEPROM, see "H. Kume et al., IEDM." Those disclosed in “Tech. Digest, 1992, pp. 991-993” are known.

  In the above embodiment, the present invention has been described by taking a semiconductor memory device having an array of electrically rewritable nonvolatile memory cells as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to other semiconductor memory devices and other semiconductors. It can also be applied to integrated circuits.

  Although the present invention has been described above by the embodiments, the present invention can be variously modified without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an entire NAND cell type EEPROM according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a plan view and an equivalent circuit diagram of one NAND cell portion extracted from the memory cell array in FIG. 1. Sectional drawing of the different cross section in Fig.2 (a). FIG. 2 is an equivalent circuit diagram showing a part of the memory cell array in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram showing an example of a configuration of a memory cell array, a bit line control circuit, and a data input / output control circuit in FIG. The figure which shows the algorithm of an example of the data write sequence at the time of using the circuit of FIG. The figure which shows typically operation | movement of the circuit of FIG. 5 at the time of using the algorithm of FIG. The figure which shows an example of the control method of the data write sequence of the semiconductor chip in which the NAND cell type EEPROM of FIG. 1 was formed. A circuit diagram showing modification 1 of a memory cell array of a 1st embodiment. FIG. 6 is a circuit diagram showing Modification Example 2 of the memory cell array according to the first embodiment. The figure which shows the various control methods of the data write sequence in a prior art example and this invention. The figure which shows the control method of the data writing sequence in this invention. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing how to output a busy state during a data write operation when the control method of FIG. 12 is used. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing how to output a busy state during a data write operation when the control method of FIG. 12 is used. The figure which shows an example of the timing dependence of the pass / failure output result at the time of a status read in case writing operation continues. The figure which shows an example of the timing dependence of the pass / failure output result at the time of a status read in case writing operation continues. The figure which shows an example of the timing dependence of the pass / failure output result at the time of status read when operation | movement other than write operation and write operation continue. The figure which shows an example of the timing dependence of the pass / failure output result at the time of a status read when operation | movement other than write-in operation and write-in operation continue. The figure which shows an example of the data output content at the time of the status read in 1st Embodiment. The figure which shows the operation example in the case of outputting the status of the accumulation | storage pass / failure of two write operations at the time of status read in 1st Embodiment. The figure which shows the operation example in the case of outputting the status of the accumulation | storage pass / failure of two write operations at the time of status read in 1st Embodiment. The block diagram which shows the schematic structure of the whole NAND cell type EEPROM which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. The block diagram which shows the schematic structure of the whole NAND cell type EEPROM which concerns on the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows the algorithm of the Example of the data read sequence at the time of applying this invention to the data read operation in the circuit of FIG. The figure which shows typically the data read-out operation | movement of the circuit of FIG. 5 at the time of using the algorithm of FIG. The figure which shows the various control methods of the data reading sequence in a prior art example and this invention. FIG. 27 is a diagram showing details of a ready / busy state of a data read operation when the control method of FIG. 26B is used. FIG. 27 is a diagram showing details of a ready / busy state of a data read operation when the control method of FIG. 26B is used. The figure which shows collectively the effective command / prohibition command in Background operation in the NAND cell type EEPROM which concerns on this invention. The equivalent circuit diagram which shows the memory cell array of NOR cell type EEPROM. The equivalent circuit diagram which shows the memory cell array in DINOR cell type EEPROM. The equivalent circuit diagram which shows the memory cell array in AND cell type EEPROM. The equivalent circuit diagram which shows the memory cell array in an example of NOR cell type EEPROM with a selection transistor. The equivalent circuit diagram which shows the memory cell array in the other example of NOR cell type EEPROM with a selection transistor. The circuit diagram which shows an example of a structure of the memory cell array, bit line control circuit, and data input / output control circuit in the conventional NAND cell type EEPROM. The figure which shows the algorithm in an example of the data write sequence using the circuit of FIG. The figure which shows the algorithm in an example of the data read sequence using the circuit of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Memory cell array, 2 ... Bit line control circuit, 3 ... Data input / output control circuit, 4 ... Data input / output buffer, 5 ... Address buffer, 6 ... Column decoder, 7 ... Row decoder, 8 ... Well potential control circuit, 9 ... Source line control circuit, 10 ... Word line control circuit, 11 ... Row decoder power supply control circuit, 12 ... High voltage / intermediate voltage generation circuit, 13 ... Command decoder, 14 ... Pass / Fail judgment circuit, 15 ... Pass / Fail hold Circuits: 16 ... R / B control circuit, 17 ... accumulation result holding circuit, 18 ... accumulation data holding circuit, 31 ... data cache circuit, 32 ... sense latch circuit.

