| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 538953 | Microelectronic Engineering | 2015 | 6 Pages |
•Gd2O3-based flash memories have been fabricated.•Ti doping and annealing could enhance good memory performance.•Multiple material analyses confirm that annealing eliminated defects.•Electrical measurements were used to evaluate memory performance.
In this study, the effects of various annealing temperatures on gadolinium oxide (Gd2O3) fabricated with Al2O3 and Ti-doped gadolinium oxide (GdTixOy) fabricated with SiO2 blocking were examined for use in metal/oxide/high-k material/oxide/silicon (MOHOS) memory devices. To investigate the effects of annealing, X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), atomic force microscopy (AFM) were used to characterize the trapping layers. Capacitance voltage curves (CV), and P/E (program/erase) cycle experimental details were also applied to analyze the electrical properties of the experimental samples. Study results show that a GdTixOy charge trapping layer annealed at 900 °C had a higher window in a current–voltage (CV) hysteresis loop and a higher charge retention capability than under any of the other fabrication conditions. These results were attributed to higher probability of deep-level charge trapping and lower leakage current. A GdTixOy memory device with post-annealing shows promise for future flash memory applications.
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