ONE-TIME UV-PROGRAMMABLE NON-VOLATILE SEMICONDUCTOR MEMORY AND METHOD OF PROGRAMMING SUCH A SEMICONDUCTOR MEMORY

摘要

The one time UV programmable read-only memory 1 comprises a number of memory cells in the form of MOS transistors (T) arranged in a matrix of rows and columns, each transistor having source and drain regions 12 and a semiconductor substrate 10, And a channel region formed in the surface region 11 of the substrate. The semiconductor region is adjacent a surface region 14 of the semiconductor substrate in which a layer structure 17 including a floating gate 16 and a control gate 15 is formed. The layered structure is provided with a window 18 through which UV radiation can reach the edge of the floating gate. The memory is further provided with means for generating a voltage between the substrate 10 and the control gate 16 during programming of the memory by UV radiation. Thus, the memory can be programmed without external contact during programming.