Micron Technology Incorporated

Andrew Li

Wei Yeeng Ng

Matthew J King

Yiping Wang

Haoyu Li

Sanh D Tang

John David Hopkins

Yongjun Jeff Hu

Sourabh Dhir

Jordan D Greenlee

Alyssa N Scarbrough

Chandra S Tiwari

Daniel Billingsley

Yi Hu

Xiaosong Zhang

M Jared Barclay

Ramey M Abdelrahaman

Katsumi Koge

Lance Williamson

Frank Speetjens

Naoyoshi Kobayashi

Narula Bilik

Rajesh Balachandran

Joan M Kash

Sangeetha P Komanduri

Sukhdeep Kaur

Yung K Pak

David Neumeyer

Zhenyu Bo

Rita J Klein

Adam William Saxler

Chet E Carter

Kunal Shrotri

Collin Howder

Anish A Khandekar

Prashant Raghu

Sanjeev Sapra

Erik R Byers

Diem Thy N Tran

Sidhartha Gupta

Grady S Waldo

Nicholas R Tapias

Katelynn E Wang

Aireus Christensen

Bhavesh Bhartia

A memory array comprising strings of memory cells comprises laterally-spaced memory blocks individually comprising a vertical stack comprising alternating insulative tiers and conductive tiers above a conductor tier. Strings of memory cells comprise channel-material strings that extend through the insulative tiers and the conductive tiers in the memory blocks. The channel-material strings directly electrically couple to conductor material of the conductor tier. Intervening material is laterally-between and longitudinally-along immediately-laterally-adjacent of the memory blocks. The intervening material comprises a laterally-outer insulative lining extending longitudinally-along the immediately-laterally-adjacent memory-blocks. The laterally-outer insulative lining has its lowest surface between a top and a bottom of the lowest conductive tier. The laterally-outer insulative lining has its highest surface at or below a lowest surface of the next-lowest conductive tier. Laterally-inner insulating material extends longitudinally-along the immediately-laterally-adjacent memory blocks laterally-inward of the laterally-outer insulative lining. An interface is between the laterally-outer insulative lining and the laterally-inner insulating material. Methods are also disclosed.

Memory circuitry and method used in forming memory circuitry

A method for mitigating crack propagation during manufacture of semiconductor dies, and associated systems and methods are disclosed herein. The method includes forming holes into a first side of a wafer substrate opposite a second side. The wafer substrate has active components at the second side. Each hole extends from the first side towards the second side an extend to an intermediate depth within the wafer substrate such that a bottom of the holes is spaced vertically apart from the active components on the second side. The holes are configured to inhibit cracks in the wafer substrate from propagating longitudinally across the wafer substrate. The method also includes backgrinding the first side of the wafer substrate to thin the wafer substrate after forming the holes. The method also includes dicing the wafer substrate after backgrinding to separate individual semiconductor dies from each other.

Systems and methods for mitigating crack propagation in semiconductor die manufacturing

Some embodiments include an integrated assembly having a first structure containing semiconductor material, and having a second structure contacting the first structure. The first structure has a composition along an interface with the second structure. The composition includes additive to a concentration within a range of from about 10atoms/cmto about 10atoms/cm. The additive includes one or more of carbon, oxygen, nitrogen and sulfur. Some embodiments include methods of forming integrated assemblies.

Integrated assemblies and methods of forming integrated assemblies

Integrated circuitry comprising a memory array comprises strings of memory cells comprising laterally-spaced memory blocks individually comprising a first vertical stack comprising alternating insulative tiers and conductive tiers above a conductor tier. Strings of memory cells comprise channel-material strings that extend through the insulative tiers and the conductive tiers. The channel-material strings directly electrically couple with conductor material of the conductor tier. The conductive tiers individually comprise a horizontally-elongated conductive line. A second vertical stack is aside the first vertical stack. The second vertical stack comprises an upper portion and a lower portion. The upper portion comprises vertically-alternating first insulating tiers and second insulating tiers that are of different insulative compositions relative one another. The lower portion comprises a horizontal line above the conductor tier that runs parallel with the laterally-spaced memory blocks in the first vertical stack. Other embodiments, including method, are disclosed.

Integrated circuitry comprising a memory array comprising strings of memory cells and method used in forming a memory array comprising strings of memory cells

A method used in forming a memory array comprising strings of memory cells comprises forming a conductor tier comprising conductor material on a substrate. Laterally-spaced memory-block regions are formed that individually comprise a vertical stack comprising alternating first tiers and second tiers are formed directly above the conductor tier. Material of the first tiers is sacrificial and of different composition from material of the first tiers. Channel-material strings extend through the first tiers and the second tiers. Conducting material in a lowest of the first tiers is formed that directly electrically couples together the channel material of individual of the channel-material strings and the conductor material of the conductor tier. A horizontally-elongated trench is formed between immediately-laterally-adjacent of the memory-block regions. The trenches extend downwardly into the conducting material. After forming the trenches, lateral-sidewall regions of the conducting material that are aside the individual trenches in the lowest first tier is doped with an impurity. The sacrificial material is etched from the first tiers through the trenches selectively relative to the doped lateral-sidewall regions of the conducting material. Other embodiments, including structure, are disclosed.

