Al2O3 with Metal-Nitride nanocrystals as a charge trapping layer of MONOS-type nonvolatile memory devices

The charge trapping characteristics were evaluated for Al2O3 with metal-nitride (TiN) nanocrystals, which was simply prepared by rf magnetron co-sputtering method, as a new charge trapping layer of a metal-oxide-nitride-oxide-silicon-type nonvolatile memory device. Compared with the control sample without TiN nanocrystals, Al2O3 with TiN nanocrystals exhibits larger width of capacitance-voltage hysteresis and higher programming speed. The formation of highly thermally stable TiN nanocrystals embedded in Al2O3 was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and x-ray diffraction analyses.