Comparison of discrete-storage nonvolatile memories: Advantage of hybrid method for fabrication of Au nanocrystal nonvolatile memory

In this paper, the memory characteristics of two kinds of metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) capacitors embedded with Au nanocrytals are investigated: hybrid MOS with nanocrystals (NCs) fabricated by chemical syntheses and rapid thermal annealing (RTA) MOS with NCs fabricated by RTA. For both kinds of devices, the capacitance versus voltage (C-V) curves clearly indicate the charge storage in the NCs. The hybrid MOS, however, shows a larger memory window, as compared with RTA MOS. The retention characteristics of the two MOS devices are also investigated. The capacitance versus time (C-t) measurement shows that the hybrid MOS capacitor embedded with Au nanocrystals has a longer retention time. The mechanism of longer retention time for hybrid MOS capacitor is qualitatively discussed.