Trench Charge Storage Element for Low-Power Non-Volatile Memory
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing non-volatile memory technologies face challenges in achieving compact, low-power storage elements, particularly due to issues with floating gate designs that are prone to pin hole defects and charge leakage.
Innovation Solution
A method of forming a charge storage element within a trench of a workpiece involves creating a trench in a substrate, forming a charge storage layer along the trench walls, implanting ions to create an implant region, and annealing to extend the implant region along the trench walls, which facilitates a compact and efficient charge storage structure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If floating gate designs are used to reduce power consumption, then power consumption decreases, but reliability deteriorates due to pin hole defects and charge leakage
Solution Approach 1:
The continuous strip of conductive material in floating gate designs is segmented into discrete charge storage elements within isolated trenches. This segmentation prevents pin hole defects from causing widespread leakage and isolates charge storage regions to eliminate interference between adjacent elements, thereby improving reliability while maintaining the low-power advantage of floating gate structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The charge storage function is extracted from the continuous floating gate structure and placed into discrete trenches filled with insulating material. This extraction removes the harmful continuous conductive path that causes pin hole defects and charge leakage, while preserving the essential charge storage capability needed for low-power operation.
2Quantity of substance
If continuous strip conductive material is used in floating gate designs, then charge storage capacity increases, but manufacturing difficulty increases due to pin hole defects
Solution Approach 1:
The continuous conductive material is divided into discrete segments within individual trenches. Each trench contains isolated charge storage elements, preventing pin hole defects from affecting the entire structure. This segmentation maintains total charge storage capacity while dramatically improving manufacturability by localizing potential defects.
Solution Approach 2:
Each trench is treated as an independent local structure with its own charge storage elements. This local quality approach ensures that manufacturing defects in one trench do not propagate to adjacent trenches, making the overall manufacturing process more robust and easier to control.
3Device complexity
If planar storage elements are used to simplify device structure, then device structure simplification is achieved, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The storage elements transition from a two-dimensional planar configuration to a three-dimensional trench-based structure. This dimensional change allows for increased charge storage capacity and better electrical isolation without significantly increasing overall device complexity, while achieving lower power consumption through improved charge confinement.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach enables the formation of a compact charge storage structure that consumes less power and reduces the risk of charge leakage, improving the reliability and performance of non-volatile memory devices.
Implementation Method 1
annealing the implant region, wherein after annealing, the implant region extends the width of the bottom surface and along a portion of the side walls
Implementation Method 2
implanting ions within the substrate underlying the bottom surface of the trench to form an implant region
Data Source
AI summary
A method of forming an electronic device including forming a first trench in a workpiece including a substrate, the first trench having side walls and a bottom surface extending for a width between the side walls and forming a charge-storage layer along the side walls and bottom surface of the first trench. The method further includes implanting ions within the substrate underlying the bottom surface of the first trench to form an implant region and annealing the implant region, wherein after annealing, the implant region extends the width of the bottom surface and along a portion of the side walls.