Flash technology: Challenges and opportunities

Flash memory is a rapidly growing segment of the semiconductor memory among semiconductor memories by offering the combination of non-volatility, electrical re-writability and high density. Several alternate Flash cell structures have evolved that offer differing tradeoffs for cost and performance. The Mash memory market has been valued over $l.9 Billion (US) in 1995 and accounts for about 3.5% of the overall semiconductor memory market. Flash memory is the fastest growing segment of the non-volatile semiconductor memory market. This paper examines the challenges and opportunities in Flash technology using ETOX(TM) cells as an example. Flash poses some unique challenges in controlling tunneling and in voltage scaling. Flash also presents a unique opportunity for scaling storage density through multi-level cells.