Program Disturb Induced by Interface-Trap-Assisted Field and Thermal Electron Emission in the Channel of Split-Gate Memory Cell

A systematic study of program-disturb mechanisms in split-gate memory in the temperature range -45 °C to 150 °C is presented. At low temperatures, the dominant program disturb is initiated by interface-trap-assisted band-to-band tunneling in the split-gate channel area, whereas at high temperatures, it is initiated by surface generation in the select-gate channel area. The effects of single interface traps on program disturb have been analyzed and quantified. A split-gate memory cell with a highquality Si-SiO₂ interface provides the strong program-disturb immunity required for high-temperature and automotive embedded applications.