Non-volatile semiconductor memories have attracted much attention due to the fast growing demand of portable electronic devices. In this thesis, the atomic layer deposition prepared HfO2 thin film was fabricated with TEMAH as precursor and O2 plasma as oxidant. A 7-nm thick HfO2 thin film was applied as the charge trapping layer. The significant hysteresis loops found in C-V relation indicated the exellent charge storage effect. In additon, the erase and retention characteristics were investigated and the results were satisfactory for nonvolatile memory application.
Moreover, the Au nanocrystals were embedded in HfO2 at different locations. The effect on the device was investigated. It is found that the Au nanocrystals have an influence on the device characteristics due to the field enhancement effect.

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