Characterization of various alloying metal oxide nanoparticles embedded in HfOxNy as charge trapping nodes in nonvolatile memory devices

This work compares CoxMoyO, CoxFeyO and FexMoyO alloying metal oxide nanoparticles (AMONs) that were individually embedded in HfOxNy high-k dielectric as charge trapping nodes. They were formed by chemical vapor deposition using Co/Mo, Co/Fe and Fe/Mo acetate, respectively, calcined and reduced in Ar/NH3 ambient. The effects of various pre-treatments on CoxMoyO, CoxFeyO and FexMoyO AMONs preparation were investigated. The results indicate that the larger charge trap density, larger memory window and better programming characteristics of CoxMoyO AMONs are attributable to their higher surface density and smaller diameter. The average collected charge in each CoxMoyO AMON is the smallest among three AMONs, revealing that a local leakage path is associated with the least charge loss. The main mechanism that governs the programming characteristics involves the trapping of holes.