Growth of Si nanocrystals on alumina and integration in memory devices

We present a detailed study of the growth of Si quantum dots (Si QDs) by low pressure chemical vapor deposition on alumina dielectric deposited by atomic layer deposition. The Si QDs density is very high, 1012 cm−2, for a mean diameter between 5 and 10 nm. Al2O3/Si QD stacks have been integrated in memory devices as granular floating gate. The devices demonstrate good charge storage and data retention characteristics.