| CPC G11C 16/3459 (2013.01) | 20 Claims |

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1. An apparatus, comprising:
controller logic circuitry to perform a program-verify programming process to a flash memory chip, wherein, the program-verify programming process is to reduce a size of a pre-program verify (PPV) bucket in response to a number of cells being fully programmed to a same digital state, the number of cells being less than a total number of cells to be programmed to the same digital state,
wherein cells in the PPV bucket comprise cells having read voltage that is less than a first read verify voltage threshold (“VFY”) corresponding to the same digital state and above a second verification read voltage threshold (pre-verify (P-VFY)) that is less than VFY.
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