Origin of Initial Rapid Cell Current Reduction in Non-Volatile One-Time Programming Memory

The fast bit cell current (BCC) reduction in a one-time programming (OTP) device during high-temperature annealing will severely decrease the data retention (DR) capability. It is found that negative bias temperature instability-like degradation is responsible for this fast BCC shift, which is different from the well-known DR mechanism. The rapid floating gate charge diminution at the initial stag...