基于锗硅异质纳米晶的非易失浮栅存储器的存储特性

利用自组织生长和选择化学刻蚀方法在超薄SiO2隧穿氧化层上制备了渐变锗硅异质纳米晶,并通过电容.电压特性和电容-时间特性研究了该纳米结构浮栅存储器的存储特性.测试结果表明,该异质纳米晶非易失浮栅存储器具有良好的空穴存储特性,这是由于渐变锗硅异质纳米晶中Ge的价带高于Si的价带形成了复合势垒,空穴有效地存储在复合势垒的Ge的一侧.     

基于锗硅异质纳米晶的非易失浮栅存储器的存储特性

利用自组织生长和选择化学刻蚀方法在超薄SiO2隧穿氧化层上制备了渐变锗硅异质纳米晶,并通过电容.电压特性和电容-时间特性研究了该纳米结构浮栅存储器的存储特性.测试结果表明,该异质纳米晶非易失浮栅存储器具有良好的空穴存储特性,这是由于渐变锗硅异质纳米晶中Ge的价带高于Si的价带形成了复合势垒,空穴有效地存储在复合势垒的Ge的一侧.     

纳米晶浮栅存储器的模拟、制备和电学特性

介绍了在纳米晶浮栅存储器数据保持特性方面的研究工作,重点介绍了纳米晶材料的选择与制备和遂穿介质层工程。研究证明,金属纳米晶浮栅存储器比半导体纳米晶浮栅存储器具有更好的电荷保持特性。并且金属纳米晶制备方法简单,通过电子束蒸发热退火的方法就能够得到质量较好的金属纳米晶,密度约4×1011cm-2,纳米晶尺寸约6～7nm。实验证明,高介电常数隧穿介质能够明显改善浮栅存储器的电荷保持特性,所以在引入金属纳米晶和高介电常数遂穿介质之后,纳米晶浮栅存储器可能成为下一代非挥发性存储器的候选者。     

浮栅晶体管的辐照响应及退火特性研究

对浮栅晶体管进行了⁶⁰Co-γ射线总剂量辐照试验，研究了浮栅晶体管的电离辐射响应特性，通过对晶体管在辐照后的常温和高温100℃下的退火，分析了电离辐射环境下浮栅晶体管的陷阱电荷的产生及变化过程，监测了浮栅电荷存储能力。结果表明，辐照导致浮栅晶体管中多晶硅浮动栅极存储电荷的丢失，界面处感生的陷阱电荷数量远少于氧化物陷阱电荷及浮栅中电荷丢失量，退火效应可恢复浮栅受辐射影响的存储能力。试验数据为浮栅晶体管在电离辐射环境的测试及应用提供参考。     

三维存储器的存储单元形状对其性能的影响北大核心

简要介绍了三维存储器出现的背景和几种得到广泛关注的三维存储器;建立模型分析了位成本缩减(BiCS)、垂直堆叠存储阵列(VSAT)和垂直栅型与非闪存阵列(VG-NAND)三种代表性的三维存储器的存储单元的形状对其性能的影响,从理论分析的角度比较了三种存储单元结构对其存储性能的影响;采用Sentaurus软件对三种存储单元的性能进行仿真,从编程/擦除时间、存储窗口和保持性能三个方面比较了三种存储单元结构的存储性能。理论分析结果和仿真结果都一致地表明BiCS结构的圆柱孔形存储单元比其他两种存储单元更有优势。     

SONOS非易失性存储器件研究进展

随着半导体存储器件的小型化、微型化,传统多晶硅浮栅存储因为叠层厚度过大,对隧穿氧化层绝缘性要求过高而难以适应未来存储器的发展要求。最近,基于绝缘性能优异的氮化硅的SONOS非易失性存储器件,以其相对于传统多晶硅浮栅存储器更强的电荷存储能力、易于实现小型化和工艺简单等特性而重新受到重视。文章论述了SONOS非易失性存储器件的存储原理和存储性能的影响因素研究进展,并在材料、工艺与结构设计等方面对SONOS存储器件性能改进的研究进展情况进行了分析和讨论。     

嵌入式闪存器件技术进展

首先介绍了嵌入式闪存器件的基本工作原理,并根据具体的技术特点和应用整理归纳出了嵌入式闪存器件的三种主流单元结构:单晶体管器件结构、分裂栅器件结构和选择晶体管加存储晶体管的两管器件结构,然后详细分析和比较了这三种器件结构的优缺点。接着进一步重点介绍嵌入式闪存器件近年来的最新发展,列举了传统浮栅器件在65 nm技术代的先进解决方案,并讨论了融合分立电荷陷阱存储概念的新型SONOS和纳米晶存储技术,介绍了该类型技术较之传统浮栅结构的突出优势以及目前的研究进展。最后,对嵌入式闪存技术在32 nm以下节点将遭遇的瓶颈以及进一步发展方向进行分析和展望,给出了可能的解决方案。     

