GB2229858A

GB2229858A - Electrically-programmable semiconductor memories

Info

Publication number: GB2229858A
Application number: GB8921445A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Jan Middelhoek; Gerrit-Jan Hemink; Rutger Cornelis Marinu Wijburg; Louis Praamsma; Roger Cuppens
Original assignee: Philips Gloeilampenfabrieken NV
Current assignee: Koninklijke Philips NV
Priority date: 1989-03-31
Filing date: 1989-09-22
Publication date: 1990-10-03
Also published as: GB8921445D0; KR0185978B1; KR900015338A; GB8907262D0

Abstract

Efficient and fast injection of hot carriers into a charge-storage region (11) of an electrically-programmable semiconductor memory is achieved by vertical punch-through of a depletion layer to a buried injector region (2), by application of a programming voltage to a control gate (12) and to the surface of the punch-through region (1). A well- defined punch-through region (1) can be obtained with a higher-doped boundary region (3) at at least one side of the punch- through region (1) to restrict the lateral spread of the depletion layer(s) and prevent parasitic connections. This permits closer spacing of the injector region 2 to other regions of the memory cell in a transistor area (4), and the injector region (2) may adjoin an inset insulating field pattern (29). A compact cell array layout can be formed with a common connection region (8) for the injector regions (2) of two adjacent cells and for either a source or drain region of four other adjacent cells. <IMAGE>

Description

DESCRIPTION ELECTRICALLY-PROGRAMMABLE SEMICONDUCTOR MEMORIES This invention relates to electrically-programmable semiconductor memory devices comprising a plurality of memory cells each having a charge-storage region (for example, a floating gate) whose charge state defines a memory state of the cell. The devices may be, for example, electrically-erasable programmable read-only memories (EEPROMs) or more simple EPROMs (electrically programmable read only memories) of various forms.

Electrically-programmable semiconductor memory devices are known comprising a plurality of memory cells each having a charge-storage region whose charge state defines a memory state of the cell. The known devices comprise a semiconductor body having for each cell a first insulating layer portion present at a major surface of the body over a first region of the body of a first conductivity type, the charge-storage region extending at a surface of the first insulating layer portion.There are programming means for each cell comprising an injector region of the opposite second conductivity type forming a p-n junction with the first region, a control gate capacitively coupled to the charge-storage region, and connection means for applying a programming voltage to bias the control gate and the surface of the first region with respect to the injector region to set a desired charge-state of the charge-storage region.

Various forms of EPROMs are known using different injection mechanisms to inject charge-carriers (and especially hot electrons) into the first insulating layer portion to set the charge-state of the charge-storage region. In most currently used EPROM designs hot electrons are generated either by subjecting the drain or source of a MOS (insulated-gate field-effect) transistor with a floating gate to an avalanche breakdown or by applying sufficiently high fields to the transistor so that the hot electrons are generated in the channel itself. However, in these cases the electrons are most generally accelerated parallel to the surface of the body and so need to be redirected towards the surface to achieve more efficient injection into the charge-storage region.Furthermore, the doping profiles of the source and/or drain are adapted so as to generate sufficient hot electrons at reasonable voltage levels, and this may result in using a different MOS transistor process technology for the memory cells compared with what is desired for other parts of an integrated circuit device. If, for programming, hot electrons are used in the channel of the memory transistor, the source and drain geometries and/or doping may be optimised for this purpose in different ways, the read and write voltages being applied to different terminals of the memory transistor. Channel lengths shorter than those normally desired may be needed to program at low voltages. Alternatively, the memory cell may comprise two transistors of which the first transistor is used during reading and the second transistor is used during writing.This two-transistor arrangement may occupy a large space for the memory cell.

Another type of injector is known in which the hot electrons are generated by forward-biasing a diode. This diode may be inserted next to the memory transistor or underneath it (for example as described in United Kingdom patent specification GB-A-1 425 985 (PHN 6347)). This form has several advantages including the possibility of using the same transistor process technology for the memory transistors as for other transistors in the circuit. However, it is necessary to generate a negative diode voltage in the circuit, and the diode also injects the electrons in all directions (including into the substrate) so that large substrate currents may be dissipated.

According to the present invention, an electrically-programmable semiconductor memory device is characterised in that the injector region is located below a first region below the charge-storage region, and in that this first region has a sufficiently low doping concentration of the first conductivity type above the injector region to allow punch-through via a depletion layer vertically across the thickness of the first region to the injector region upon application of the programming voltage. In this way, a desired charge-state of the charge-storage region is set by hot carrier injection vertically from the injector region into the charge-storage region.

The present invention provides a semiconductor memory device in which, by vertical punch-through of a depletion layer below a charge-storage region, hot carriers can be generated in a vertical direction from an injector region (for example a buried layer) so that most already have the right direction to be injected efficiently into the insulating layer portion having the charge-storage region. In this manner a localized and efficient injection can be obtained. By adopting particular arrangements in accordance with the invention, the vertical punch-through can be confined to a desired injection area below part of the charge-storage region and can be achieved in a compact device structure in spite of the injector region connection.The same device process technology may be used for the memory cells as for other circuit parts and no bias voltage supply of opposite polarity is required for the injector region. The efficient programming mechanism may be utilized to enable faster programming or to program with currents of lower value.

