New nonvolatile memory with charge-trapping sidewall

This letter reports on the development of a new nonvolatile memory with charge-trapping sidewalls using sub-0.1-/spl mu/m MOSFET technology. This memory has silicon nitride (SiN) sidewalls at both sides of the gate to store the charge. We have found that optimization of the p-n junction edge with the sidewall enables writing, reading, and erasing a 2-bit charge independently. The Vth window, which is the difference in the threshold voltage between forward and reverse read, was about 0.8 V with a gate length of 0.4 /spl mu/m. In addition, it is scalable to 40 nm of the gate length. This device is attractive not only from the prospects of future size reduction, but also its compatibility with CMOS process.