High Work-Function Oxygen-Bearing Electrodes for Improved Performance in MANOS Charge-Trap NVM and MIM-DRAM Type Devices

We demonstrate for the first time molybdenum based oxygen-bearing electrodes for improved performance in MANOS (Metal-Alumina-Nitride-Oxide) charge-trap NVM, and also MIM-DRAM type devices. The meta-stable high work- function (Wfn) molybdenum-oxynitride (MoON) electrodes result in improved retention and erase saturation for the charge trap NVM devices and improved leakage for the MIM devices. Although some of the observed improvements, compared to conventional TaN or TIN electrodes, can be attributed to the higher effective Wfn of the MoON, the improvements are also attributed to free oxygen available during deposition, and also released from the MoON electrode during thermal processing, repairing defects in the respective dielectrics adjacent to the MoON electrodes.