Equivalent cell approach for extraction of the SILC distribution in flash EEPROM cells

A new method for characterizing the distribution of the stress-induced leakage current (SILC) in flash memories is presented. The statistics of the leakage parameters are extracted directly from the time dependence of the threshold voltage distributions obtained in a single gate-stress experiment, without any need for tracking the behavior of the individual cells. The new technique can be used for fast evaluation and reliability projections, as well as providing a tool for statistical investigation on the oxide leakage mechanisms.