US Patent 7309650 - Nanocrystal charge storage layer

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7309650.html

This patent teaches a method of preventing oxidation of nanocrystals in a nanocrystal memory device by using a porous dielectric layer in which the material forming the nanoparticles is diffused. Claim 1 reads:

1. A method for manufacturing a memory device, comprising: providing a substrate; forming a first layer of dielectric material on the substrate; forming a porous dielectric layer on the first layer of dielectric material; diffusing an electrically conductive material into the porous dielectric layer to form a nanocrystal charge storage region; and forming a second layer of dielectric material on the porous dielectric layer.