Patent ID: 7154153
Filing Date: 2006-12-26
Classification: H01L

Abstract:
1. A transistor comprising: a source region; a drain region; a channel region between the source region and the drain region; a floating gate separated from the channel region by an insulator, the floating gate being conductively doped and comprising a material that has a smaller electron affinity than polycrystalline silicon and a barrier energy between the floating gate and the insulator being less than approximately 3.3 eV, the insulator having a larger electron affinity than silicon dioxide; a control electrode, separated from the floating gate by an intergate dielectric; and wherein the intergate dielectric has a permittivity that is higher than a permittivity of silicon dioxide, wherein: the insulator comprises a material that has a larger electron affinity than silicon dioxide; the floating gate comprises polycrystalline or microcrystalline silicon carbide; the barrier energy is less than approximately 2.0 eV; and an area of a capacitor formed by the control electrode, the floating gate, and the intergate dielectric is larger than an area of a capacitor formed by the floating gate, the insulator, and the channel region.