多次可编程非易失性存储器的数据保持能力测试及其激活能分析

基于180 nm BCD工艺平台设计开发了32 Kibit的多次可编程(MTP)非易失性存储器(NVM)。详细描述了存储单元的结构设计特点、操作机理及影响非易失性的关键因素。测试并量化了其在高温条件下的数据保持能力,并根据Arrhenius模型设计了高温老化试验,进而计算其浮栅上电荷泄漏的激活能。经过10⁴次重复编程和擦除循环后,MTP NVM样品的高温数据保持(HTDR)能力验证结果表明该MTP NVM产品具有很好的可靠性。通过高温老化加速试验,计算出分别在100、125和150℃条件下样品的数据保持时间,并对1/T与数据保持时间曲线进行数学拟合,计算出在该180 nm BCD工艺平台下浮栅上电荷泄漏的激活能。     

电荷俘获存储器阻挡层研究进展

随着非挥发性存储器(NVM)存储单元的特征尺寸进入20 nm节点,使用单层SiO2作为阻挡层的传统电荷俘获存储器结构性能上逐渐受到限制。基于阻挡层在存储器栅堆栈中的作用与基本要求,首先,指出单层SiO2作为阻挡层存在的主要问题,然后对高介电常数材料作为阻挡层时,其禁带宽度、介电常数、内部的缺陷密度以及退火工艺等方面对存储特性的影响进行了分析,同时对近年来研究较多的阻挡层能带工程进行了详细介绍,如SiO2和Al2O3的复合阻挡层结构、多层高介电常数材料的阻挡层结构等。最后,对目前研究进展中存在的问题以及未来的研究方向和趋势进行了总结和展望。     

3.4nm超薄SiO2栅介质的特性

用LOCOS工艺制备出栅介质厚度为3.4nm的MOS电容样品,通过对样品进行I-V特性和恒流应力下V-t特性的测试,分析用氮气稀释氧化法制备的栅介质的性能,同时考察了硼扩散对栅介质性能的影响.实验结果表明,制备出的3.4nm SiO₂栅介质的平均击穿场强为16.7MV/cm,在恒流应力下发生软击穿,平均击穿电荷为2.7C/cm².栅介质厚度相同的情况下,P⁺栅样品的击穿场强和软击穿电荷都低于N⁺栅样品.     

Charging simulations in nanocrystal quantum flash memories

The comprehension of the charging of a floating gate composed of nanocrystals (NCs) in a non-volatile flash memory is a real challenge. A few electrons tunnel from the channel of a metal-oxide-semiconductor transistor into the two-dimensional array of nanocrystals.A realistic three-dimensional model is proposed for electron tunneling into the floating gate. The energy subbands of the channel are explicitly included, together with the doping density. The model is solved thanks to a finite element method.Therefore many simulations can be carried out to better understand the relation between the tunneling times for charging a single NC, or the whole NC floating gate, and the geometrical parameters for example. Moreover a detailed statistical study concerning the dispersion of the relevant parameters can be led, helping the experimentalists to determine the optimal operating conditions of quantum flash memories.     

A degradation mechanism of EEPROM cell operational margins whichremains undetected by conventional quality assurance

We report an electron-discharge mechanism from the floating gate of charged EEPROM cells during the first charging operation after baking (250°C, 24 h). For an ensemble of measured EEPROM tells the discharge occurs statistically with threshold-voltage reductions up to over 1 V. Responsible is Fowler-Nordheim (FN) tunneling through the interpolyoxide at the edge where the control gate wraps over the floating gate. This FN tunneling is normally suppressed by a localized highly stable electrical passivation, which is automatically generated by programming operations. Baking partly destroys this passivation so that subsequent cell charging removes more electrons from the floating gate by FN tunneling via the interpolyoxide than it adds via the tunneling oxide     

Simulation of a long term memory device with a full bandstructureMonte Carlo approach

Simulations of charging characteristics of a long term memory device, based on a floating gate structure, are presented. The analysis requires the inclusion of hot electron effects and a detailed account of the semiconductor bandstructure, because device operation is based on the injection of electrons into the gate oxide high above the silicon conduction band edge. We have developed a Monte Carlo simulator based on a full bandstructure approach which accurately accounts for the high energy tail of the electron distribution function. For practical simulation of the prototype structure; with 3.0-μm source-drain separation, the simulator is used as a post-processor on the potential profile obtained from a PISCES IIB drift-diffusion solution. The computations are in quantitative agreement with experimental results for the gate injection current, measured at fixed drain and gate biases     