Claims (16)

The first operation and the second operation can be performed in parallel;
A semiconductor integrated circuit characterized in that both the first information indicating whether or not the first operation is being executed and the second information indicating whether or not the second operation can be executed are output to the outside. .   2. The semiconductor integrated circuit according to claim 1, wherein the first operation is an operation closed in the semiconductor integrated circuit, and the second operation is an operation of transferring data to / from the outside of the semiconductor integrated circuit. circuit.   2. The semiconductor integrated circuit according to claim 1, wherein the first operation is a data write operation, and the second operation is a data input operation.   The first operation is a sense latch operation of a sense amplifier circuit, and the second operation is an operation of transferring data between a data cache circuit inside a semiconductor integrated circuit and the outside of the semiconductor integrated circuit. The semiconductor integrated circuit according to claim 1.   5. The semiconductor integrated circuit according to claim 1, wherein the first and second operations are performed in a semiconductor memory circuit having a memory cell array including a nonvolatile memory cell. 6.   6. The semiconductor integrated circuit according to claim 5, wherein the memory cell array includes a plurality of NAND cells arranged in a matrix.   The first and second operations are included in a data write sequence for sequentially writing data to a plurality of pages of the memory cell array, and one of the first and second operations is a write data input operation. 6. The semiconductor integrated circuit according to claim 5, wherein the other of the first and second operations is a data write operation performed in parallel with the write data input operation.   8. The semiconductor integrated circuit according to claim 7, wherein in the data write operation for the last page in the data write sequence, only the data write operation which is the other of the first and second operations is performed.   The data write operation is an operation in which an operation of applying a data write voltage to the memory cell and a verify operation of reading and verifying data from the memory cell to which data has been written are repeatedly performed. The semiconductor integrated circuit according to claim 5. The data write operation in the data write sequence is:
Enter the address / data input command,
Enter the address to write data,
Enter the write data,
Start by inputting the command for starting data write operation,
8. The semiconductor integrated circuit according to claim 7, wherein a command for designating a data write operation performed in parallel with a write data input operation is input as the data write operation start command. An internal circuit capable of executing the first operation and the second operation in parallel;
And an output circuit that outputs both information indicating whether or not the first operation is being executed and information indicating whether or not the second operation is executable to the outside. . The internal circuit is a semiconductor memory circuit having a memory cell array including nonvolatile memory cells,
12. The first operation is a closed operation in the semiconductor memory circuit, and the second operation is an operation of transferring data to and from the outside of the semiconductor memory circuit. Semiconductor integrated circuit.   13. The semiconductor integrated circuit according to claim 12, wherein the first operation is a data write operation, and the second operation is a data input operation. The semiconductor memory circuit includes a sense amplifier circuit and a data cache circuit,
The first operation is a sense latch operation of the sense amplifier circuit, and the second operation is an operation of transferring data between the data cache circuit and the outside of the semiconductor memory circuit. The semiconductor integrated circuit according to claim 12.   13. The semiconductor integrated circuit according to claim 12, wherein the memory cell array includes a plurality of NAND cells arranged in a matrix. A data cache circuit connected to the data input / output line and temporarily holding data;
And a sense latch circuit connected to the data cache circuit for sensing and latching data read from the memory cell and latching data to be written to the memory cell.

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