Tunnel Oxide Degradation Induced by EBL Synthesized Nanocrystals in a Flash Gate Stack

DOI: 10.5176/2251-1857_M318.23

Authors: Rasika Dhavse, Kumar Prashant, Chetan Dabhi, Anand Darji R. M. Patrikar

Abstract: Essence of this proposal lies in fabrication of multiple and ordered floating gate islands (Si Nanocrystals) using Electron Beam Lithography (EBL) in a non-volatile memory device and observing its effect on the quality of underlying ultra-thin tunnel oxide. Mask-less and high resolution EBL portrays synthesis of nanostructures to precise dimensions on a very high-quality SiO2 surface. Al/SiO2/n-poly-dots/SiO2/p-Si/Al stack samples are fabricated and investigated for oxide breakdown. Stacks with/without Si Nanocrystals are compared. Experiments and measurements indicate that formation of nanocrystals degrades the tunnel oxide quality. The degradation is attributed to increased defects along Si-SiO2 interface.

Keywords: Electron Beam Lithography, Fabrication, Flash Memory, Nanocrystals, Structural Characterization, Thin-Oxide