Time dependent threshold-voltage fluctuations in NAND flash memories: From basic physics to impact on array operation

Introduction: Random telegraph noise (RTN) during read and charge detrapping during data retention cause time dependent threshold voltage (VT) fluctuations in NAND flash memories [1-9]. This paper reviews and discusses the physics of these phenomena and the impact on NAND array reliability based on characteristics of aggressively scaled 2D planar NAND cells [10][11]. The discussion is further extended to 3D NAND.