Freescale Semiconductor,inc.

Nxp Usa, Inc.

Cheong Min Hong

Sung-Taeg Kang

Jane A Yater

Gowrishankar L Chindalore

Ko-Min Chang

Asanga H Perera

Feng Zhou

Brian A Winstead

Konstantin V Loiko

Chi-Nan Li

Craig T Swift

Frank Kelsey Baker, Jr

Michael Alan Sadd

Ronald J Syzdek

Byoung W Min

Jacob Williams

Chi Nan Brian Li

David G Kolar

Weize Chen

Karthik Ramanan

Horacio P Gasquet

Tahmina Akhter

Gilles Muller

Marc A Rossow

Rana P Singh

Laureen H Parker

Spencer E Williams

Jinmiao James Shen

Taras A Kirichenko

Euhngi Lee

Satoshi Sekine

Juanyi Yin

Horatio P Gasquet

A method of forming a split gate memory cell structure using a substrate includes forming a gate stack comprising a select gate and a dielectric portion overlying the select gate. A charge storage layer is formed over the substrate including over the gate stack. A first sidewall spacer of conductive material is formed along a first sidewall of the gate stack extending past a top of the select gate. A second sidewall spacer of dielectric material is formed along the first sidewall on the first sidewall spacer. A portion of the first sidewall spacer is silicided using the second sidewall spacer as a mask whereby silicide does not extend to the charge storage layer.

Methods and structures for a split gate memory cell structure

A method of forming a semiconductor device using a substrate includes forming a first select gate over the substrate, a charge storage layer over the first select gate, over the second select gate, and over the substrate in a region between the first select gate and the second select gate, wherein the charge storage layer is conformal, and a control gate layer over the charge storage layer, wherein the control gate layer is conformal. The method further includes performing a first implant that penetrates through the control gate layer in a middle portion of the region between the first select gate and the second select gate to the substrate to form a doped region in the substrate in a first portion of the region between the first select gate and the second select gate that does not reach the first select gate and does not reach the second select gate.

Split gate device with doped region and method therefor

A first doped region extends from a top surface of a substrate to a first depth. An implant into the first doped region forms a second doped region of a second conductivity type. The second doped region extends from the top surface to a second depth that is less than the first depth. A split gate NVM structure has select and control gates over the second doped region. A drain region of the second conductivity type is formed adjacent to the select gate. A source region of the second conductivity type is formed adjacent to the control gate. Angled implants into the second doped region form a third doped region of the first conductivity type under a portion of the select gate and a fourth doped region of the first conductivity type under a portion of the control gate. The drain and source regions adjoin the third and fourth regions.

Method of forming split gate memory with improved reliability

A split gate memory array includes a first row having memory cells; a second row having memory cells, wherein the second row is adjacent to the first row; and a plurality of segments. Each segment includes a first plurality of memory cells of the first row, a second plurality of memory cells of the second row, a first control gate portion which forms a control gate of each memory cell of the first plurality of memory cells, and a second control gate portion which forms a control gate of each memory cell of the second plurality of memory cells. The first control gate portion and the second control gate portion converge to a single control gate portion between neighboring segments of the plurality of segments.

Scalable split gate memory cell array

A method of making a semiconductor device is described. The method comprises depositing a first polysilicon layer in a non-volatile memory (NVM) region and a logic region of a substrate. A first coating layer is deposited over the first polysilicon layer. The first coating layer and the first polysilicon layer are patterned to form a first gate in the NVM region. A memory cell is formed including the first gate. The first coating layer and the first layer of polysilicon in the logic region are removed and a logic gate polysilicon layer is deposited. The logic gate polysilicon layer is patterned to form a second gate in the logic region while the logic gate polysilicon layer is removed from the NVM region. Source/drain regions of the memory cell and the second gate are implanted concurrently.

Method for integrating non-volatile memory cells with static random access memory cells and logic transistors

A dielectric layer is formed over the substrate in the capacitor region and the memory region and a select gate layer is formed over the dielectric layer. A select gate is formed over the memory region and a plurality of lines of electrodes over the capacitor region from the select gate layer. A charge storage layer is formed over the capacitor region and the memory region including over the select gate and the plurality of lines. A control gate layer is formed over the charge storage layer over the capacitor region and over the memory region. The control gate layer is patterned to form a control gate of a memory cell over the memory region and a first electrode of a capacitor over the capacitor region. The plurality of lines are connected to the capacitor region to form a second electrode of the capacitor.

