TOSHIBA MEMORY CORPORATION

In one embodiment, a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus includes a substrate holder configured to hold a plurality of substrates such that the substrates are arranged in parallel to each other. The apparatus further includes a fluid injector including a plurality of openings that inject fluid to areas in which distances from surfaces of the substrates are within distances between centers of the substrates adjacent to each other, the fluid injector being configured to change injection directions of the fluid injected from the openings in planes that are parallel to the surfaces of the substrates by self-oscillation.

According to one embodiment, a storage system performs a first allocation operation of allocating, for a first namespace, a plurality of first blocks included in the blocks of a nonvolatile memory. The storage system performs a read operation, a write operation or an erase operation on one of the first blocks in response to a command received from a host to read, write or erase the one first block, counts the total number of erase operations performed on the first blocks, and notifies the host of the counted number of erase operations in response to a command received from the host to obtain an erase count associated with the first namespace.

According to one embodiment, a memory system includes a non-volatile semiconductor memory, a block management unit, and a transcription unit. The semiconductor memory includes a plurality of blocks to which data can be written in both the first mode and the second mode. The block management unit manages a block that stores therein no valid data as a free block. When the number of free blocks managed by the block management unit is smaller than or equal to a predetermined threshold value, the transcription unit selects one or more used blocks that stores therein valid data as transcription source blocks and transcribes valid data stored in the transcription source blocks to free blocks in the second mode.

Data storage circuits are connected to the bit lines in a one-to-one correspondence. A write circuit writes the data on a first page into a plurality of 5 first memory cells selected simultaneously by a word line. Thereafter, the write circuit writes the data on a second page into the plurality of first memory cell. Then, the write circuit writes the data on the first and second pages into second memory cells adjoining l0 the first memory cells in the bit line direction.

A memory device includes a memory cell array, a voltage generation circuit generating one or more voltages supplied to the memory cell array, an input/output circuit receiving an address indicating a region in the memory cell array and a control circuit controlling operations of the memory cell array. The voltage generation circuit generates the voltages before a ready/busy signal changing from a ready state to a busy state.

According to one embodiment, three bits stored in one memory cell of a nonvolatile memory correspond to three pages. In first page writing, a threshold voltage becomes within a first or second region base on a bit value. In second page writing, if being within the first region, it becomes within the first or fourth region; and if being within the second region, it becomes within the second or third region. In the third page writing, if being within the first region, it becomes within the first or sixth region; if being within the second region, it becomes within the second or seventh region; if being within the third region, it becomes within the third or eighth region; and if being within the fourth region, it becomes within the fourth or fifth region.

A semiconductor memory device includes a plurality of electrode layers stacked above a first semiconductor layer, a second semiconductor layer and a first film. The second semiconductor layer extends through the plurality of electrode layers in a stacking direction of the plurality of electrode layers. The second semiconductor layer includes an end portion inside the first semiconductor layer. The first film is positioned inside the first semiconductor layer and contacts the first semiconductor layer. The first semiconductor layer includes a first portion, a second portion, and a third portion. The first film is positioned between the first portion and the second portion. The third portion links the first portion and the second portion. The third portion is positioned between the first film and the second semiconductor layer. The second semiconductor layer includes a contact portion contacting the third portion of the first semiconductor layer.

A semiconductor memory device includes a first memory cell for storing data using at least three levels of threshold voltages, including a first level, a second level higher than the first level and a third level higher than the second level. A first word line is connected to the first memory cell. In writing of data to the first memory cell from a state where a threshold voltage of the first memory cell is the first level, a plurality of program operations and verify operations are performed, each program operation including applying a program voltage to the first word line, each verify operation including applying a read voltage lower than the program voltage. The program operations include a program operation for the second level and a program operation for the third level, and the verify operations include a verify operation for the second level, and do not include a verify operation for the third level.

According to one embodiment, a memory system includes a semiconductor memory and a controller. The semiconductor memory includes first blocks including a memory cell capable of storing data of one bit, a second block including a memory cell capable of storing data of two or more bits. The semiconductor memory stores first data in a first latch circuit, and second data in a second latch circuit, and writes the first data into one of the first blocks in page units, and the second data into one of the first blocks in page units. The semiconductor memory writes data of at least two pages into the second block, using the first data stored in the first latch circuit and the second data stored in the second latch circuit.

According to one embodiment, a memory system is connectable to a host. The memory system includes a nonvolatile memory and a controller. The nonvolatile memory includes a plurality of blocks. The controller is electrically coupled to the nonvolatile memory. The controller controls the nonvolatile memory. When receiving, from the host, a first command for changing a state of an allocated block to a reallocatable state in a case where a second command that is yet to be executed or being executed involving read of data from the allocated block has been received from the host, the controller changes the state of the allocated block to the reallocatable state after the second command is finished.