Importance

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Abstract

A controllable one-shot circuit for use in a control unit of a memory circuit, for asserting a control signal with variable (and controllable) duration in response to a trigger signal, and a state machine for controlling memory operations of a memory circuit which includes such a controllable one-shot circuit. In preferred embodiments, the one-shot and the state machine of which it is a part are implemented as parts of a single memory chip (preferably, a nonvolatile memory chip such as an integrated flash memory circuit). Other aspects of the invention are methods of operating a state machine of a memory circuit to generate control signals for use in controlling memory operations performed by the memory circuit. In preferred embodiments of such methods, the state machine is included in an integrated memory circuit and the one-shot circuit is controlled to assert a control signal with a desired duration in response to a trigger signal, thus enabling the state machine to control efficiently the duration of selected memory operations (or sub-operations of such operations) of the memory circuit.

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First Claim