KMC-based POM Flash Cell Optimization and Time-Dependent Performance Investigation

The beneficial characteristics of polyoxometalate (POM) molecule-based flash memory cells provide interesting opportunities for scaling beyond the limitations of conventional flash cells. In this paper, we study the write, erase, and retention times of POM flash cells using a kinetic Monte Carlo method implemented in the multi-scale Nano-Electronic Simulation Software simulation framework. The POM flash structure is optimized by studying the tradeoffs between program/erase time and retention time. Based on the optimized POM flash structure, the POM molecular layer charging and discharging processes as well as the corresponding threshold voltage variation are analyzed. The distributions of write, erase, and retention times are simulated and analyzed when studying the POM flash dynamic charging and discharging characteristics.