Non-volatile memory (NVM) cell and device structure integration

A method for forming a semiconductor device includes forming a select gate over a substrate and forming a charge storage layer and a control gate over the select gate. The charge storage layer and control gate overlap a first sidewall of the select gate and the charge storage layer is between the select gate and the control gate. A protective spacer is formed, wherein the protective spacer has a first portion adjacent a first sidewall of the charge storage layer and on the substrate, and the protective spacer is thinned. After thinning the protective spacer, a sidewall spacer is formed over the protective spacer, wherein the sidewall spacer has a first portion on the substrate, and the first portion of the protective spacer is between the first sidewall of the control gate and the first portion of the sidewall spacer.

Method of making a non-volatile memory (NVM) with trap-up reduction

A charge-storing device includes a charge-storing layer including nanocrystals. The nanocrystals are formed by a deposition technique incorporating deuterated hydrides. The deuterated hydride can be used to form an amorphous semiconductor material that is annealed to form nanoparticles to be incorporated into the charge-storing layer.

Nanocrystal memory and methods for forming same

A semiconductor device and a method for making the semiconductor device are provided. The semiconductor device includes a non-volatile memory cell having a gate dielectric and formed in a non-volatile memory well region; a first transistor type formed using a first gate oxide and formed in a first transistor well region; a second transistor type formed using a second gate oxide and formed in a second transistor well region; and a third transistor type formed using a third gate oxide and formed in a third transistor well region. The gate dielectric and the first and second gate oxides are formed from the same oxide stack. The first, second, and third transistor types include extension implants formed using a first implant dopant, and the non-volatile memory cell includes extension implants formed using a second implant dopant, where the first and second implant dopants are different.

Method of forming supra low threshold devices

A first doped region extends from a top surface of a substrate to a first depth. Implanting into the first doped region forms a second doped region of a second conductivity type. The second doped region extends from the top surface to a second depth that is less than the first depth. A split gate NVM structure has select and control gates over the second doped region. A drain region of the second conductivity type is formed adjacent to the select gate. A source region of the second conductivity type is formed adjacent to the control gate. Angled implants into the second doped region form a third doped region of the first conductivity type under a portion of the select gate and a fourth doped region of the first conductivity type under a portion of the control gate. The drain and source regions adjoin the third and fourth regions.

A method of forming a flash memory cell includes forming a first hard mask and a second hard mask on a substrate. A select gate is formed as a spacer around the first hard mask. A charge storage layer is formed over the first and second hard masks and the select gate. A control gate is formed as a spacer around the second hard mask. A recess in the control gate is filled with a dielectric material. The recess is formed between a curved sidewall of the control gate and a sidewall of the charge storage layer directly adjacent the curved sidewall of the control gate.

Non-volatile memory (NVM) cell and a method of making

A method and apparatus are described for integrating high voltage (HV) transistor devices and medium voltage or dual gate oxide (DGO) transistor devices with low voltage (LV) core transistor devices on a single substrate, where each high voltage transistor device () includes a metal gate (), an upper high-k gate dielectric layer (), a middle gate dielectric layer () formed with a relatively lower high-k dual gate oxide layer, and a lower high voltage gate dielectric stack () formed with one or more low-k gate oxide layers (), where each DGO transistor device () includes a metal gate (), an upper high-k gate dielectric layer (), and a middle gate dielectric layer () formed with a relatively lower high-k dual gate oxide layer, and where each core transistor device () includes a metal gate (), an upper high-k gate dielectric layer (), and a base oxide layer () formed with one or more low-k gate oxide layers.

Method of forming different voltage devices with high-k metal gate

The present disclosure provides for semiconductor structures and methods for making semiconductor structures. In one embodiment, isolation regions are formed in a substrate, and wells are formed between the isolation regions. The wells include a first low voltage well and a second low voltage well in a logic region of the substrate, and a memory array well in an NVM region of the substrate. A first layer of oxide is formed over the first low voltage well and the memory array well, and a second layer of oxide is formed over the second low voltage well, the second layer being thinner than the first layer. Gates are formed over the wells, including a first gate over the first low voltage well, a second gate over the second low voltage well, and a memory cell gate over the memory array well. Source/drain extension regions are formed around the gates.

Semiconductor memory cell and driver circuitry with gate oxide formed simultaneously

Methods and related structures are disclosed for forming contact landing regions in split-gate NVM (non-volatile memory) systems. A dummy select gate structure is formed while also forming select gates for split-gate NVM cells. A control gate layer is formed over the select gates and the dummy select gate structure, as well as an intervening charge storage layer. The control gate material will fill in gaps between the select gate material and the dummy select gate material. A non-patterned spacer etch is then used to etch the control gate layer to form a contact landing region associated with the dummy select gate structure while also forming spacer control gates for the split-gate NVM cells. The disclosed embodiments provide improved (e.g., more planar) contact landing regions without requiring additional processing steps and without increasing the pitch of the resulting NVM cell array.

Growing community of inventors

Austin, TX, United States of America

Cheong Min Hong