Furthermore, as a result of this efficient programming mechanism, it is possible that fewer charges may be trapped in the insulating layer so that a larger number of erase/write cycles may be carried out before serious degradation of the insulating layer occurs.

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided an electrically-programmable semiconductor memory device in which the lateral spread of a depletion layer during vertical punch-through to the injector region is restricted by a boundary region. This can facilitate incorporation of the injector in a compact cell structure by reducing the influence of depletion layers in lateral directions associated with other constituent parts of the memory cell. Thus, a semiconductor memory device in accordance with the invention may be characterised in that at least one boundary region having a higher doping concentration of the first conductivity type is present at at least one side of the first region of each cell and restricts the lateral spread of the depletion layer at that side during punch-through vertically across the thickness of the first region.In order to prevent a punch-through connection by the depletion layer of, for example, a transistor source and/or drain region with the injector region in a compact cell structure, at least one higher-doping boundary region is provided in accordance with the present invention between the injector region and the source and/or drain region.

Such a boundary region may laterally separate the transistor area from the first region above the injector region or, for example, the transistor source and/or drain regions may be formed in one or more boundary regions which may be separated in the channel area. Boundary regions in accordance with the invention may also serve to prevent parasitic connection of the injector region to the surface, for example at a peripheral part of the injector region either adjacent an inset field insulating layer pattern or across an island portion of the memory cell.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided an electrically programmable semiconductor memory device in which the injector region of one cell has a connection region of the second conductivity type which forms a common connection for different regions of (for example, six) adjacent memory cells. A compact memory array structure can be obtained with only a small number of connections per cell, for example only two shared contact windows in each cell. Thus, each memory cell may comprise an island portion of the body, and the device may be characterised in that the island portions of two adjacent cells adjoin each other at a connection region of the second conductivity type which forms a common connection to the injector regions of the two adjacent cells. This connection region may extend into four other adjacent island portions (in addition to said two adjacent island portions) to form a source or drain connection of a transistor in each of said four island portions.

According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided an electrically erasable semiconductor memory device which is characterised in that each memory cell comprises an erase gate which is coupled to the charge-storage region (e.g. by being present on a second insulating layer over the charge-storage region) to permit electrical erasure of the memory state of that cell by applying an erasure voltage to the erase gate. Such a device structure having both the erase gate and control gate coupled to the charge-storage region (e.g. via the second insulating layer) can be biased so as to form a feed-back loop using hot-carrier injection to prevent over-erasure.Thus, as over-erasure of the charge-storage region is approached, it is compensated by the start of hot-carrier injection through the vertical punch-through region from the injector region below the charge-storage region.

These and other features in accordance with the invention are illustrated, by way of example, in a few specific embodiments of the invention now to be described with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a schematic cross-section of part of a memory cell of a device in accordance with the invention; Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view (perpendicular to that of Figure 1) of a particular memory cell structure in accordance with the invention; Figures 3 to 5 are plan views showing various regions of the structure of Figure 2 for two adjacent memory cells; Figure 6 is a plan view showing some regions of several memory cells having a structure similar to that of Figures 2 to 5;; Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view of another particular memory cell structure in accordance with the invention, illustrating a modification of that shown in Figure 2, and Figures 8, 9 and 10 are cross-sectional views (perpendicular to those of Figures 2 and 7) illustrating further modifications in a memory cell in accordance with the present invention.

It should be noted that the drawings are diagrammatic and not drawn to scale. The relative dimensions and proportions of parts of these drawings have been shown exaggerated or reduced in size for the sake of clarity and convenience in the drawings.

The same reference signs as used in one embodiment are generally used when referring to corresponding or similar parts in other embodiments. Depletion layers are shown without cross-hatching in Figure 1, whereas some features which are not in cross-section are hatched in Figures 3 to 6 to facilitate visualization.

Figure 1 illustrates part of one memory cell of an electrically-programmable semiconductor memory device in accordance with the present invention. The device comprises a plurality of such cells which may be identical to or symmetrical with each other in their layout. The cell has a charge-storage region 11 (preferably in the form of a floating gate, for example of doped polycrystalline silicon) whose charge state defines a memory state of the cell. The device comprises a semiconductor body 10 (for example of silicon) having for each cell a first insulating layer portion 21 (for example of silicon dioxide) present at a surface of the body 10 over a p type first region 1 of the body 10. The floating gate 11 extends at a surface of the first insulating layer portion 21.Each cell comprises transistor source and drain regions 5 and 6 respectively in at least a part of the first region 1 below the charge-storage region 11. Each cell has programming means comprising an n type injector region 2 present in the body 10 and forming a p-n junction with the first region 1. A control gate 12 (for example of doped polycrystalline silicon) is capacitively coupled to the floating gate 11. This capacitive coupling is preferably achieved by providing the control gate 12 on a second insulating layer portion 22, with the floating gate 11 between the layers 21 and 22.There are connections B, (S + D), and A respectively to the control gate 12, the surface of the first region 1 (via the source and drain regions 5 and 6) and the injector region 2 for applying a programming voltage Vb (for example about 15 volts) and Vd (for example about 5 volts) to bias the control gate 12 and the surface of the first region 1 with respect to the injector region 2 to set a desired charge-state of the floating gate 11. The n type injector region 2 is biased with zero voltage during programming. The surrounding E type body portion may be at 0 volts.

