Analysis of electronic memory traps in the oxide-nitride-oxide structure of a polysilicon-oxide-nitride-oxide-semiconductor flash memory

Abstract

The origin of the electron memory trap in an oxide-nitride-oxide structure deposited on n-type Si is investigated by both capacitance-voltage and deep level transient spectroscopy (DLTS). Two electron traps are observed near 0.27 and 0.54 eV, below the conduction band minimum of Si and are identified as the nitride bulk trap and the Si-SiO2 interfacial trap, respectively. The trap depth, viz., vertical distribution of the electron trap, in both nitride bulk and Si-SiO2 interface, are also estimated from the bias voltage dependent DLTS. (C) 2008 American Institute of Physics.