What is claimed is:
1. A non-volatile semiconductor memory device having a memory region comprised of a plurality of memory segments which are electrically batch-erasable, writable, and readable, each of the plurality of memory segments being independently operable from each other, said non-volatile semiconductor memory device comprising a memory-region-division-information holding-mean which holds a memory region division information for dividing the memory region into a plurality of memory segment groups comprising at least one memory segment, and a memory-segment-group selecting-mean which generates a signal for selecting a memory segment group to all the memory segments belonging to the each of the memory segment groups according to the held memory-region-division-information holding-mean.
2. The non-volatile semiconductor memory device according to claim 1, wherein the memory region division information held in the memory-region-division-information holding-mean is fed by entering a command from the outside.
3. The non-volatile semiconductor memory device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the memory segment group for which the memory-segment-group selecting-mean generates a selecting signal is directed by entering an address from the outside.
4. The non-volatile semiconductor memory device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the memory segment comprises a memory block, a latch circuit holding an operation state of the memory block, and a selector circuit selecting any of signals required to erase, write and read, and transmitting the selected signal to the memory block.
5. The non-volatile semiconductor memory device according to claim 4, wherein the selector circuit selecting any of the signals required to erase, write and read is controlled by the selecting signal from the memory-segment-group selecting-mean or an operation state of the memory block which is held in the latch circuit.
6. The non-volatile semiconductor memory device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a circuit holding information in the memory-region-division-information holding-mean comprises a non-volatile memory.
7. The non-volatile semiconductor memory device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a circuit holding information in the memory-region-division-information holding-mean comprises a volatile memory.
8. The non-volatile semiconductor memory device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a circuit holding information in the memory-region-division-information holding-mean comprises both a non-volatile memory and a volatile memory.
9. The non-volatile semiconductor memory device according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein the memoryregion-division-information holding-mean has a protection-information holding-mean which holds information for protecting the memory region division information and, further, a mean for prohibiting alteration of the memory region division information according to the held protection information.
10. The non-volatile semiconductor memory device according to claim 9, wherein information for protecting the memory region division information is given to the protection-information holding-mean by entering a command from the outside.
11. The non-volatile semiconductor memory device according to claim 10, which further comprises a mean for invalidating the command entry into the protection-information holding-mean.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A positive-working imageable element comprising a substrate having thereon, one or more imageable layers, the outermost of which imageable layers comprises inorganic, non-metallic, inert discrete particles dispersed within a polymeric binder that is insoluble in alkaline developer before thermal imaging and soluble is said alkaline developer after thermal imaging,
said element further comprising a radiation absorbing compound,
said discrete particles having an average particle size of from about 1 nm to about 0.5 \u03bcm, and being present in said outermost imageable layer in an amount of at least 1% based on total outermost imageable layer dry weight.
2. The element of claim 1 wherein said discrete particles are present in said outermost imageable layer in an amount of from about 1 to about 50%, based on the total outermost imageable layer dry weight.
3. The element of claim 1 wherein said discrete particles are present in said outermost imageable layer in an amount of from about 5 to about 30%, based on the total outermost imageable layer dry weight.
4. The element of claim 1 wherein said discrete particles having an average particle size of from about 10 to about 300 nm.
5. The element of claim 1 comprising an inner imageable layer disposed on said substrate and an outer imageable layer disposed over said inner imageable layer, wherein said discrete particles are present only in said outer imageable layer.
6. The element of claim 1 wherein said discrete particles are composed of silica, aluminum oxide, or titanium dioxide.
7. The element of claim 1 wherein said radiation absorbing compound is an infrared radiation absorbing compound that is present in an amount of from about 1 to about 25% based on the total dry weight of the layer in which it is disposed.
8. The element of claim 7 wherein said infrared radiation absorbing compound is present in a layer other than said outermost imageable layer.
9. The element of claim 1 that is a lithographic printing plate precursor and said substrate is a hydrophilic aluminum-containing substrate.
10. A method of providing an image comprising:
A) imaging the positive-working imageable element of claim 1 to provide an imaged element with exposed regions and non-exposed regions, and
B) developing said imaged element to remove only said exposed regions with an alkaline developer.
11. The method of claim 10 wherein said imaging is carried out using an infrared laser at a wavelength of from about 700 to about 1400 nm.
12. The method of claim 10 wherein said developing is carried out using an alkaline developer having a pH of from about 8 to about 14.
13. The method of claim 10 wherein said imageable element comprised discrete silica particles in the outermost imageable layer.
14. A lithographic printing plate having a hydrophilic aluminum-containing substrate prepared by the method of claim 10.
15. A plurality of positive-working imageable elements arranged in a stack with interleaving paper between each individual positive-working imageable element,
each positive-working individual imageable element comprising a substrate having thereon, one or more imageable layers, the outermost of which imageable layers comprises inorganic, non-metallic, inert discrete particles dispersed within a polymeric binder that is insoluble in an alkaline developer having a pH of at least 12 before thermal imaging and is soluble in said alkaline developer after thermal imaging,
said element further comprising a radiation absorbing compound,
said discrete particles having an average particle size of from about 1 nm to about 0.5 \u03bcm, and being present in said outermost imageable layer in an amount of at least 1% based on total outermost imageable layer dry weight.