In accordance with the present invention, the injector region 2 is located below the first region 1 below the floating gate 11. This 2 type first region 1 has a sufficiently low acceptor doping concentration Na above the injector region 2 to allow punch-through via a depletion layer 1' vertically across the thickness T of the first region 1 to the injector region 2 upon application of the programming voltage Vb and Vd. Thereby the desired charge-state of the floating gate 11 is set (so programming the cell) by hot electron injection vertically from the n type injector region 2 into the floating gate 11.

The zero-bias potential barrier (Vo) of the p-n junction between the injector region 2 and the first region 1 is lowered by the punch-through of the depletion layer formed in the region 1 by the voltages Vd and Vb. Where this depletion layer punches through to the narrow zero-bias depletion layer (of width Xo) around the region 2, the p-n junction becomes forward biased, and electrons flow from the n type injector region 2 into the punch-through region 1. These electrons become heated by acceleration in the depletion layer 1' and are directed by the field towards the insulating layer 21, as indicated by arrow 18.

A significant proportion of these hot electrons have sufficient energy for entering the insulating layer 21 and drifting therein to the floating gate 11 under the attraction of the positive voltage Vb coupled from the control gate 12. The electrons which do not enter the layer 21 are extracted by means of transistor source and drain regions 5 and 6 of the memory cell. These regions 5 and 6 are shown in chain-dot outline in Figure 1 because they are preferably located out of the drawing plane of Figure 1. During the programming, these n type source and drain regions 5 and 6 are held at a positive potential (e.g. 5 volts), and the associated depletion layers 5' and 6' are also shown in chain-dot outline.Because of the continuous channel inversion layer formed in the depletion layer at the g type body surface below the gate structure, the surface of the region 1 is at a potential Vc--Vd+2~F with Vd applied to the source and drain regions 5 and 6, ~F being the potential difference between the Fermi level in the region I and the mid-bandgap level. This injector arrangement has several advantages. The injector 2 does not need an extra biasing voltage. The injector 2 is only injecting if the cell is being programmed. The injector 2 is directional in its injection and does not inject into, for example, the underlying substrate so that substrate currents are very small.

When the injector 2 is grounded, it can be seen that punch-through can only take place if both the control gate 12 and the transistor source and drain regions 5 and 6 are raised to a high potential (e.g. 15 volts and 5 volts respectively) so as to maintain the voltage distribution over the punch-through region, thereby allowing injection of the electrons into the floating gate 11. Punch-through is inhibited in all cases if the n type injector 2 is raised to a positive potential (e.g. 5 volts) instead of being grounded, or if the source and drain regions 5 and 6 are at zero volts instead of 5 volts, or if the control gate is at zero volts. Thus, when programming cells in one selected row of a memory matrix, the injectors 2 in non-selected adjacent rows can be inhibited by applying these different voltages. This permits a simple connection scheme as will be illustrated later with reference to Figure 6.

The minimum voltage Vp required for punch-through depends strongly on the doping level Na and the thickness T of the region 1 between the injector region 2 and the body surface. This punch-through voltage Vp is of the form: Vp + Vo = A.Na.(T-Xo)2 where A is a constant.

Calculations indicate that for a punch-through voltage Vp of 4 volts, the distance T should be about 0.5 micrometres for Na of 5x1016 cm~3 and nearly 0.8 micrometres for Na of 2x1016 cam~3.

By increasing the programming voltage above Vp, the potential barrier of the p-n junction between regions 1 and 2 is lowered resulting in current flow from the injector region 2 to the punch-through region 1. This punch-through electron current I is of the form: I = Io.exp((-B.Xo/T)(Vc-Vp)) where B is a constant, and Vc is the voltage over the punch-through region.

A high field for heating the electrons is produced in the punch-through depletion layer 1'. In order to obtain a high injection efficiency, the accelerating field in the depletion layer must be higher than the barrier between the semiconductor body 10 and the first insulating layer 21 (i.e. about 3.2 volts for the barrier between silicon and silicon dioxide). Thus, this can be achieved by biasing the source and drain regions 5 and 6 from a conventional 5 volt supply. The control gate 12 needs a higher voltage Vb sufficient to maintain the transistor in the on state during programming. The magnitude Vb depends on the magnitude of the capacitive coupling and must be sufficient to maintain the inversion layer (in the depletion layer) at the'body surface even in a higher-doped boundary region 3 (see below) between the transistor channel area and the punch-through region 1.Typically Vb may be between, for example, 15 to 20 volts.

