Traps spectroscopy of the Si3Ni4 layer using localized charge-trapping nonvolatile memory device

A spectroscopy method is proposed and implemented for Si3Ni4 layer using the NROM(R) cell and the gate-induced-drain-leakage measurement. The proposed method allows probing of both electron and hole traps in the entire band gap with almost no fitting parameters. The energy levels of occupied charge traps are extracted following a thermionic emission model. It is found that the peak energy distribution of the electron traps is located similar to2.2 eV below the nitride conduction band with a full width at half maximum (FWHM) of 0.16 eV, while the peak energy distribution of the hole traps is located similar to1.5 eV above the nitride valence band with a FWHM of 0.64 eV. Based on these results, the retention loss of the NROM cell is successfully predicted over a wide range of temperatures and time scales. (C) 2004 American Institute of Physics.