Abstract
With the replacement of silicon nitride in an oxide/nitride/oxide (ONO) gate-stacked structure, trap-rich high-density plasma chemical vapor deposited (HDPCVD) SiN x . shows a more significant threshold-voltage shift (memory window) than that of conventional low pressure (LP) CVD Si 3 N 4 . Also, low-temperature (200°C) deposited HDPCVD silicon nitride shows a good retention characteristic, the same as high-temperature (780°C) LPCVD Si 3 N 4 . With the optimization of thickness in the gate-stacked ONO structure, low-voltage and reliable operation, lower than 5 V, is realizable. © 2004 The Electrochemical Society. All rights reserved.