Because the control gate 12 draws only a small current, this high voltage Vb can be generated in simple fashion with a charge pump from a 5 volt supply.

Preferably, to facilitate manufacture of the device, the same doping level Na is present in the punch-through first region 1 as in the transistor area 4 of the cell (at least down to the same depth T). Thus, for example, the injector region 2 may comprise an implanted n type well in a E type portion (substrate) of the body 10, and a shallower implanted p type well formed in a laterally adjacent part of the p type portion may overlap and overdope part of the area of the n type well to form the punch-through first region 1 above the injector region 2. Such a cell structure is illustrated in Figure 2.The doping level Na therefore influences many parameters of the memory cell: (I) the floating gate voltage to allow injection of electrons over the silicon to silicon dioxide barrier; this voltage is a minimum for Na of about 2x1016 to 5x1016 cam~3; (2) the source/drain voltage (to overcome the same barrier) decreases with increasing Na and is below 5 volts for Na of greater than lox1016 cm~3; (3) the injection probability which increases for increasing Na; (4) the threshold voltage of a not-programmed cell increases with increasing Na, but this is also related to the threshold voltage for n channel MOS transistors formed with the same processing in other parts of the circuit; and (5) the punch-through voltage Vp which increases with increasing Na, although it can also be changed by changing the depth T at which the injector 2 is located.

Considering these various parameters, it can be seen that a high value of Na is favourable for high programming rates, but that Na should not exceed about 5x1016 cam~3 if it is desired to use low programming voltages. Furthermore, it is desirable to limit Na to obtain satisfactory threshold voltages for n channel MOS transistors in other parts of the circuit. With an acceptor doping of about 5x1016 cam~3 for the corresponding part of the transistor area 4, a satisfactory punch-through voltage Vp (e.g.

of about 4 volts) and a good injection probability can be obtained.

If the same doping concentration Na over the thickness of the first region 1 were also to be present over the length between the region 1 and the transistor area 4, it would be necessary to separate laterally the injector region 2 from the transistor source and drain regions 5 and 6 by a significant distance to avoid lateral spread of the depletion layers 1', 5', 6' causing a punch-through connection between the injector region 2 and the source and drain regions 5 and 6. Thus, with Na of about 5x1016 cam~3 and a depth T of about 0.5 micrometres, this separation distance should be at least 2.5 micrometres. This would increase the size of the memory cell.However, in accordance with the present invention the lateral spread of the punch-through depletion layer is restricted by including one or more boundary regions 3 of the same conductivity type as the punch-through region 1 but with a higher doping concentration.

Figure 2 illustrates a transistor area 4 which is laterally separated from the punch-through first region 1 by one such boundary region 3. The transistor source and drain regions 5 and 6 are present in the area 4 (see Figures 3 to 5) but not in the drawing plane of Figure 2. Compared with the deeper depletion layers in the punch-through region 1 and in the transistor area 4, only a very shallow depletion layer (with the surface inversion layer) extends at the surface of the higher-doped boundary region 3 between the region 1 and area 4. With this separating boundary region 3, the transistor regions 5 and 6 may be much closer to the injector region 2, for example at a lateral separation of about 1.25 micrometres and even less than about 0.7 micrometres, so that a more compact cell structure can be obtained.

A boundary region 3 may also prevent parasitic connection of the injector region 2 to the body surface. Thus, the inventors have found that implanting an n type well to form the region 2 can result in an n type spur extending to the surface between the region 1 and area 4 (i.e. from the injector edge 42 illustrated in Figures 3 and 4) if the higher-doped boundary region 3 is not provided in this area (whereas it is so provided in this area as shown in Figure 2). Furthermore, as illustrated in Figure 3, each cell comprises in the body 10 an active island portion which includes the first region 1 and which is laterally bounded on at least two longitudinal sides by an inset insulating layer forming part of a field oxide pattern 29. Different parts of the field oxide pattern 29 around the island may be formed in different stages.Thus, for example, most of the pattern 29 may be inset by local oxidation of silicon (LOCOS) at an early stage in the manufacture, and at a later stage (e.g. after forming a shallow n type connection region pattern 8) other parts of the field oxide pattern 29 may be deposited, such as the parts 29a adjacent the source and drain regions 5 and 6 and injector connection region 8. Although not in cross-section in Figure 3, the field pattern 29 has been hatched so as to facilitate visualization of the island structure; and as can be seen the island portions of two adjacent cells adjoin each other, in this particular embodiment at a common n type connection region 8. The island portions have two longitudinal sides 30 and an end side 31, and the structure is symmetrical about the plane 32.The n type injector region 2 of each cell extends from the common connection region 8 to below the punch-through region 1. The extent of the injector region 2 in the island portion is shown in Figure 3, from which it can be seen that the region 2 extends between both longitudinal sides 30 and as far as 42. A parasitic n type connection of the injector region 2 to the body surface may occur at these sides 30 of the inset field pattern 29, and in order to prevent this the p type boundary region 3 is provided so as to adjoin the inset field pattern 29 on these two opposite sides 30.

