Micron Technology Incorporated

Nan Ya Technology Corporation

Other

Chris M Carlson

Vishwanath Bhat

F Daniel Gealy

Vassil N Antonov

Gurtej S Sandhu

Tsai-Yu Huang

Garo Jacques Derderian

Noel Rocklein

Cem Basceri

Ugo Russo

Demetrius Sarigiannis

Bhaskar Srinivasan

Dimitrios Pavlopoulos

John A Smythe

Kunal Shrotri

Rishikesh Krishnan

Chun-I Hsieh

Durai Vishak Nirmal Ramaswamy

Hung-Wei Liu

Jie Li

M Jared Barclay

Nik Mirin

Jeff Hull

Dave Peterson

Cunyu Yang

Praveen Vaidyanathan

Kunal R Parekh

Haitao Liu

Justin B Dorhout

Matthew J King

Collin Howder

Anish A Khandekar

Manzar Siddik

Albert Fayrushin

Silvia Borsari

Jin Lu

Bharat Bhushan

Ryan L Meyer

Ramey M Abdelrahaman

Zhiqiang Xie

David Daycock

Zhe Song

Terry H Kim

Cole Smith

Srinath Venkatesan

Greg Light

Shyam Surthi

Richard J Hill

Matthew N Rocklein

Shane J Trapp

Byeung Chul Kim

Francois H Fabreguette

Michael E Koltonski

Jennifer K Sigman

Jeff Hall

A vertical structure extends through a tiered structure of alternating conductive and insulative materials. The vertical structure includes a channel structure and a tunneling structure. At least one of the conductive materials of the tiered structure provides a select gate tier (e.g., including a control gate for a select gate drain (SGD) transistor). Adjacent the select gate tier of the tiered structure, the tunneling structure consists of or consists essentially of an oxide-only material. Adjacent the word line tiers of the tiered structure, the tunneling structure comprises at least one material that is other than an oxide-only material, such as a nitride or oxynitride. The oxide-only material adjacent the select gate tier may inhibit unintentional loss of charge from a neighboring charge storage structure, which may improve the stability of the threshold voltage (Vth) of the select gate tier.

Microelectronic devices with tunneling structures having partial-height high-κ material regions

A microelectronic device includes a stack structure comprising a vertically alternating sequence of insulative structures and conductive structures arranged in tiers. At least one pillar, comprising a channel material, extends through the stack structure. A source region, below the stack structure, comprises a doped material. A vertical extension of the doped material protrudes upward to an interface with the channel material at elevation within the stack structure (e.g., an elevation proximate or laterally overlapping in elevation at least one source-side GIDL region). The microelectronic device structure may be formed by a method that includes forming a lateral opening through cell materials of the pillar, recessing the channel material to form a vertical recess, and forming the doped material in the vertical recess. Additional microelectronic devices are also disclosed, as are related methods and electronic systems.

Microelectronic devices with source region vertical extension between upper and lower channel regions, and related methods

Microelectronic devices with dopant extensions near a GIDL region below a tier stack, and related methods and systems

Various embodiments include methods and apparatus having a number of charge trap structures, where each charge trap structure includes a dielectric barrier between a gate and a blocking dielectric region, the blocking dielectric region located on a charge trap region of the charge trap structure. At least a portion of the gate can be separated by a void from a region which the charge trap structure is directly disposed. Additional apparatus, systems, and methods are disclosed.

Void formation for charge trap structures

Some embodiments include apparatuses and methods of forming the apparatuses. One of the apparatuses includes a channel to conduct current, the channel including a first channel portion and a second channel portion, a first memory cell structure located between a first gate and the first channel portion, a second memory cell structure located between a second gate and the second channel portion, and a void located between the first and second gates and between the first and second memory cell structures.

Memory device including voids between control gates

Microelectronic and semiconductor devices with a tunneling structure free of high-γ material by a select gate structure, and related methods

Various embodiments, disclosed herein, include methods and apparatus having charge trap structures, where each charge trap structure includes a dielectric barrier between a gate and a blocking dielectric on a charge trap region of the charge trap structure. In various embodiments, material of the dielectric barrier of each of the charge trap structures may have a dielectric constant greater than that of aluminum oxide. Additional apparatus, systems, and methods are disclosed.

