Natural Local Self-Boosting Effect in 3D NAND Flash Memory

This letter examined the natural local self-boosting effect of an inhibited channel in three-dimensional (3D) NAND flash memory. The inhibited channel in the 3D NAND flash structure can be in the floating state easily, because its channel is not connected directly to its substrate. Despite the application of the global self-boosted program-inhibit scheme, the selected wordline cell is localized automatically during the program pulse application. This phenomenon is analyzed using a computer-aided design simulation, and an analytical model of boosted potential of an inhibited channel in 3D NAND flash memory is proposed.