Title :
Gate current injection initiated by electron band-to-band tunneling in MOS devices
Author :
Chen, Ih-Chin ; Coleman, D.J. ; Teng, C.W.
Author_Institution :
Texas Instrum. Inc., Dallas, TX, USA
fDate :
7/1/1989 12:00:00 AM
Abstract :
A substrate hot-electron injection across the gate oxide initiated by electron band-to-band tunneling in p-type silicon is discussed. The injection electrons are generated by the energetic holes which are originally left behind by the band-to-band tunneling electrons. The injection can be easily controlled by an appropriate bias to a nearby n/sup +/ diffusion, and the injection efficiency can be as high as 10/sup -2/. Due to the small oxide field during injection, the electron fluence through the oxide before failure is much higher than under a Fowler-Nordheim tunneling stressing. These advantages make this band-to-band tunneling induced substrate hot-electron injection a possible programming mechanism for nonvolatile memories.<>
Keywords :
elemental semiconductors; hot carriers; metal-insulator-semiconductor devices; semiconductor storage; silicon; silicon compounds; tunnelling; MOS devices; Si-SiO/sub 2/; electron band-to-band tunneling; gate current injection; gate oxide; injection efficiency; nonvolatile memories; p-type; programming mechanism; semiconductors; substrate hot-electron injection; Boron; Channel hot electron injection; Charge carrier processes; Impact ionization; Implants; MOS devices; Nonvolatile memory; Silicon; Substrate hot electron injection; Tunneling;
Journal_Title :
Electron Device Letters, IEEE
