Sub-threshold swing degradation due to localized charge storage in SONOS memories

This paper discusses the effect of localized charge storage on sub-threshold swing and threshold voltage in silicon-oxide-nitride-oxide-silicon (SONOS) nonvolatile memory cells. By analyzing the change in potential contours, it has been shown that the change in sub-threshold swing is correlated to fringing of electric field lines, and hence to the gate-to-substrate capacitance.