Low temperature (< 200{\deg}C) solution processed tunable flash memory device without tunneling and blocking layer

Abstract

Intrinsic charge trap capacitive non-volatile flash memories take a significant share of the semiconductor electronics market today. It is a challenge to create intrinsic traps in the dielectric layer without high temperature processing steps. While low temperature processed memory devices fabricated from polymers have been demonstrated as an alternative, their performance degrade rapidly after a few cycles of operation. Moreover conventional memory devices need the support of tunneling and blocking layers since the memory dielectric or polymer is incapable of preventing memory leakage. The main issue in designing a memory device is to optimize the leakage current and intrinsic trap density simultaneously. Here we report a tunable flash memory device without tunneling and blocking layer by combining the discovery of high intrinsic charge traps ($>$10$^{12}$ cm$^{-2}$) together with low leakage current($<$10$^{-7}$ A.cm$^{-2}$) in solution derived, inorganic, spin$-$coated dielectric films which were heated at 200$^\circ$C or below. In addition, the memory storage is tuned systematically upto 96% by controlling the trap density with increasing heating temperature.