Cycling degradation in TANOS stack

The aim of this work is to investigate the physical mechanisms behind TANOS (TaN/Alumina/Nitride/Oxide/Silicon) cycling degradation. A comparison of the degradation induced in the TANOS stack by unipolar or bipolar stress has allowed the separation the different degradation contributions. A comparison with standard floating gate (FG) stack has also been carried out to confirm these degradation mechanisms. Finally, different stack configurations are reported, showing the key factors affecting the degradation and giving trends for improving cycling degradation.