Nano-scale memory characteristics of silicon nitride charge trapping layer with silicon nanocrystals

Silicon nanocrystals (Si-NCs) embedded in a silicon nitride (SiN) layer were fabricated as a charge trapping layer for nonvolatile memory (NVM) device applications. Nano-scale memory characteristics were investigated using conductive atomic force microscopy (C-AFM) and a semiconductor parameter analyzer. Nano-scale memory characteristics of Si-NCs embedded in the SiN layer were obtained from the shift of the current-voltage (I-V) curve. Charge trapping/detrapping and multi-level charge storage in Si-NCs embedded in the SiN layer were obtained at a metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) structure of about 100 nm² at room temperature. The flat band voltage (V_FB) shift was about 0.37 V, which is agreed well with the calculated V_FB shift for one electron per nanocrystal.