Improving the Retention and Endurance Characteristics of Charge-Trapping Memory by Using Double Quantum Barriers

We have studied the performance of double-quantum-barrier [TaN-Ir
₃
Si]-[HfAlO-LaAlO
₃
]-Hf
_0.3
N
_0.2
O
_0.5
-[HfAlO-SiO
₂
]-Si charge-trapping memory devices. These devices display good characteristics in terms of their plusmn9-V program/erase (P/E) voltage, 100-mus P/E speed, initial 3.2-V memory window, and ten-year extrapolated data retention window of 2.4 V at 150 degC. The retention decay rate is significantly better than single-barrier MONOS devices, as is the cycled retention data, due to the reduced interface trap generation.