Patent ID: 8258564

Claim:
An integrated circuit comprising: a semiconductor substrate; an insulation layer on the semiconductor substrate; a multitude of trenches formed through the insulation layer and into the semiconductor substrate a multitude of floating-gate electrodes formed on portions of the insulation layer interposed between adjacent ones of the trenches, wherein at least one of the floating-gate electrodes has a lower width and an upper width, the lower width being larger than the upper width, and wherein the at least one of the floating-gate electrodes comprises a transition metal; and a conductive layer on the insulation layer, wherein the trenches extend through the conductive layer so that portions of the conductive layer interposed between adjacent ones of the trenches form a lower part of the floating-gate electrodes disposed below an upper part of the floating-gate electrodes, the upper part formed by the transition metal and having a lower width and an upper width, the lower width being larger than the upper width.