Patent · US Active

Methods of operating non-volatile memory cells having an oxide/nitride multilayer insulating structure

US7450423B2 · kind B2 · utility

264Cited by
7References
24Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJan 3, 2007
Grant dateNov 11, 2008
Priority date
Expiry dateFeb 12, 2027

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH10D64/685
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A method of operating a memory cell by applying a positive voltage to the gate sufficient to cause hole tunneling from the gate toward the charge storage layer is disclosed. The method is applied to a memory cell including a semiconductor layer having at least two source/drain regions disposed below a surface of the semiconductor layer and separated by a channel region. The memory cell also has a lower insulating layer disposed above the channel region; a charge storage layer disposed above the lower insulating layer; an upper insulating multi-layer structure disposed above the charge storage layer. The upper insulating multi-layer structure comprises a lower dielectric layer and an upper nitride layer disposed above the lower dielectric layer and the memory cell has a gate disposed above the upper insulating multi-layer structure.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.