Thus, in this case, each cell may comprise a U-shaped boundary region 3 (whose shape is shown by cross-hatching in Figure 4) extending along the sides 30 and at the region edge 42, so as to extend laterally around the lower-doped punch-through region 1. In this manner a well-defined vertical punch-through region 1 is defined between the injector region 2 and a part of the floating-gate charge-storage region 11. Furthermore, the boundary region 3 extends across the island of each cell (at 42) to separate the island portion laterally into opposite first and second ends. The punch-through region 1 and underlying injector region 2 is present at the first end (adjacent connection region 8), below one part of the floating-gate charge-storage region 11.The transistor source and drain regions 5 and 6 are present at the second end (adjacent to side 31); another part of the floating-gate charge-storage region 11 extends above at least a channel area between the regions 5 and 6. This provides a particularly compact cell island structure with well-defined vertical punch-through. A compact layout for forming the connections to these source and drain regions 5 and 6 will be described later with reference to Figure 6.

As illustrated in Figures 2 and 5, the control gate 12 and (in the case of an EEPROM) an erase gate 14 are provided on the second insulating layer 22 over the floating gate 11. The erase gate 14 has a smaller overlap area with the floating gate 11 than does the control gate 12, and so its capacitive coupling to the floating gate 11 is less than that of the control gate 12 to the floating gate 11. Erasure occurs by charge tunnelling from the floating gate 11 through the dielectric 22 to the erase gate 14.

Both gates 12 and 14 may be formed by, for example, tracks of doped polycrystalline silicon which extend parallel to each other and transverse to the longitudinal sides 30 of the cell islands.

Each of the cells in one column of a memory matrix may have a common control-gate track 12 and a common erase-gate track 14. A further insulating layer (not shown) covers the gate tracks 12 and 14. The regions 8 may be contacted at windows 28 in the insulating layer structure and may be connected together in rows by metal tracks 18 extending parallel to the longitudinal sides 30 of the cell islands.

In a typical example the inset field pattern may be, for example, 700nm thick grown using LOCOS technology in a p type silicon body portion 10 having a boron doping of about 2x1015 cm~3. This body portion may be, for example an epitaxial layer of 3 to 5 micrometre thickness on a higher-doped D type substrate. The p type and n type wells may then be implanted using, for example, complementary masks so that the whole body surface is implanted either p type or n type. High energy boron and phosphorus implants may be used, able to penetrate the inset field pattern 29.For the p type well: about 1.2x1012 cam~2 of 21OkeV boron ions and about 1.5x1012 cm~2 of 350keV boron ions may be used to form the bulk of the p well (region 1 and transistor area 4), together with a threshold-adjusting implant of about 1.5x1012 cm~2 of 7OkeV boron ions. For the n type well (including the injector 2): about 2x1013 cam~2 of 1MeV phosphorus ions may be used, together with a threshold-adjusting implant of about 6x1O11 cam~2 of 5OkeV boron ions.As well as forming the regions 1,2 and 4 in the memory cell areas, these implanted n and D wells may be provided in other parts of the circuit device to implement CMOS circuitry, for example. In order to provide the boundary regions 3, an extra, localised boron implant is carried out, for example with about 5x1012 cam~2 of 15OkeV boron ions, so that the boundary region 3 may be about 3 times more highly doped than the punch-through region 1 and about half the phosphorus dose of the n well implant soyas to suppress n type connective spurs from the periphery of the injector region 2 to the surface.When using 1.25 micrometre process technology, for example, the width of the region 3 along the sides 30 may be about 1.25 micrometres so as to leave a width of about 1.25 micrometres for the punch-through region 1. The region 1 may be, for example, 0.5 micrometres deep. A gate oxide layer 21 of about 25nm may be grown on the active areas of the cells.

Shallow source and drain regions of the transistors can be formed by a low-energy implant in the active areas, together with shallow highly-doped contact regions such as a surface doping for the region 8.

The electrically-erasable memory cells of Figures 2 to 5 with a punch-through voltage Vp of 4 volts may be operated as follows: (1) for writing (programming), the substrate 10 (terminal E) and injector 2 (terminal A) are at 0 volts, the source and drain 5 and 6 (terminals S and D) and erase gate 14 (terminal C) are at e.g. 5 volts, and a programming pulse Vb of between 15 and 20 volts is applied to the control gate 12 (terminal B); (2) for erasing, the substrate 10 and injector 2 are at 0 volts, the control gate 12 and source and drain 5 and 6 may be at 0 volts but preferably are at e.g. 5 volts, and the erase gate 14 is raised to between 15 to 20 volts; (3) for reading, the transistor with source at 0 volts and drain at between 1 and 2 volts is used, the gates 12 and 14 being at e.g.

5 volts, while the injector 2 is kept at 0 volts. The respective couplings of the erase gate 14 and control gate 12 to the underlying floating gate 11 define the different charge-states of the floating gate 11 when respectively erased and programmed.

