Erratic cell behavior in channel hot electron programming of NOR flash memories

This paper describes for the first time an erratic behavior found in NOR array cells of flash memories after cycling when programming is performed by channel hot electron injection. The effects of different program conditions (i.e., drain and bulk bias, as well as program speed) on such an erratic behavior are discussed and a possible explanation is given. Implications in terms of memory reliability are discussed, in particular for multilevel applications.