Methods of forming charge-trapping regions
View Patent ↗Some embodiments include methods of forming charge-trapping zones. The methods may include forming nanoparticles, transferring the nanoparticles to a liquid to form a dispersion, forming an aerosol from the dispersion, and then directing the aerosol onto a substrate to form charge-trapping centers comprising the nanoparticles. The charge-trapping zones may be incorporated into flash memory cells.
1. A method of forming a charge-trapping zone, comprising:
forming a plurality of nanoparticles;
coating the nanoparticles with electrically conductive material to form coated nanoparticles prior to transferring the nanoparticles to a fluid, the coating utilizing one or more of physical vapor deposition, chemical vapor deposition, atomic layer deposition and plating;
transferring the coated nanoparticles to the fluid, and forming a dispersion of the nanoparticles within the fluid;
forming an aerosol from the dispersion; and
directing the aerosol onto a substrate utilizing the aerosol to form charge-trapping centers comprising the nanoparticles, individual charge-trapping centers being spaced from one another by intervening gaps.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the electrically conductive material comprises elemental metal.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein the electrically conductive material comprises a metal-containing compound.
4. A method of forming a charge-trapping zone, comprising:
forming a plurality of nanoparticles over a surface;
stripping the nanoparticles from the surfaces;
cleaning the nanoparticles;
coating the nanoparticles with electrically conductive material, the coating utilizing one or more of physical vapor deposition, chemical vapor deposition, atomic layer deposition and plating;
transferring the cleaned nanoparticles to a liquid, and forming a dispersion of the nanoparticles within the liquid;
forming an aerosol from the dispersion; and
directing the aerosol onto a substrate to form charge-trapping centers comprising the nanoparticles, individual charge-trapping centers being spaced from one another by intervening gaps.
5. The method of claim 4 further comprising sorting the nanoparticles by size prior to forming the aerosol.
6. The method of claim 4 further comprising sorting the nanoparticles by size during the directing of the aerosol onto the substrate.
7. The method of claim 4 wherein the nanoparticles are metallic.
8. The method of claim 4 wherein the electrically conductive material comprises elemental metal.
9. The method of claim 4 wherein the electrically conductive material comprises a metal-containing compound.
10. A method of forming a charge-trapping zone, comprising:
forming a plurality of metallic nanoparticles associated with a first medium;
separating the nanoparticles from the first medium and forming a powder of the nanoparticles;
coating the nanoparticles with electrically conductive material to form coated nanoparticles, the coating utilizing one or more of physical vapor deposition, chemical vapor deposition, atomic layer deposition and plating;
dispersing of the powder within a liquid to form a dispersion;
forming an aerosol from the dispersion; and
directing the aerosol onto a substrate to form charge-trapping centers comprising the coated nanoparticles, individual charge-trapping centers being spaced from one another by intervening gaps.
11. The method of claim 10 wherein the electrically conductive material comprises elemental metal.
12. A method of forming a charge-trapping zone, comprising:
forming a plurality of metallic nanoparticles associated with a first medium;
separating the nanoparticles from the first medium and forming a powder of the nanoparticles;
coating the nanoparticles with electrically conductive material comprising a metal nitride to form coated nanoparticles:
dispersing of the powder within a liquid to form a dispersion:
forming an aerosol from the dispersion; and
directing the aerosol onto a substrate to form charge-trapping centers comprising the coated nanoparticles individual charge-trapping centers being spaced from one another by intervening gaps.