Modelling of the programming window distribution in multi nanocrystals memories

In this paper, the impact of the Si nanocrystals technological fluctuations on the programming window dispersion, of multi nanocrystals memory is thoroughly investigated. Numerical Monte Carlo simulations as well as an original compact modelling, based on the compound distributions statistics, are here presented and deeply discussed. Technological dispersions of different nanocrystals populations, directly measured by high resolution transmission electron microscopy, are used as starting points for the modelling of the device characteristics. Finally, the good agreement between our simulations and experimental data of ultra-scaled nanocrystal devices, made by conventional UV lithography or by e-beam lithography, definitively confirms the validity of our theoretical approach.