Charge trap structure with barrier to blocking region

A memory array comprising strings of memory cells comprises a vertical stack comprising alternating insulative tiers and conductive tiers. The strings of memory cells in the stack comprise channel-material strings and storage-material strings extending through the insulative tiers and the conductive tiers. At least some of the storage material of the storage-material strings in individual of the insulative tiers are intrinsically less charge-transmissive than is the storage material in the storage-material strings in individual of the conductive tiers. Other aspects, including method, are disclosed.

Memory arrays and methods 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 stack comprising vertically-alternating insulative tiers and wordline tiers. First charge-blocking material is formed to extend elevationally along the vertically-alternating tiers. The first charge-blocking material has k of at least 7.0 and comprises a metal oxide. A second charge-blocking material is formed laterally inward of the first charge-blocking material. The second charge-blocking material has k less than 7.0. Storage material is formed laterally inward of the second charge-blocking material. Insulative charge-passage material is formed laterally inward of the storage material. Channel material is formed to extend elevationally along the insulative tiers and the wordline tiers laterally inward of the insulative charge-passage material. Structure embodiments are disclosed.

Memory arrays and methods used in forming a memory array

An electronic device comprising a cell region comprising stacks of alternating dielectric materials and conductive materials. A pillar region is adjacent to the cell region and comprises storage node segments adjacent to adjoining oxide materials and adjacent to a tunnel region. The storage node segments are separated by a vertical portion of the tunnel region. A high-k dielectric material is adjacent to the conductive materials of the cell region and to the adjoining oxide materials of the pillar region. Additional electronic devices are disclosed, as are methods of forming an electronic device and related systems.

Electronic devices comprising adjoining oxide materials and related systems

A method used in forming a memory array comprising strings of memory cells comprises forming a stack comprising vertically-alternating first tiers and second tiers. Horizontally-elongated trenches are formed into the stack to form laterally-spaced memory-block regions. A wall is formed in individual of the trenches laterally-between immediately-laterally-adjacent of the memory-block regions. The forming of the wall comprises lining sides of the trenches with insulative material comprising at least one of an insulative nitride and elemental-form boron. A core material is formed in the trenches to span laterally-between the at least one of the insulative nitride and the elemental-form boron. Structure independent of method is disclosed.

Electronic apparatus and methods of forming the electronic apparatus may include one or more charge trap structures for use in a variety of electronic systems and devices, where each charge trap structure includes a dielectric barrier between a gate and a blocking dielectric on a charge trap region of the charge trap structure. In various embodiments, a void is located between the charge trap region and a region on which the charge trap structure is disposed. In various embodiments, a tunnel region separating a charge trap region from a semiconductor pillar of a charge trap structure, can be arranged such that the tunnel region and the semiconductor pillar are boundaries of a void. Additional apparatus, systems, and methods are disclosed.

Void formation in charge trap structures

Some embodiments include device having a gate spaced from semiconductor channel material by a dielectric region, and having nitrogen-containing material directly against the semiconductor channel material and on an opposing side of the semiconductor channel material from the dielectric region. Some embodiments include a device having a gate spaced from semiconductor channel material by a dielectric region, and having nitrogen within at least some of the semiconductor channel material. Some embodiments include a NAND memory array which includes a vertical stack of alternating insulative levels and wordline levels. Channel material extends vertically along the stack. Charge-storage material is between the channel material and the wordline levels. Dielectric material is between the channel material and the charge-storage material. Nitrogen is within the channel material. Some embodiments include methods of forming NAND memory arrays.

Methods of forming NAND memory arrays

Various embodiments, disclosed herein, include methods and apparatus having charge trap structures, where each charge trap structure includes a dielectric harrier between a gate and a blocking dielectric on a charge trap region of the charge trap structure. In various embodiments, material of the dielectric harrier of each of the charge trap structures may have a dielectric constant greater than that of aluminum oxide. Additional apparatus, systems, and methods are disclosed.

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Nampa, ID, United States of America

Chris M Carlson