Memory arrays comprising strings of memory cells and methods used in forming a memory array comprising strings of memory cells

A memory array comprising laterally-spaced memory blocks individually comprises a vertical stack comprising alternating insulative tiers and conductive tiers. Channel-material strings of memory cells extend through the insulative tiers and the conductive tiers. The laterally-spaced memory blocks in a lower one of the conductive tiers comprises elemental-form metal that extends longitudinally-along the laterally-spaced memory blocks proximate laterally-outer sides of the laterally-spaced memory blocks. A metal silicide or a metal-germanium compound is directly against laterally-inner sides of the elemental-form metal in the lower conductive tier and that extends longitudinally-along the laterally-spaced memory blocks in the lower conductive tier. The metal of the metal silicide or of the metal-germanium compound is the same as that of the elemental-form metal. Other embodiments, including method, are disclosed.

Memory arrays and methods used in forming a memory array comprising strings of memory cells

Some embodiments include a structure having an opening extending into an integrated configuration. A first material is within the opening, and is configured to create an undulating topography relative to a sidewall of the opening. The undulating topography has a surface roughness characterized by a mean roughness parameter Rwhich is the mean peak-to-valley distance along the undulating topography. The Ris at least about 4 nm. A second material is within the opening and along at least a portion of the undulating topography. The first and second materials are compositionally different from one another. Some embodiments include integrated assemblies. Some embodiments include methods of forming integrated assemblies.

Integrated assemblies having rugged material fill, and methods of forming integrated assemblies

A system and method for providing private message monitoring in a virtual class session monitors student private messages using natural language processing. The system is configured to communicatively couple a teacher computer, one or more student computers, and a web server over the Internet. The web server captures a private message between a first student computer and a second student computer, extract message text from the private message, process the extracted message text using natural language processing to identify a message topic, and when the message topic is not a current topic in a virtual class session, transmit a message to the first student computer and the second student computer to stay on topic of the virtual class session.

Student message monitoring using natural language processing

A memory array comprising strings of memory cells comprises laterally-spaced memory blocks individually comprising a vertical stack comprising alternating insulative tiers and conductive tiers. Operative channel-material strings of memory cells extend through the insulative tiers and the conductive tiers. Intervening material is laterally-between and longitudinally-along immediately-laterally-adjacent of the memory blocks. The intervening material comprises longitudinally-alternating first and second regions that individually have a vertically-elongated seam therein. The vertically-elongated seam in the first regions are taller than in the second regions. Additional embodiments, including method, are disclosed.

Various embodiments comprise methods of selectively etching oxides over nitrides in a vapor-etch cyclic process. In one embodiment, the method includes, in a first portion of the vapor-etch cyclic process, exposing a substrate having oxide features and nitride features formed thereon to selected etchants in a vapor-phase chamber; transferring the substrate to a post-etch heat treatment chamber; and heating the substrate to remove etchant reaction products from the substrate. In a second portion of the vapor-etch cyclic process, the method continues with transferring the substrate from the post-etch heat treatment chamber to the vapor-phase chamber; exposing the substrate to the selected etchants in the vapor-phase chamber; transferring the substrate to the post-etch heat treatment chamber; and heating the substrate to remove additional etchant reaction products from the substrate. Apparatuses for performing the method and additional methods are also disclosed.

Vapor-etch cyclic process

A method of forming a conductive via comprises forming a structure comprising an elevationally-extending-conductive via and a conductive line electrically coupled to and crossing above the conductive via. The conductive line comprises first conductive material and the conductive via comprises second conductive material of different composition from that of the first conductive material. The conductive line and the conductive via respectively having opposing sides in a vertical cross-section. First insulator material having k no greater than 4.0 is formed laterally outward of the opposing sides of the second conductive material of the conductive via selectively relative to the first conductive material of the opposing sides of the conductive line. The first insulator material is formed to a lateral thickness of at least 40 Angstroms in the vertical cross-section. Second insulator material having k greater than 4.0 is formed laterally outward of opposing sides of the first insulator material in the vertical cross-section. Additional method aspects, including structure independent of method of fabrication, are disclosed.

Structure of integrated circuitry and a method of forming a conductive via

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Boise, ID, United States of America

Andrew Li