A SONOS flash memory device, including a semiconductor substrate; an ONO structure
formed on the semiconductor substrate, the ONO structure including a bottom oxide
layer, a dielectric charge storage layer and a top oxide layer, the bottom oxide
layer having a super-stoichiometric oxygen content and an oxygen vacancy content
of about 1010/cm2 or less, wherein the bottom oxide layer
exhibits a reduced charge leakage relative to a bottom oxide layer having a stoichiometric
or sub-stoichiometric oxygen content and a greater number of oxygen vacancies.
In one embodiment, the bottom oxide layer has an oxygen vacancy content of substantially zero.