摘要 |
A method is provided for forming a flash memory cell having an amorphous silicon floating gate capped by a CVD oxide, and a control gate formed over an intergate oxide layer formed over the oxide cap. Amorphous silicon is first formed over a gate oxide layer over a substrate, followed by the forming of a silicon nitride layer over the amorphous silicon layer. Silicon nitride is patterned to have a tapered opening so that the process window for aligning the floating gate with the active region of the cell is achieved with a relatively wide margin. Next, an oxide cap is formed over the floating gate. Using an oxide deposition method in place of the conventional polyoxidation method provides a less bulbous oxide formation over the floating gate, thus, yielding improved erase speed for the cell. The invention is also directed to a flash memory cell fabricated by the disclosed method.
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