Metal–nitride–oxide–semiconductor transistor explained

The metal–nitride–oxide–semiconductor or metal–nitride–oxide–silicon (MNOS) transistor is a type of MOSFET (metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistor) in which the oxide layer is replaced by a double layer of nitride and oxide.[1] It is an alternative and supplement to the existing standard MOS technology, wherein the insulation employed is a nitride-oxide layer.[2] [3] It is used in non-volatile computer memory.[4]

History

The first silicon dioxide transistors were developed by Frosch and Derick in 1957 at Bell Labs.[5]

In late 1967, a Sperry research team led by H.A. Richard Wegener invented the metal–nitride–oxide–semiconductor (MNOS) transistor,[6] a type of MOSFET in which the oxide layer is replaced by a double layer of nitride and oxide.[1] Nitride was used as a trapping layer instead of a floating gate, but its use was limited as it was considered inferior to a floating gate.[7]

Charge trap (CT) memory was introduced with MNOS devices in the late 1960s. It had a device structure and operating principles similar to floating-gate (FG) memory, but the main difference is that the charges are stored in a conducting material (typically a doped polysilicon layer) in FG memory, whereas CT memory stored charges in localized traps within a dielectric layer (typically made of silicon nitride).[8]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Book: Brodie . Ivor . Muray . Julius J. . The Physics of Microfabrication . 2013 . . 9781489921604 . 74 .
  2. Frohman-Bentchkowsky. D.. The metal-nitride-oxide-silicon (MNOS) transistor—Characteristics and applications. Proceedings of the IEEE. 1970. 58. 8. 1207–1219. 10.1109/PROC.1970.7897.
  3. Web site: Metal–nitride–oxide–semiconductor (MNOS) technology. JEDEC.
  4. Book: Ng. Kwok K.. Complete Guide to Semiconductor Devices. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.. 9781118014769. 353–360. en. Metal-Nitride-Oxide Semiconductor Transistor. 10.1002/9781118014769.ch47. 2010.
  5. Frosch . C. J. . Derick . L . 1957 . Surface Protection and Selective Masking during Diffusion in Silicon . Journal of the Electrochemical Society . en . 104 . 9 . 547 . 10.1149/1.2428650.
  6. Wegener. H. A. R.. Lincoln. A. J.. Pao. H. C.. O'Connell. M. R.. Oleksiak. R. E.. Lawrence. H.. The variable threshold transistor, a new electrically-alterable, non-destructive read-only storage device. 1967 International Electron Devices Meeting. October 1967. 13. 70. 10.1109/IEDM.1967.187833.
  7. Book: Prall . Kirk . Ramaswamy . Nirmal . Goda . Akira . Chapter 2: A Synopsis on the State of the Art of NAND Memories . Charge-Trapping Non-Volatile Memories: Volume 1 – Basic and Advanced Devices . 2015 . Springer . 9783319152905 . 37–64 (39) . https://books.google.com/books?id=7vFUCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA39.
  8. Book: Ioannou-Soufleridis . V. . Charge-Trapping Non-Volatile Memories: Volume 1 – Basic and Advanced Devices . Dimitrakis . Panagiotis . Normand . Pascal . 2015 . Springer . 9783319152905 . 65–102 (65) . Chapter 3: Charge-Trap Memories with Ion Beam Modified ONO Stracks . https://books.google.com/books?id=7vFUCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA65.

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