Through experiments and a proposed model, we revealed for the first time why electrons laterally migrate within the ${\mathrm{Si}}_3{\mathrm{N}}_4$ charge trap layer during the programming of flash memory devices. The proposed thermally assisted trap-to-band tunneling emission model well explained the measured electric field and temperature effects on the lateral migration of electrons. The proposed model was emulated in a commercial technology computer-aided design tool through a user interface, enabling accurate physical analysis. This model can be used to design devices utilizing lateral migration of electrons or to analyze various phenomena in vertical NAND flash memory, such as space program and Z interference.

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• Carrier dynamics
• Diffusion
• Electrical properties
• Field emission
• Thermionic emission
• Field-effect transistors
• Free-electron model