The voltage Vd and the coupling of the control gate 12 sets the threshold voltage of the memory cell after programming. With the voltage Vb (of 15 to 20 volts) on the control gate 12, programming of the cell stops when the positive potential of the floating gate 11 has been decreased by the hot electron injection 18 to a level at which the transistor channel inversion layer is cut off. This is a well-defined level dependent on the threshold voltage. Erasure of the programmed state of the floating gate 11 is effected by electron tunnelling through the dielectric layer 22 to the erase gate 14 when this gate 14 is raised to a high positive potential.The thickness of the dielectric layer 22 and the degree of roughness of the surface of the polycrystalline silicon gate 14 can be chosen so that the same level of voltage (15 to 20 volts) is used on the erase gate 14 for erasure as on the control gate 12 for programming. The level of erasing can be controlled by an effective feed-back mechanism involving the injector 2. By biasing the source and drain 5 and 6 at 5 volts and the injector 2 at 0 volts (i.e. as in the programming mode) while keeping the control gate 12 at a low voltage (e.g. 5V) and raising the erase gate 14 to the high voltage~(15 to 20 volts), erasing will increase the floating gate voltage (by electron tunnelling). In this case, if the potential of the floating gate 11 starts to become too positive by over-erasure and turns the transistor on, the voltage levels on the other regions are such that hot-electron injection 18 starts in the punch-through region 1 from injector 2, and erase will stop. Thus, in this arrangement there is an advantageous feed-back mechanism to compensate against over-erasure, so that there is a well-defined end-state of gate 11 for the erasure. The threshold voltage difference (programming window) between an erased cell and a programmed cell is determined by the difference between the high voltage (15 to 20 volts) applied to the control gate 12 during programming and the low voltage (e.g. 5 volts) applied to control gate 12 during erasure.If a threshold voltage difference of only about 5 volts is desired, the low voltage may be about 13 volts when the high voltage is about 18 volts, for example.

Experimental results indicate a very efficient hot electron injection and transistor threshold voltage shift with this confined-vertical punch-through structure. Thus very high injection probabilities of about 10-4 can be obtained. Very high oxide currents of about 0.8A.cm~2 have been measured, and this implies very high programming speeds as the oxide is not destroyed.

The present invention permits the design and operation of the memory cell with voltage levels of e.g. either 0 volts or 5 volts applied to injector regions 2 and transistor source and drain regions 5 and 6. Furthermore, the appropriate voltage levels for the various regions when programming, reading and erasing cells in adjacent rows and columns of a memory matrix in accordance with the invention are such that the cells can be organised in a compact layout as illustrated in Figure 6. This layout avoids the need for separate contacts for connections S and D to the transistor source and drain regions 5 and 6.Thus, in accordance with the present invention, each n type connection region 8 forms a common connection for the injector regions 2 of two adjacent cells (e.g. in one island, as illustrated in Figures 2 to 5) and also extends into four other adjacent cell areas (island portions) to form in each of these four cells a source or drain region 5 or 6 of a transistor of that cell (or at least to form the connection to the source or drain 5 or 6 of that cell).

To facilitate visualization of the layout, one such region 8 and one cell island-portion are each cross-hatched in Figure 6. The parallel metal tracks 18 connecting rows of regions 8 (via windows 28) may form bit lines of the memory cell matrix. Word lines may be formed by the control-gate tracks 12 (not shown in Figure 6) which extend perpendicular to the tracks 18. The state of a cell in one row may be read by controlling the voltages on the two neighbouring bit lines, and these two neighbouring bit lines are also used in programming and erasing that cell.

From reading the foregoing disclosure it will be evident to a person skilled in the design of semiconductor memories and in semiconductor device technology that many modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the present invention. Figure 7 illustrates a simple modification of the Figure 2 structure, in which the injector region 2 comprises a buried layer 82 of the same conductivity type (n type) which extends below an intermediate part 33 of the inset field pattern 29. This part 33 extends across the island portion at the opposite end from the end 31. In this situation there is a risk that premature punch-through or some other connection of the injector region 2 to the inversion layer under the gate 11 may occur at the side of this inset part 33.Therefore, in accordance with the present invention, a (or the) boundary layer 3 of the same conductivity type as the punch-through region 1 but with a higher doping concentration adjoins this side of the inset part 33 above the buried layer 82.

In the embodiments of Figures 2 to 7, the transistor source and drain regions 5 and 6 are in an area 4 of the island which is laterally separated from the area containing the injector 2, by means of the boundary region 3 extending across the width of the island portion. Figure 8 illustrates a modified structure, in which each cell comprises transistor source and drain regions 5 and 6 which are each formed in a boundary region 3 of the higher doping concentration (p+). These regions 3 extend below the respective source and drain regions 5 and 6 and are separated from each other in the channel area of the transistor below the floating gate 11. In this construction, the injector 2 may be inserted closer to or even under the source and drain regions 5 and 6, so that a more compact memory cell can be obtained.These regions 3,5 and 6 may be formed by dopant implantation using the insulated gate 11 as a mask. An erase gate 14 may be coupled capacitively to the floating charge-storage region 11. Thus, for example, the erase gate 14 may be present on the insulating layer 22 over a part of the charge-storage region 11 outside the drawing plane of Figure 8.

