SILC-related effects in flash E/sup 2/PROM's-Part II: Prediction of steady-state SILC-related disturb characteristics

For Part I see J. de Blauwe et al., vol.45, no.8, pp.1745-50 (1998). In this paper, a new methodology is developed, and applied thereafter, to predict the disturb characteristics of an arbitrary Flash E/sup 2/PROM device which are related to steady-state stress induced leakage current (SILC). This prediction methodology is based on a quantitative model for steady-state SILC, which has been developed on capacitors and nFET's as was reported earlier in Part I. Here, this model is shown to be also valid for tunnel oxide Flash E/sup 2/PROM devices, and used thereafter in a consistent and well-understood cell optimization procedure. The model requires as only input basic cell parameters and an oxide qualification obtained at the capacitor and transistor level.

[1]  D. J. Dumin,et al.  Correlation of stress-induced leakage current in thin oxides with trap generation inside the oxides , 1993 .

[2]  H. Koyama,et al.  Stress-induced low-level leakage mechanism in ultrathin silicon dioxide films caused by neutral oxide trap generation , 1994, Proceedings of 1994 IEEE International Reliability Physics Symposium.

[3]  D. Baglee,et al.  The effects of write/erase cycling on data loss in EEPROMs , 1985, 1985 International Electron Devices Meeting.

[4]  M. Ushiyama,et al.  Read-disturb degradation mechanism due to electron trapping in the tunnel oxide for low-voltage flash memories , 1994, Proceedings of 1994 IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting.

[5]  R. Degraeve,et al.  A new quantitative model to predict SILC-related disturb characteristics in flash E/sup 2/PROM devices , 1996, International Electron Devices Meeting. Technical Digest.

[6]  Dong Jun Kim,et al.  Scaling down of tunnel oxynitride in NAND flash memory: oxynitride selection and reliabilities , 1997, 1997 IEEE International Reliability Physics Symposium Proceedings. 35th Annual.

[7]  Ko-Min Chang,et al.  Highly reliable furnace-grown N/sub 2/O tunnel oxide for a microcontroller with embedded flash EEPROM , 1996, Proceedings of International Reliability Physics Symposium.

[8]  Tetsuo Endoh,et al.  Reliability issues of flash memory cells , 1993, Proc. IEEE.

[9]  E. Cartier,et al.  MECHANISM FOR STRESS-INDUCED LEAKAGE CURRENTS IN THIN SILICON DIOXIDE FILMS , 1995 .

[10]  B. Riccò,et al.  High-field-induced degradation in ultra-thin SiO/sub 2/ films , 1988 .

[11]  R. Degraeve,et al.  Study of DC Stress Induced Leakage Current (SILC) and its Dependence on Oxide Nitridation , 1996, ESSDERC '96: Proceedings of the 26th European Solid State Device Research Conference.

[12]  C. Hu,et al.  Stress-induced current in thin silicon dioxide films , 1992, 1992 International Technical Digest on Electron Devices Meeting.

[13]  Guido Groeseneken,et al.  HIM0S-a high efficiency flash E/sup 2/PROM cell for embedded memory applications , 1993 .