Nonvolatile Poly-Si TFT Charge-Trap Flash Memory With Engineered Tunnel Barrier

Tunnel-barrier-engineered thin-film transistor (TFT) memory (TBE-TFT memory) devices on glass substrates were fabricated using low-temperature processes. An amorphous silicon film on the glass substrate was crystallized using excimer laser annealing for system-on-panel applications. The engineered tunnel barrier of VARIOT type (SiO2/Si3N4/SiO2) with a high-k HfO2 charge-trapping layer and an Al2O3 blocking layer was applied to TBE-TFT memory devices in order to enhance the memory performance of TBE-TFT memory devices. As a result, the poly-Si TFT charge-trap Flash memory with an engineered tunnel barrier exhibited excellent memory characteristics, such as large memory window (9.5 V), long retention time, and endurance.