Hybrid TiN nanocrystals/Si3N4 nonvolatile memory featuring low voltage operation by spinodal phase segregation

Summary form only given. Hybrid nonvolatile memory with Si nanocrystals embedded in the Si₃N₄ has demonstrated higher operation speed than a plain silicon-oxide-nitride-oxide-silicon (SONOS) memory while maintaining better retention characteristic than a pure Si nanocrystal memory. Based on this concept, TiN nanocrystals embedded in the Al₂O₃ have exhibited improved memory characteristics. Because Si₃N₄ has been verified to possess more trapping sites than AI₂O₃, TiN nanocrystals three-dimensionally embedded in the Si₃N₄ film was studied in this work as the charge trapping layer. In fact, three-dimensionally incorporating metal nanocrystals in the Si₃N₄ (double heterogeneous stack) has been previously investigated and presented better memory performance than that with single heterogeneous stack. However, the formation of this double heterogeneous floating-gate requires sequential deposition of Si₃N₄ and metal nanocrystals which is relatively complicated and necessitates rigorous process parameter control. To address this issue, a single co-sputtering process was explored to achieve the hybrid memory structure by spinodal phase segregation.