Abstract
Conventional nitride/oxide (NO)-based storage dielectric has been demonstrated to possess the capability to extend its employment in trench dynamic random access memory (DRAM) by additional NH 3 nitridation and in situ N 2 O reoxidation. Through this technique, cell capacitance could be enhanced by 12.2% as compared with NO dielectric while preserving tunneling current below 1 fA/cell. Even with NH 3 nitridation and consequent well-known introduction of electron traps, the great improvement in tunneling leakage and reliability are exhibited after N 2 O treatment. With prominent electrical properties, this technique proves its eligibility for next-generation DRAM before the maturity of introduction of high-K material into production. © 2005 IEEE.