Park Chanyang, Yoon Jun-Sik, Nam Kihoon, Jang Hyundong, Park Minsang, Baek Rock-Hyun
Department of Electrical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang 37673, Republic of Korea.
SK hynix Inc., Icheon 17336, Republic of Korea.
Nanomaterials (Basel). 2023 Apr 24;13(9):1451. doi: 10.3390/nano13091451.
The incremental step pulse programming slope (ISPP) with random variation was investigated by measuring numerous three-dimensional (3D) NAND flash memory cells with a vertical nanowire channel. We stored multiple bits in a cell with the ISPP scheme and read each cell pulse by pulse. The excessive tunneling from the channel to the storage layer determines the program efficiency overshoot. Then, a broadening of the threshold voltage distribution was observed due to the abnormal program cells. To analyze the randomly varying abnormal program behavior itself, we distinguished between the read variation and over-programming in measurements. Using a 3D Monte-Carlo simulation, which is a probabilistic approach to solve randomness, we clarified the physical origins of over-programming that strongly influence the abnormal program cells in program step voltage, and randomly distributed the trap site in the nitride of a nanoscale 3D NAND string. These causes have concurrent effects, but we divided and analyzed them quantitatively. Our results reveal the origins of the variation and the overshoot in the ISPP, widening the threshold voltage distribution with traps randomly located at the nanoscale. The findings can enhance understanding of random over-programming and help mitigate the most problematic programming obstacles for multiple-bit techniques.
通过测量众多具有垂直纳米线通道的三维(3D)NAND闪存单元,研究了具有随机变化的增量步脉冲编程斜率(ISPP)。我们采用ISPP方案在一个单元中存储多个比特,并逐脉冲读取每个单元。从通道到存储层的过度隧穿决定了编程效率过冲。然后,由于异常编程单元,观察到阈值电压分布变宽。为了分析随机变化的异常编程行为本身,我们在测量中区分了读取变化和过度编程。使用三维蒙特卡罗模拟(一种解决随机性的概率方法),我们阐明了过度编程的物理起源,其在编程步电压中强烈影响异常编程单元,并在纳米级3D NAND串的氮化物中随机分布陷阱位点。这些原因具有并发效应,但我们对其进行了定量划分和分析。我们的结果揭示了ISPP中变化和过冲的起源,拓宽了阈值电压分布,陷阱随机位于纳米尺度。这些发现可以增强对随机过度编程的理解,并有助于减轻多位技术中最具问题的编程障碍。