The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Sep. 03, 2002
Filed:
Dec. 19, 2000
Michael A. Sadd, Austin, TX (US);
Sucharita Madhukar, Austin, TX (US);
Frank Kelsey Baker, Austin, TX (US);
Motorola, Inc., Schaumburg, IL (US);
Abstract
A semiconductor device structure for storing charge has a silicon nitride layer, in which a plurality of nanoclusters are sandwiched between oxide layers. The nanoclusters and the silicon nitride make up a storage region, which is particularly useful in non-volatile memories. The nanoclusters provide a repository for holes or electrons that jump from trap to trap in the silicon nitride when the silicon nitride is heated. This results in much of the charge, which would normally leak off from the silicon nitride at high temperatures, remaining in the storage region due to trapping in the nanoclusters. The silicon nitride layer with nanoclusters therein is formed by depositing a silicon nitride layer, then nanoclusters, and then another silicon nitride layer or by depositing a silicon-rich silicon nitride layer and subsequent heating to cause it to transform to a regular silicon nitride layer with silicon nanoclusters therein.