This paper reports a study on the programming characteristics of the TANOS (Ti gate - Al2O3-Si3N4-SiO2-Si) device using a 3-dimensional self-consistent numerical simulation. The STI (Shallow Trench Isolation) structure is considered in TANOS device simulation. The program characteristics are investigated in various active space and gate dimensions (width and channel length) using numerical simulation. It is found from the simulation that the STI effect becomes more important as the device size is scaled down. Since the STI effect is dependent on the channel width, length, and 511 width, the framework of 3D simulation is crucial for scaled TANOS device design. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.