On the Physical Mechanism of the NROM Memory Erase

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the physical mechanism of NROM memory erase. Three conduction mechanisms potentially responsible of NROM erase will be analyzed (tunneling and emission of electrons through both bottom and top oxide, tunneling and injection of holes over the bottom oxide barrier) by means of standard two-dimensional simulations and ad-hoc models reproducing hole and electron transport mechanisms across the oxide not included in standard device simulators. Hot-hole injection will be identified as the actual conduction mechanism of NROM erase, and two compact models capable to describe the main characteristics of NROM erase current will be developed.