Validation of Retention Modeling as a Trap-Profiling Technique for SiN-Based Charge-Trapping Memories

Abstract

We applied the developed trap spectroscopy by charge injection and sensing to validate the extraction of the silicon nitride trap distribution (both in space and energy) from the modeling of retention transients of charge-trapping memories. We compared three different types of silicon nitrides using these two techniques, and similar distributions were extracted, thus confirming the validity of the charge profiles resulting from the modeling of retention transients and the physics of the proposed model, based on two main mechanisms of charge loss: Poole-Frenkel emission (dominating at high temperature) and direct tunneling (dominating at room temperature).