Nanocrystalline Ge Flash Memories: Electrical Characterization and Trap Engineering
Conventional floating gate non-volatile memories (NVMs) present critical issues for device scalability beyond the sub-90 nm node, such as gate length and tunnel oxide thickness reduction. Nanocrystalline germanium (nc-Ge) quantum dot flash memories are fully CMOS compatible technology based on disc...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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2004
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/7369 |
| _version_ | 1811088739069329408 |
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| author | Kan, Eric Win Hong Koh, B.H. Choi, Wee Kiong Chim, Wai Kin Antoniadis, Dimitri A. Fitzgerald, Eugene A. |
| author_facet | Kan, Eric Win Hong Koh, B.H. Choi, Wee Kiong Chim, Wai Kin Antoniadis, Dimitri A. Fitzgerald, Eugene A. |
| author_sort | Kan, Eric Win Hong |
| collection | MIT |
| description | Conventional floating gate non-volatile memories (NVMs) present critical issues for device scalability beyond the sub-90 nm node, such as gate length and tunnel oxide thickness reduction. Nanocrystalline germanium (nc-Ge) quantum dot flash memories are fully CMOS compatible technology based on discrete isolated charge storage nodules which have the potential of pushing further the scalability of conventional NVMs. Quantum dot memories offer lower operating voltages as compared to conventional floating-gate (FG) Flash memories due to thinner tunnel dielectrics which allow higher tunneling probabilities. The isolated charge nodules suppress charge loss through lateral paths, thereby achieving a superior charge retention time.
Despite the considerable amount of efforts devoted to the study of nanocrystal Flash memories, the charge storage mechanism remains obscure. Interfacial defects of the nanocrystals seem to play a role in charge storage in recent studies, although storage in the nanocrystal conduction band by quantum confinement has been reported earlier.
In this work, a single transistor memory structure with threshold voltage shift, Vth, exceeding ~1.5 V corresponding to interface charge trapping in nc-Ge, operating at 0.96 MV/cm, is presented. The trapping effect is eliminated when nc-Ge is synthesized in forming gas thus excluding the possibility of quantum confinement and Coulomb blockade effects. Through discharging kinetics, the model of deep level trap charge storage is confirmed. The trap energy level is dependent on the matrix which confines the nc-Ge. |
| first_indexed | 2024-09-23T14:06:47Z |
| format | Article |
| id | mit-1721.1/7369 |
| institution | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-09-23T14:06:47Z |
| publishDate | 2004 |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | mit-1721.1/73692019-04-11T09:10:21Z Nanocrystalline Ge Flash Memories: Electrical Characterization and Trap Engineering Kan, Eric Win Hong Koh, B.H. Choi, Wee Kiong Chim, Wai Kin Antoniadis, Dimitri A. Fitzgerald, Eugene A. Flash memory nanocrystalline germanium charge trapping quantum dot Vth Conventional floating gate non-volatile memories (NVMs) present critical issues for device scalability beyond the sub-90 nm node, such as gate length and tunnel oxide thickness reduction. Nanocrystalline germanium (nc-Ge) quantum dot flash memories are fully CMOS compatible technology based on discrete isolated charge storage nodules which have the potential of pushing further the scalability of conventional NVMs. Quantum dot memories offer lower operating voltages as compared to conventional floating-gate (FG) Flash memories due to thinner tunnel dielectrics which allow higher tunneling probabilities. The isolated charge nodules suppress charge loss through lateral paths, thereby achieving a superior charge retention time. Despite the considerable amount of efforts devoted to the study of nanocrystal Flash memories, the charge storage mechanism remains obscure. Interfacial defects of the nanocrystals seem to play a role in charge storage in recent studies, although storage in the nanocrystal conduction band by quantum confinement has been reported earlier. In this work, a single transistor memory structure with threshold voltage shift, Vth, exceeding ~1.5 V corresponding to interface charge trapping in nc-Ge, operating at 0.96 MV/cm, is presented. The trapping effect is eliminated when nc-Ge is synthesized in forming gas thus excluding the possibility of quantum confinement and Coulomb blockade effects. Through discharging kinetics, the model of deep level trap charge storage is confirmed. The trap energy level is dependent on the matrix which confines the nc-Ge. Singapore-MIT Alliance (SMA) 2004-12-10T14:06:13Z 2004-12-10T14:06:13Z 2005-01 Article http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/7369 en Advanced Materials for Micro- and Nano-Systems (AMMNS); 1003814 bytes application/pdf application/pdf |
| spellingShingle | Flash memory nanocrystalline germanium charge trapping quantum dot Vth Kan, Eric Win Hong Koh, B.H. Choi, Wee Kiong Chim, Wai Kin Antoniadis, Dimitri A. Fitzgerald, Eugene A. Nanocrystalline Ge Flash Memories: Electrical Characterization and Trap Engineering |
| title | Nanocrystalline Ge Flash Memories: Electrical Characterization and Trap Engineering |
| title_full | Nanocrystalline Ge Flash Memories: Electrical Characterization and Trap Engineering |
| title_fullStr | Nanocrystalline Ge Flash Memories: Electrical Characterization and Trap Engineering |
| title_full_unstemmed | Nanocrystalline Ge Flash Memories: Electrical Characterization and Trap Engineering |
| title_short | Nanocrystalline Ge Flash Memories: Electrical Characterization and Trap Engineering |
| title_sort | nanocrystalline ge flash memories electrical characterization and trap engineering |
| topic | Flash memory nanocrystalline germanium charge trapping quantum dot Vth |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/7369 |
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