Patent ID: 8779501

Claim:
A diode-based flash memory cell string comprising a plurality of cell devices connected in a row, each of the cell devices including: a semiconductor substrate; a first doping semiconductor area doped with impurities of a first semiconductor type and formed on the semiconductor substrate; a second doping semiconductor area doped with impurities of a second semiconductor type and formed on the first doping semiconductor area; a charge storage structure formed on the second doping semiconductor area, the charge storage structure including a tunneling insulating layer formed on the second doping semiconductor area, a charge storage node formed on the tunneling insulation layer and a blocking insulating layer formed on the charge storage node; and a control electrode formed on the charge storage structure, wherein the first doping semiconductor areas of the cell devices are connected to each other, the second doping semiconductor areas of the cell devices are connected to each other; wherein all the first doping semiconductor areas of the cell devices are connected to each other, all the second doping semiconductor areas of the cell devices are connected to each other; wherein the cell string comprises a first electrode for the connected first doping semiconductor areas and a second electrode for the connected second doping semiconductor areas; wherein the first and second doping semiconductor areas of the cell string operates as a diode by controlling the voltage applied to the first and second electrodes so that the information of cell devices in the cell string is read by current which flows between the first and second doping semiconductor areas.