High-Program/Erase-Speed SONOS With In Situ Silicon Nanocrystals

Author

Chiang, Tsung-Yu ; Chao, Tien Sheng ; Wu, Yi-Hong ; Yang, Wen-uh

Author_Institution

Dept. of Electrophys., Nat. Chiao Tung Univ., Hsinchu

Volume

29

Issue

10

fYear

2008

Firstpage

1148

Lastpage

1151

Abstract

In this letter, for the first time, we have successfully fabricated silicon-oxide-nitride-oxide-silicon (SONOS) devices with embedded silicon nanocrystals (Si-NCs) in silicon nitride using in situ method. This process is simple and compatible to modern IC processes. Different Si-NCs deposition times by in situ method were investigated at first. SONOS devices with embedded Si-NCs in silicon nitride exhibit excellent characteristics in terms of larger memory windows (> 5.5 V), lower operation voltage, high P/E speed, and longer retention time (> 10⁸ s for 13% charge loss).

Keywords

elemental semiconductors; embedded systems; flash memories; nanoelectronics; silicon; silicon compounds; wide band gap semiconductors; IC process; Si-SiO₂-SiN-SiO₂-Si; charge loss; fabrication process; high-program/erase-speed SONOS devices; in situ embedded silicon nanocrystals; memory windows; silicon nitride; silicon-oxide-nitride-oxide-silicon devices; Memory window; nonvolatile memory; retention time; silicon nanocrystals (Si-NC);

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Electron Device Letters, IEEE

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

0741-3106

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/LED.2008.2002944

Filename

4623119