Complimentary single-electron/hole action of nanoscale SOI CMOS transistors

We propose a new device structure for room-temperature single-electron/hole transistors based on nanosize narrow-width fully depleted silicon-on-insulator (SOI) CMOS transistors. The floating body of SOI MOSFETs can become a Coulomb island, whose single charging energy is more than 30 meV, as the gate length and width of MOSFETs is less than 10 nm. As SOI MOSFETs are biased at accumulation, single-electron, or hole tunnels, are sent, one by one, from the source to the floating body and then to the drain via Zener tunneling process. N-channel SOI MOSFETs can have the functions of single-electron transistors (n-SETs) while p-channel MOSFETs can have the functions of single-hole transistors (p-SETs). SOI MOSFETs still behave as typical MOSFETs when biased at inversion. There is a gate voltage margin of 0.9 V to separate Coulomb blockade oscillations from CMOS normal operation.     

Impact of high-κ dielectric and metal nanoparticles in simultaneous enhancement of programming speed and retention time of nano-flash memory

A methodology to simulate memory structures with metal nanocrystal islands embedded as floating gate in a high-κ dielectric material for simultaneous enhancement of programming speed and retention time is presented. The computational concept is based on a model for charge transport in nano-scaled structures presented earlier, where quantum mechanical tunneling is defined through the wave impedance that is analogous to the transmission line theory. The effects of substrate-tunnel dielectric conduction band offset and metal work function on the tunneling current that determines the programming speed and retention time is demonstrated. Simulation results confirm that a high-κ dielectric material can increase programming current due to its lower conduction band offset with the substrate and also can be effectively integrated with suitable embedded metal nanocrystals having high work function for efficient data retention. A nano-memory cell designed with silver (Ag) nanocrystals embedded in Al₂O₃ has been compared with similar structure consisting of Si nanocrystals in SiO₂ to validate the concept.     

Direct tunneling gate current model for symmetric double gate junctionless transistor with SiO2/high-k gate stacked dielectric

A junctionless transistor is emerging as a most promising device for the future technology in the decananometer regime. To explore and exploit the behavior completely, the understanding of gate tunneling current is of great importance. In this paper we have explored the gate tunneling current of a double gate junctionless transistor(DGJLT) for the first time through an analytical model, to meet the future requirement of expected high-k gate dielectric material that could replace SiO₂. We therefore present the high-k gate stacked architecture of the DGJLT to minimize the gate tunneling current. This paper also demonstrates the impact of conduction band offset, workfunction difference and k-values on the tunneling current of the DGJLT.     

Self-aligned silicon-on-insulator nano flash memory device

This paper reports on the fabrication of a silicon-on-insulator nano flash memory device based on the differential oxidation rate of silicon resulting from gradients in the arsenic doping concentration. The key processes involved are the formation of the desired arsenic doping profile, electron beam lithography and wet oxidation. The resulting device is a triangular-channel MOSFET with a nanocrystal floating gate embedded in the gate oxide. The length, width and height of the nanocrystal are 10, 10 and 20 nm, respectively. As long as the control gate voltage does not exceed ±2V, the device behaves like a thin and narrow P-channel MOSFET. When a voltage of −5 or +5 V is applied to the control gate at room temperature, holes are injected into the floating gate or removed from it, respectively. This effect induces a persistent shift of the threshold voltage of the device, which acts as a miniature EEPROM.     

Modeling of tunneling P/E for nanocrystal memories

This paper presents a detailed study of the program/erase (P/E) dynamics under uniform tunneling for nanocrystal (NC) memories. Calculating the potential profile and the tunneling currents across the dielectric barriers, we evaluate NC charging and discharging transients during P/E operations. The calculated P/E windows and times compare well with experimental data for memory cells with different oxide thicknesses. The model accounts for the typical features of threshold voltage (V/sub T/) shift as a function of applied gate voltage, and can be used as a valuable tool for optimizing the cell geometry and parameters for maximum performance.     

Impact of crystal size and tunnel dielectric on semiconductor nanocrystal memory performance

The write/erase characteristics of Germanium nanocrystal memory device are modeled using single-charge tunneling theory with quantum confinement and Coulomb blockade effects. A trap model is proposed to describe the retention characteristic of the nanocrystal memory. The impact of nanocrystal size, tunnel-oxide thickness, and high-k tunnel material is studied, and the suitability of the nanocrystal memory devices for nonvolatile memory and DRAM applications is discussed. Issues related to the scaling limit of the nanocrystal memory device are investigated.