Browsing by Author "Chou, Y. L."

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Poly-Silicon Trap Position and Pass Voltage Effects on RTN Amplitude in a Vertical NAND Flash Cell String
(2016-08)
Chou, Y. L.
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Wang, Tahui
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Lin, Mercator
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Chang, Y. W.
;
Liu, Lenvis
We investigate the dependence of random telegraph noise (RTN) on a poly-silicon trap position in a 3D vertical channel and charge-trapping NAND flash cell string. We characterize RTN in read current of each cell of a string at different read and pass voltages. RTN characteristics resulting from a trap in a read cell or in a pass cell are differentiated. A method to identify a poly-silicon trap position in a NAND string is proposed. We perform the 3D TCAD simulation to calculate channel electron density in a string. Measured RTN characteristics can be explained by current-path percolation and channel carrier screening effects. The distribution of RTN amplitudes in NAND strings is characterized.
Polycrystalline-Silicon Channel Trap Induced Transient Read Instability in a 3D NAND Flash Cell String
(2016-01-01)
Tsai, Wen-Jer
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Lin, W. L.
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Cheng, C. C.
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Ku, S. H.
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Chou, Y. L.
Vt instability caused by grain-boundary trap (GBT) in the poly-crystalline silicon (poly-Si) channel of a 3D NAND string are comprehensively studied. Experimental results reveal that trapping/detrapping of GBT would cause transient cell current with a time constant of lOus or longer, and this transient is strongly affected by the bias history. Sensing offset between program/erase verify (PV/EV) and read (RD) results in "pseudo" charge loss/gain that reduces the sensing margin. Modified EV, PV, or RD bias schemes are suggested to mitigate this effect.
Program Charge Effect on Random Telegraph Noise Amplitude and Its Device Structural Dependence in SONOS Flash Memory
(2009)
Chiu, J. P.
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Chou, Y. L.
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Ma, H. C.
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Wang, Tahui
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Ku, S. H.
Nitride program charge effects on random telegraph noise (RTN) in SONOS flash cells are investigated. We measure and simulate RTN amplitudes in floating gate flash, planar SONOS, and FinFET SONOS cells. We find that a planar SONOS has a wide spread in RTN amplitude after programming while a floating gate flash cell has identical RTN amplitude in erase and program states. The spread of program-state RTN amplitudes in a planar SONOS is attributed to a current-path percolation effect caused by random discrete nitride charges. The program-state RTN spread can be significantly reduced in FinFET SONOS.
Program Trapped-Charge Effect on Random Telegraph-Noise Amplitude in a Planar SONOS Flash Memory Cell
(2009-11-01)
Ma, H. C.
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Chou, Y. L.
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Chiu, J. P.
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Wang, Tahui
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Ku, S. H.
Program-charge effects in a SONOS Flash cell on the amplitude of random telegraph noise (RTN) are investigated. We measure RTN in 45 planar SONOS cells and 40 floating-gate (FG) cells in erase state and program state, respectively. We find that a SONOS cell has a wide spread in RTN amplitudes after programming, while an FG cell has identical RTN amplitudes in erase and program states at the same read-current level. A 3-D atomistic simulation is performed to calculate RTN amplitudes. Our result shows that the wide spread of program-state RTN amplitudes in a SONOS cell is attributed to a current-path-percolation effect caused by random discrete nitride charges.
Use of Random Telegraph Signal as Internal Probe to Study Program/Erase Charge Lateral Spread in a SONOS Flash Memory
(2010)
Chou, Y. L.
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Chiu, J. P.
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Ma, H. C.
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Wang, Tahui
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Chao, Y. P.
A novel random telegraph signal (RTS) method is proposed to study the lateral spread of injected charges in program/erase of a NOR-type SONOS flash memory. The concept is to use RTS to extract an interface trap position and to detect a local potential variation near the trap due to injection of program/erase charges. By using this method, we find that CHISEL program has a broader charge distribution than CHE program. A mismatch of CHE program electrons and band-to-band erase holes is observed directly from this method.
Variations of V(t) Retention Loss in a SONOS Flash Memory Due to a Current-Path Percolation Effect
(2011-04-01)
Chou, Y. L.
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Chung, Y. T.
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Wang, Tahui
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Ku, S. H.
;
Zou, N. K.
Discrete nitride program charge loss in a small-area SONOS Flash memory cell during retention is observed. Our measurement shows that a retention V(t) of a programmed SONOS cell exhibits a stepwise evolution with retention time. Individual single-program charge-loss-induced threshold voltage shifts (Delta V(t)) are characterized. We find the following: 1) The magnitude of Delta V(t) exhibits an exponential distribution, which is believed due to a current-path percolation effect caused by random program charges and substrate dopants, and 2) program-state V(t) retention loss has large variations in different cells and P/E cycles due to the percolation effect. We develop a Monte Carlo analysis to take into account the distribution of Delta V(t) and a tunneling front model to study the spread of a retention V(t) distribution in a SONOS Flash memory.
Variations of V-t Retention Loss in a SONOS Flash Memory Due to a Current-Path Percolation Effect
(2011-04-01)
Chou, Y. L.
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Chung, Y. T.
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Wang, Tahui
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Ku, S. H.
;
Zou, N. K.
Discrete nitride program charge loss in a small-area SONOS Flash memory cell during retention is observed. Our measurement shows that a retention V-t of a programmed SONOS cell exhibits a stepwise evolution with retention time. Individual single-program charge-loss-induced threshold voltage shifts (Delta V-t) are characterized. We find the following: 1) The magnitude of Delta V-t exhibits an exponential distribution, which is believed due to a current-path percolation effect caused by random program charges and substrate dopants, and 2) program-state V-t retention loss has large variations in different cells and P/E cycles due to the percolation effect. We develop a Monte Carlo analysis to take into account the distribution of Delta V-t and a tunneling front model to study the spread of a retention V-t distribution in a SONOS Flash memory.