Figure 9 illustrates a further modification in which the drain region 6 is formed in a boundary region 3 (as in Figure 8), but the source region 5 is not. The source region 5 is present above part of the injector 2 and is connected to the injector 2 by a short-circuit region 52 of the same conductivity type, e.g.

formed simultaneously with an n type well. In this case, a very compact cell structure can be obtained, but more current will flow during programming. Thus, during programming, a current will flow horizontally through the transistor due to the biasing of the drain 6 with respect to the injector 2 and source 5, coinciding with the vertical punch-through current. An erase gate 14 may be coupled capacitively to the floating charge-storage region 11. Thus, for example, the erasure gate 14 may be present on the insulating layer 22 over a part of the charge-storage region 11 outside the drawing plane of Figure 9.

Figure 10 illustrates a modification of the Figure 9 structure, in which the floating charge-storage gate 11 extends over only a part (adjacent to the drain region 6) of the length of the transistor channel between the source and drain regions 5 and 6 and in which an insulated gate 14 extends (adjacent to the source region 5) over the remainder of the length of the transistor channel. By providing this arrangement of the gates 11 and 14, the transistor channel can be interrupted (below the gate 14) during programming so as to avoid the horizontal current flow between regions 5 and 6 which was described with reference to Figure 9. This gate 14 may also be capacitively coupled to the floating gate 11 (as illustrated in Figure 10) to form an erase gate of the memory cell.Thus, with the memory cell structure of Figure 10 the following voltages are applied for the programming condition: control gate 12 at between 15 and 20 volts, injector 2 (and source region 5) and erase gate 14 at O volts, drain region 6 at between 4 and 10 volts (e.g. 5 volts).

These voltages are the same voltages which are applied for programming in the other embodiments, except for the source region 5. The lateral spread of the depletion layer punching through to the injector 2 in the selected cell is restricted by the higher-doped boundary region 3 in which the drain region 6 is provided. Without the region 3, the drain 6 would need to be spaced further from the injector 2 and so more space would be required for the cell. Erasing can be effected in the same way as in the other embodiments, by bringing the erase gate 14 to between 15 and 25 volts, while the other terminals are at O volts. During programming, the non-selected cells experience the following conditions: either all terminals at 0 volts, or only the drain 6 at 4 to 10 volts, or only the control gate 12 at 15 to 25 volts. None of these conditions can program the cell.

During reading, the source region 5 (and injector 2) is at O volts, the drain region 6 is at between 1 and 2 volts, and the gates 12 and 14 are at, for example, 5 volts; the voltage on the gate 14 induces a conductive inversion channel at the end of'the transistor channel area adjacent the source region 5, while the charge-state of the floating gate 11 determines whether the transistor channel is interrupted or complete and so determines whether the transistor is ON or OFF.

It will be evident that other modifications and variations may be present in memory cells in accordance with the invention.

Thus, in some devices, control gates 12 may have a lateral extension which overlies a part of the transistor channel area which is not overlaid by the floating gate 11. Although Figures 1 to 9 show control gates 12 on a second insulating layer 22 on the floating gate 11, control gates (and erasure gates) can be constructed in other ways, for example they may be in the body 10 as doped surface regions which form diodes capacitively coupled to the floating gate 11 via the insulating layer 21 at the body surface. An erase gate 14 may be present below a part of the floating gate 11. Erasure may alternatively be carried out without a special gate 14, for example by charge-carrier transport through the gate oxide 21 to the source and drain regions 5 and 6 or through a thin oxide layer eleswhere.Instead of using a floating gate as the charge-storage region 11, charge traps at the interface of two insulating layers 22 and 21 (for example silicon nitride on silicon dioxide) may be used to form the charge-storage region 11, although this is less efficient in collecting injected hot electrons.

Although Figures 1 to 10 illustrate hot electron injection, hot hole injection is also possible using the vertical punch-through injection arrangement with an n type punch-through region 1 over a p type injector region 2, and with higher-doped (n+) n type boundary regions 3. However the injection efficiency for hot holes is several orders of magnitude less than that for hot electrons.

From reading the present disclosure, other variations will be apparent to persons skilled in the art. Such variations may involve other features which are already known in the design, manufacture and use of semiconductor memory devices, semiconductor circuits, and their manufacturing technology, and which may be used instead of or in addition to features already described herein. Although claims have been formulated in this application to particular combinations of features, it should be understood that the scope of the disclosure of the present application also includes any novel feature or any novel combination of features disclosed herein either explicitly or implicitly or any generalisation thereof, whether or not it relates to the same invention as presently claimed in any claim and whether or not it mitigates any or all of the same technical problems as does the present invention. The applicants hereby give notice that new claims may be formulated to such features and/or combinations of such features during the prosecution of the present application or of any further application derived therefrom.

