Modification of charge trap silicon nitride with oxygen plasma
AssigneeApplied Materials, Inc.
InventorsChristopher Sean Olsen, Tze Wing Poon, Udayan Ganguly, Johanes Swenberg
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Abstract
A flash memory device comprises a substrate comprising silicon with a silicon dioxide layer thereon. A silicon-oxygen-nitrogen layer is on the silicon dioxide layer, and the silicon-oxygen-nitrogen layer comprises a shaped concentration level profile of oxygen through the thickness of the layer. A blocking dielectric layer is on the silicon-oxygen-nitrogen layer, and a gate electrode is on the blocking dielectric layer. Oxygen ions can be implanted into a silicon nitride layer to form the silicon-oxygen-nitrogen layer.
Claims23
A flash memory device comprising:
- (a) a substrate comprising a semiconductor material;
- (b) a tunneling oxide layer on the semiconductor material;
- (c) a silicon-oxygen-nitrogen layer on the tunneling oxide layer, the silicon-oxygen-nitrogen layer comprising an oxygen concentration level profile having a predetermined shape;
- (d) a blocking dielectric layer on the silicon-oxygen-nitrogen layer;
- and
- (e) a gate electrode on the blocking dielectric layer.
A method of forming a flash memory device, the method comprising:
- (a) providing a substrate comprising a semiconductor material;
- (b) forming a tunneling oxide layer on the semiconductor material;
- (c) forming on the tunneling oxide layer, a silicon-oxygen-nitrogen layer comprising an oxygen concentration level profile having a predetermined shape;
- (d) depositing a blocking dielectric layer on the silicon-oxygen-nitrogen layer;
- and
- (e) depositing a gate electrode on the blocking dielectric layer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.