Embedded SONOS based memory cells

US8796098B1 · kind B1 · utility

Assignee

• Cypress Semiconductor Corporation · US

Inventors

• Krishnaswamy Ramkumar · San Jose, US
• Igor G. Kouznetsov · San Jose, US
• Venkatraman Prabhakar · Pleasanton, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Sep 4, 2013
• Grant date: Aug 5, 2014
• Expiry date: Sep 4, 2033

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H10D84/83

Abstract

Memory cells including embedded SONOS based non-volatile memory (NVM) and MOS transistors and methods of forming the same are described. Generally, the method includes: forming a dielectric stack on a substrate, the dielectric stack including a tunneling dielectric on the substrate and a charge-trapping layer on the tunneling dielectric; patterning the dielectric stack to form a gate stack of a NVM transistor of a memory device in a first region of the substrate while concurrently removing the dielectric stack from a second region of the substrate; and performing a gate oxidation process of a baseline CMOS process flow to thermally grow a gate oxide of a MOS transistor overlying the substrate in the second region while concurrently growing a blocking oxide overlying the charge-trapping layer. In one embodiment, Indium is implanted to form a channel of the NVM transistor.