Patent ID: 7719048

Claim:
An E 2 PROM cell structure comprising: a read transistor that includes spaced apart source and drain diffusion regions formed in a semiconductor substrate and that define a substrate channel region therebetween; a conductive charge storage element that includes a first portion that is formed over the substrate channel region of the read transistor and is separated therefrom by a first layer of intervening dielectric material and a second portion that extends away from the substrate channel region of the read transistor and is separated from the semiconductor substrate by the first layer of intervening dielectric material; a conductive control gate that is formed over the conductive storage element and is separated from the conductive charge storage element by a second layer of intervening dielectric material; and a conductive heating element that is formed over the second portion of the conductive charge storage element and separated therefrom by the second layer of intervening dielectric material such that the conductive heating element is placed between and spaced apart from the conductive control gate and the read transistor from a plan view, the conductive heating element being disposed to provide heat to the conductive charge storage element.