A 45nm NOR Flash Technology with Self-Aligned Contacts and 0.024μm² Cell Size for Multi-level Applications

Abstract

A 45nm NOR flash technology featuring a self aligned contact ETOX architecture is demonstrated on a 1 Gbit MLC product having a die area of 30.05mm <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> . The cell size of 0.024μm <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> is the smallest NOR cell reported to date and is manufactured entirely with dry lithography tools. With an aggressively scaled drain space of 100nm and gate length of 110nm, the cell shows robust short channel behavior, and excellent cycling behavior.