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Effect of Nitrogen Plasma Treatment on Electrical Characteristics for Pd Nanocrystals in Nonvolatile Memory
Tsung-Kuei Kang,
Ta-Chuan Liao1,
Cheng-Li Lin, and
Wen-Fa Wu2
Department of Electronic Engineering, Feng-Chia University, Taichung, Taiwan 40724, R.O.C.
1Department of Electronics Engineering and Institute of Electronics, National Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, Taiwan 30010, R.O.C.
2National Nano Device Laboratories, Hsinchu, Taiwan 30078, R.O.C.
(Received January 19, 2010; accepted May 24, 2010; published online August 20, 2010)
Pd nanocrystals (NCs) are successfully embedded in a TaN/SiO2/HfAlO/Si structure. The initial memory window increases at a higher rate with increasing fabrication temperature of Pd NCs compared with the linear variation of Pd NC density, which is related to the thermally induced neutral traps in the HfAlO film around Pd NCs. After manufacturing a TaN/SiO2/Pd NCs/HfAlO/Si/Al structure, the subsequent N2 plasma treatment is conducted at 300 °C for 3 min. The number of leakage current paths in the SiO2 blocking layer adjacent to TaN is clearly reduced, but that of leakage current paths in SiO2/HfAlO around Pd NCs is slightly increased owing to the thermal stress. The thermally induced neutral traps in the HfAlO film around the Pd NCs can be passivated by nitrogen atoms, which leads to the improvement of the final memory window for the Pd NC samples fabricated at 600–700 °C. However, the intrinsic traps in the HfAlO film play an important role in memory characteristic and the final memory window is reduced by thermal densification for the Pd NC samples fabricated at 500 °C.
URL:
http://jjap.jsap.jp/link?JJAP/49/086202/
DOI: 10.1143/JJAP.49.086202
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