A Novel Approach of Fabricating Germanium Nanocrystals for Nonvolatile Memory Application

T. C. Chang; S. T. Yan; Po-Tsun Liu; C. W. Chen; S. H. Lin; S. M. Sze

doi:10.1149/1.1627453

A Novel Approach of Fabricating Germanium Nanocrystals for Nonvolatile Memory Application

T. C. Chang^*, S. T. Yan, Po-Tsun Liu, C. W. Chen, S. H. Lin, S. M. Sze

^*Corresponding author for this work

Department of Photonics

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

51 Scopus citations

Abstract

A nonvolatile memory device embedded with Ge nanocrystal dots is fabricated by the thermal oxidation of Si_0.8Ge_0.2 combined with a rapid thermal annealing at 950°C in N₂ gas. The tunnel oxide in the nonvolatile memory is controlled to be 4.5 nm thick and embedded with 5.5 nm Ge nanocrystals. A low operating voltage, 5 V, is implemented and a significant threshold-voltage shift, 0.42 V, is observed. When the electrons are trapped in the Ge nanocrystals, the effect of Coulomb blockade prevents the injection and storage of more electrons and decreases the leakage current. Also, the retention characteristics are tested to be robust.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	G17-G19
Journal	Electrochemical and Solid-State Letters
Volume	7
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1149/1.1627453
State	Published - 2004

Access to Document

10.1149/1.1627453

Cite this

@article{90cd1c418b9d4f3195f08767f9a1c8ab,

title = "A Novel Approach of Fabricating Germanium Nanocrystals for Nonvolatile Memory Application",

abstract = "A nonvolatile memory device embedded with Ge nanocrystal dots is fabricated by the thermal oxidation of Si0.8Ge0.2 combined with a rapid thermal annealing at 950°C in N2 gas. The tunnel oxide in the nonvolatile memory is controlled to be 4.5 nm thick and embedded with 5.5 nm Ge nanocrystals. A low operating voltage, 5 V, is implemented and a significant threshold-voltage shift, 0.42 V, is observed. When the electrons are trapped in the Ge nanocrystals, the effect of Coulomb blockade prevents the injection and storage of more electrons and decreases the leakage current. Also, the retention characteristics are tested to be robust.",

author = "Chang, {T. C.} and Yan, {S. T.} and Po-Tsun Liu and Chen, {C. W.} and Lin, {S. H.} and Sze, {S. M.}",

year = "2004",

doi = "10.1149/1.1627453",

language = "English",

volume = "7",

pages = "G17--G19",

journal = "Electrochemical and Solid-State Letters",

issn = "1099-0062",

publisher = "Electrochemical Society Inc.",

number = "1",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - A Novel Approach of Fabricating Germanium Nanocrystals for Nonvolatile Memory Application

AU - Chang, T. C.

AU - Yan, S. T.

AU - Liu, Po-Tsun

AU - Chen, C. W.

AU - Lin, S. H.

AU - Sze, S. M.

PY - 2004

Y1 - 2004

N2 - A nonvolatile memory device embedded with Ge nanocrystal dots is fabricated by the thermal oxidation of Si0.8Ge0.2 combined with a rapid thermal annealing at 950°C in N2 gas. The tunnel oxide in the nonvolatile memory is controlled to be 4.5 nm thick and embedded with 5.5 nm Ge nanocrystals. A low operating voltage, 5 V, is implemented and a significant threshold-voltage shift, 0.42 V, is observed. When the electrons are trapped in the Ge nanocrystals, the effect of Coulomb blockade prevents the injection and storage of more electrons and decreases the leakage current. Also, the retention characteristics are tested to be robust.

AB - A nonvolatile memory device embedded with Ge nanocrystal dots is fabricated by the thermal oxidation of Si0.8Ge0.2 combined with a rapid thermal annealing at 950°C in N2 gas. The tunnel oxide in the nonvolatile memory is controlled to be 4.5 nm thick and embedded with 5.5 nm Ge nanocrystals. A low operating voltage, 5 V, is implemented and a significant threshold-voltage shift, 0.42 V, is observed. When the electrons are trapped in the Ge nanocrystals, the effect of Coulomb blockade prevents the injection and storage of more electrons and decreases the leakage current. Also, the retention characteristics are tested to be robust.

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0942277789&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1149/1.1627453

DO - 10.1149/1.1627453

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:0942277789

SN - 1099-0062

VL - 7

SP - G17-G19

JO - Electrochemical and Solid-State Letters

JF - Electrochemical and Solid-State Letters

IS - 1

ER -

A Novel Approach of Fabricating Germanium Nanocrystals for Nonvolatile Memory Application

Abstract

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this