摘要:
In a nonvolatile memory cell with charge trapping dielectric (150), the tunnel dielectric (140) includes chlorine adjacent to the charge trapping dielectric but no chlorine (or less chlorine) adjacent to the cell's channel region (120). The chlorine adjacent to the charge trapping dielectric serves to improve the programming and/or erase speed. The low chlorine concentration adjacent to the channel region prevents chlorine from degrading the data retention. Other features are also provided.
摘要:
In a nonvolatile memory cell with charge trapping dielectric (150), the tunnel dielectric (140) includes chlorine adjacent to the charge trapping dielectric but no chlorine (or less chlorine) adjacent to the cell's channel region (120). The chlorine adjacent to the charge trapping dielectric serves to improve the programming and/or erase speed. The low chlorine concentration adjacent to the channel region prevents chlorine from degrading the data retention. Other features are also provided.
摘要:
Conventional fabrication of top oxide in an ONO-type memory cell stack usually produces Bird's Beak. Certain materials in the stack such as silicon nitrides are relatively difficult to oxidize. As a result oxidation does not proceed uniformly along the multi-layered height of the ONO-type stack. The present disclosure shows how radical-based fabrication of top-oxide of an ONO stack (i.e. by ISSG method) can help to reduce formation of Bird's Beak. More specifically, it is indicated that short-lived oxidizing agents (e.g., atomic oxygen) are able to better oxidize difficult to oxidize materials such as silicon nitride and the it is indicated that the short-lived oxidizing agents alternatively or additionally do not diffuse deeply through already oxidized layers of the ONO stack such as the lower silicon oxide layer. As a result, a more uniform top oxide dielectric can be fabricated with more uniform breakdown voltages along its height. Additionally, adjacent low and high voltage transistors may benefit from simultaneous formation of their gate dielectrics with use of the radical-based oxidizing method.
摘要:
An ONO-type inter-poly insulator is formed by depositing intrinsic silicon on an oxidation stop layer. In one embodiment, the oxidation stop layer is a nitridated top surface of a lower, and conductively-doped, polysilicon layer. In one embodiment, atomic layer deposition (ALD) is used to precisely control the thickness of the deposited, intrinsic silicon. Heat and an oxidizing atmosphere are used to convert the deposited, intrinsic silicon into thermally-grown, silicon dioxide. The oxidation stop layer impedes deeper oxidation. A silicon nitride layer and an additional silicon oxide layer are further deposited to complete the ONO structure before an upper, and conductively-doped, polysilicon layer is formed. In one embodiment, the lower and upper polysilicon layers are patterned to respectively define a floating gate (FG) and a control gate (CG) of an electrically re-programmable memory cell. In an alternative embodiment, after the middle, silicon nitride of the ONO structure is defined, another layer of intrinsic silicon is deposited, by way of for example, ALD. Heat and an oxidizing atmosphere are used to convert the second deposited, intrinsic silicon into thermally-grown, silicon dioxide. An ONO structure with two thermally-grown, and spaced apart, silicon oxide layers is thereby provided.
摘要:
A method and apparatus are disclosed for reducing the concentration of chlorine and/or other bound contaminants within a semiconductor oxide composition that is formed by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) using a semiconductor-element-providing reactant such as dichlorosilane (DCS) and an oxygen-providing reactant such as N2O. In one embodiment, a DCS-HTO film is annealed by heating N2O gas to a temperature in the range of about 825° C. to about 950 ° C. so as to trigger exothermic decomposition of the N2O gas and flowing the heated gas across the DCS-HTO film so that disassociated atomic oxygen radicals within the heated N2O gas can transfer disassociating energy to chlorine atoms bound within the DCS-HTO film and so that the atomic oxygen radicals can fill oxygen vacancies within the semiconductor-oxide matrix of DCS-HTO film. An improved ONO structure may be formed with the annealed DCS-HTO film for use in floating gate or other memory applications.
摘要翻译:公开了一种方法和装置,用于降低通过化学气相沉积(CVD)形成的半导体氧化物组合物中的氯和/或其它结合的污染物的浓度,所述半导体氧化物组合物使用提供半导体元素的反应物如二氯硅烷(DCS)和氧 提供反应物如N 2 O。 在一个实施方案中,通过将N 2 O 2气体加热至约825℃至约950℃的温度来退火DCS-HTO膜,以引发放热分解 N 2 O气体并使加热的气体流过DCS-HTO膜,使得加热的N 2 O气体内的解离的原子氧自由基能够将分解能量转移到结合的氯原子上 在DCS-HTO膜内,使得原子氧自由基可以填充DCS-HTO膜的半导体氧化物基质内的氧空位。 可以用退火的DCS-HTO膜形成改进的ONO结构,用于浮动栅极或其他存储器应用中。
摘要:
A process used to retard out diffusion of P type dopants from P type LDD regions, resulting in unwanted LDD series resistance increases, has been developed. The process features the formation of a nitrogen containing layer, placed between the P type LDD region and overlying silicon oxide regions, retarding the diffusion of boron from the LDD regions to the overlying silicon oxide regions, during subsequent high temperature anneals. The nitrogen containing layer, such as a thin silicon nitride layer, or a silicon oxynitride layer, formed during or after reoxidation of a P type polysilicon gate structure, is also formed in a region that also retards the out diffusion of P type dopants from the P type polysilicon gate structure.
摘要:
A method for improving oxide quality and reliability by using low pressure during oxidation and nitridation is described. The wafer is loaded into a chamber wherein a pressure of between about 80 and 300 torr is maintained during the forming of the dielectric layer. The silicon substrate of the wafer is oxidized, then nitrided. The substrate is annealed to complete formation of the dielectric layer.
摘要:
Performance of field effect transistors and other channel dependent devices formed on a monocrystalline substrate is improved by carrying out a high temperature anneal in a nitrogen releasing atmosphere while the substrate is coated by a sacrificial oxide coating containing easily diffusible atoms that can form negatively charged ions and can diffuse deep into the substrate. In one embodiment, the easily diffusible atoms comprise at least 5% by atomic concentration of chlorine atoms in the sacrificial oxide coating and the nitrogen releasing atmosphere includes NO. The high temperature anneal is carried out for less than 10 hours at a temperature less than 1100° C.
摘要:
A nonvolatile memory has a charge trapping layer which includes a layer (130) made of silicon nitride doped with germanium or phosphorus (210). The germanium or phosphorus contains a large percentage of scattered, non-crystallized atoms uniformly distributed in the silicon nitride layer to increase the charge trapping density.