Computer analysis of geometry and strain effects in silicon nano-crystal floating-gate flash memory devices

In this paper we use advanced device modeling based on self-consistent 3D Schrodinger and Poisson equations to investigate the detailed operation of nano-crystal floating-gate memory transistors, focusing on the following: (i) The quantization of the many-valley electronic structure and single-electron charging of nano-crystals; (ii) Effects of simple geometry changes on the nano-crystal electronic states, write voltage and retention time of the device; (iii) Influence of strain due to SiO/sub 2//Si lattice-mismatch on the nano-crystal electronic states.