Process of forming an electronic device including discontinuous storage elements within a dielectric layer

US7642163B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Freeescale Semiconductor, Inc. · US

Inventors

• Rajesh A. Rao · Austin, US
• Tushar P. Merchant · Austin, US
• Ramachandran Muralidhar · Austin, US
• Gowrishankar L. Chindalore · Austin, US
• David C. Sing · Austin, US
• Jane A. Yater · Austin, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Mar 30, 2007
• Grant date: Jan 5, 2010
• Expiry date: Apr 10, 2028

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H10D64/037

Abstract

An electronic device can include a nonvolatile memory cell having DSEs within a dielectric layer. In one aspect, a process of forming the electronic device can include implanting and nucleating a first charge-storage material to form DSEs. The process can also include implanting a second charge-storage material and growing the DSEs such that the DSEs include the first and second charge-storage material. In another aspect, a process of forming the electronic device can include forming a semiconductor layer over a dielectric layer, implanting a charge-storage material, and annealing the dielectric layer. After annealing, substantially none of the charge-storage material remains within a denuded zone within the dielectric layer. In a third aspect, within a dielectric layer, a first set of DSEs can be spaced apart from a second set of DSEs, wherein substantially no DSEs lie between the first set of DSEs and the second set of DSEs.