Claims

CLAIM(S)

1. An electrically-programmable semiconductor memory device comprising a plurality of memory cells each having a charge-storage region whose charge state defines a memory state of the cell, the device comprising a semiconductor body having for each cell a first insulating layer portion present at a surface of the body over a first region of the body of a first conductivity type, the charge-storage region extending at a surface of the first insulating layer portion, and programming means for each cell comprising an injector region of the opposite second conductivity type forming a p-n junction with the first region, a control gate capacitively coupled to the charge-storage region, and connection means for applying a programming voltage to bias the control gate and the surface of the first region with respect to the injector region to set a desired charge-state of the charge-storage region, characterised in that the injector region is located below the first region below the charge-storage region, and in that the first region has a sufficiently low doping concentration of the first conductivity type above the injector region to allow punch-through via a depletion layer vertically across the thickness of the first region to the injector region upon application of the programming voltage, thereby setting the desired charge-state by hot carrier injection vertically from the injector region into the charge-storage region.

2. A device as claimed in Claim 1, further characterised in that at least one boundary region having a higher doping concentration of the first conductivity type is present at at least one side of the first region of each cell and restricts the lateral spread of the depletion layer at that side during punch-through vertically across the thickness of the first region.

3. A device as claimed in Claim 2, further characterised in that the boundary region is present above a peripheral part of the injector region to prevent parasitic connection of the injector region to the surface.

4. A device as claimed in Claim 2 or Claim 3, further characterised in that each cell comprises in the body an island portion which includes the first region and which is bounded by an inset field insulating layer pattern at the surface of the body, and in that the boundary region adjoins the inset field pattern on at least one side of the island portion.

5. A device as claimed in Claim 4, further characterised in that the injector region extends below the first region between two opposite sides of the island portion, and in that the boundary region adjoins said two opposite sides.

6. A device as claimed in Claim 4 or Claim 5, further characterised in that the connection to the injector region comprises a buried layer of the second conductivity type which extends below an intermediate part of the field pattern, and in that the boundary region adjoins a side of this intermediate part.

7. A device as claimed in anyone of Claims 2 to 6, further characterised in that each cell comprises transistor source and drain regions present in an area of the body which is laterally separated from the first region by the boundary region.

8. A device as claimed in Claim 7, further characterised in that each cell comprises in the body an island portion across which the boundary region extends to separate the island portion laterally into opposite first and second ends, the first region and underlying injector region being present at the first end below one part of the charge-storage region, another part of the charge-storage region extending above at least a channel area between the transistor source and drain regions present at the second end.

9. A device as claimed in anyone of Claims 2 to 7, further characterised in that each cell comprises transistor source and drain regions of the second conductivity type which are each formed in a boundary region of the higher doping concentration of the first conductivity type, which boundary regions extend below the respective source and drain region and are separated from each other in the channel area of the transistor below the charge-storage region.

10. A device as claimed in anyone of Claims 2 to 4, further characterised in that each cell comprises a transistor drain region of a second conductivity type in a boundary region of the high doping concentration of the first conductivity type, and a transistor source region of the second conductivity type is connected to the injector region.

11. A device as claimed in Claim 10, further characterised in that the charge-storage region extends over only a part of the length of the transistor channel between the source and drain regions, and in that an insulated gate extends over the remainder of the length of the transistor channel.

12. A device as claimed in Claim 11, further characterised in that said insulated gate is also capacitively coupled to the charge-storage region to provide an erase gate of the memory cell.

13. A device as claimed in anyone of the preceding claims, further characterised in that each cell comprises an island portion of the body, and in that the island portions of two adjacent cells adjoin each other at a connection region of the second conductivity type which forms a common connection to the injector regions of the two adjacent cells.

14. A device as claimed in Claim 13, further characterised in that the connection region of the second conductivity type extends into four other adjacent island portions (in addition to said two adjacent island portions) to form a source and drain connection of a transistor in each of said four island portions.

15. A device as claimed in anyone of the preceding claims, further characterised in that the control gate is present on a second insulating layer portion over the charge-storage region, and in that the charge-storage region is a floating gate between the first and second insulating layer portions.

16. A device as claimed in Claim 15, further characterised in that each memory cell comprises an erase gate which is present on the second insulating layer over the charge-storage region to permit electrical erasure of the memory state of that cell by applying an erasure voltage to the erase gate.

17. A device as claimed in anyone of Claims 1 to 15, further characterised in that each memory cell comprises an erase gate which is coupled capacitively to the charge-storage region to permit electrical erasure of the memory state of that cell.

18. A device as claimed in anyone of the preceding claims, further characterised in that the injector region comprises an implanted n type well in a E type portion of the body, and in that a shallower implanted p type well is formed in a laterally adjacent part of the E type portion and overlaps and overdopes part of the area of the n type well to form the first region above the injector region.

19. A semiconductor device having any novel feature substantially as described herein or as illustrated in anyone of the accompanying drawings.