IMPROVED FLASH CELL PERFORMANCE BY N2O ANNEALING OF INTERPOLY OXIDE

In this letter, we report the effects of N2O annealing of interpoly ox ide on flash cell performance. It is demonstrated that by adding an N2 O anneal after interpoly oxide formation, improved cycling endurance i s achieved, The program and erase efficiencies are also improved signi ficantly, compared to the control cell without N2O anneal. The cells w ith N2O anneal show higher cell current (i.e., drain current), which c an be ascribed to a lower threshold voltage and higher transconductanc e, compared to the control cell.