Over time, charge (electrons) may leak from the memory cells through the transistor floating gate resulting in a change in logical bit state and thereby potentially causing data corruption. As shown here in the diagram, a memory cell starts its life with the ability to hold electrons well resulting in the logical state expressed as expected. Once the memory device is put into use, this ability deteriorates resulting in fewer than expected electrons “held” in the floating gate of the cell. This could potentially cause data corruption if not identified and corrected.