Sandisk Corporation

Sunrise Memory Corporation

Other

Sundisk Corporation

Sandisk Technologies Inc.

Sandisk Il Ltd.

Sandisk 3d LLC

Waferscale Integration, Inc.

Eli Harari

Robert D Norman

Daniel C Guterman

Sanjay Mehrotra

Wu-Yi Henry Chien

Robert F Wallace

Scott Brad Herner

Jack H Yuan

George Samachisa

Gheorghe Samachisa

Yupin K Fong

Edwin J Cuellar

Hem P Takiar

Robert C Miller

Tianhong Yan

Sayeef Salahuddin

Jie Zhou

Khandker N Quader

Henry Chien

Richard S Chernicoff

Christopher John Petti

Joel Bernard Jacobs

Robert Andrew Howard

Raul Adrian Cernea

Motohide Hatanaka

Vinod Purayath

Frank Sai-Keung Lee

Mehrdad Mofidi

Youn Cheul Kim

Yoram Cedar

Siu Lung Chan

Stephen Jeffrey Gross

Kevin M Conley

Carlos J Gonzalez

Yosi Pinto

Reuven Elhamias

Wesley G Brewer

Matt Peterson

Roy E Scheuerlein

Chenming Hu

Tuan Duc Pham

Vinod Robert Purayath

Micky Holtzman

Winston Lee

Daniel L Auclair

Bo Eric Ericsson

Moshe Raines

Ran Carmeli

Menahem Lasser

Boaz Eitan

George Matamis

Hiroyuki Kinoshita

John S Mangan

Michael Holtzman

Robert David Selinger

Shohei Kamisaka

Yosuke Nosho

Richard R Heye

Robert D Normal

Michiru Nakane

A process for manufacturing a 3-D NOR memory array provides thin-film storage transistors of each NOR memory string in either shafts or portions of a trench between adjacent shafts.

Methods for fabricating a 3-dimensional memory structure of nor memory strings

A first circuit formed on a first semiconductor substrate is wafer-bonded to a second circuit formed on a second memory circuit, wherein the first circuit includes quasi-volatile or non-volatile memory circuits and wherein the second memory circuit includes fast memory circuits that have lower read latencies than the quasi-volatile or non-volatile memory circuits, as well as logic circuits. The volatile and non-volatile memory circuits may include static random-access memory (SRAM) circuits, dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) circuits, embedded DRAM (eDRAM) circuits, magnetic random-access memory (MRAM) circuits, embedded MRAM (eMRAM), or any suitable combination of these circuits.

High capacity memory circuit with low effective latency

An electronic device with embedded access to a high-bandwidth, high-capacity fast-access memory includes (a) a memory circuit fabricated on a first semiconductor die, wherein the memory circuit includes numerous modular memory units, each modular memory unit having (i) a three-dimensional array of storage transistors, and (ii) a group of conductors exposed to a surface of the first semiconductor die, the group of conductors being configured for communicating control, address and data signals associated the memory unit; and (b) a logic circuit fabricated on a second semiconductor die, wherein the logic circuit also includes conductors each exposed at a surface of the second semiconductor die, wherein the first and second semiconductor dies are wafer-bonded, such that the conductors exposed at the surface of the first semiconductor die are each electrically connected to a corresponding one of the conductors exposed to the surface of the second semiconductor die. The three-dimensional array of storage transistors may be formed by NOR memory strings.

Device with embedded high-bandwidth, high-capacity memory using wafer bonding

A memory structure includes storage transistors organized as horizontal NOR memory strings where the storage transistors are thin-film ferroelectric field-effect transistors (FeFETs) having a ferroelectric gate dielectric layer formed adjacent an oxide semiconductor channel region. The ferroelectric storage transistors thus formed are junctionless transistors having no p/n junction in the channel. In some embodiments, the ferroelectric storage transistors in each NOR memory string share a common source line and a common bit line, the common source line and the common bit line formed on a first side of the channel region and the ferroelectric gate dielectric layer and in electrical contact with the oxide semiconductor channel region. The ferroelectric storage transistors in a NOR memory string are controlled by individual control gate electrodes formed on a second side, opposite the first side, of the ferroelectric gate dielectric layer.

Three-dimensional memory string array of thin-film ferroelectric transistors formed with an oxide semiconductor channel

A memory circuit includes: (i) a semiconductor substrate having a planar surface, the semiconductor substrate having formed therein circuitry for memory operations; (ii) a memory array formed above the planar surface, the memory array having one or more electrodes to memory circuits in the memory array, the conductors each extending along a direction substantially parallel to the planar surface; and (iii) one or more transistors each formed above, alongside or below a corresponding one of the electrodes but above the planar surface of the semiconductor substrate, each transistor (a) having first and second drain/source region and a gate region each formed out of a semiconductor material, wherein the first drain/source region, the second drain/source region or the gate region has formed thereon a metal silicide layer; and (b) selectively connecting the corresponding electrode to the circuitry for memory operations.

Vertical thin-film transistor and application as bit-line connector for 3-dimensional memory arrays

Various methods overcome the limitations and achieve superior scaling by (i) replacing a single highly challenging high aspect ratio etch step with two or more etch steps of less challenging aspect ratios and which involve wider and more mechanically stable active strips, (ii) using dielectric pillars for support and to maintain structural stability during a high aspect ratio etch step and subsequent processing steps, or (iii) using multiple masking steps to provide two or more etch steps of less challenging aspect ratios and which involve wider and more mechanically stable active strips.

Methods for forming multilayer horizontal NOR-type thin-film memory strings

Multi-gate NOR flash thin-film transistor (TFT) string arrays ('multi-gate NOR string arrays') are organized as stacks of horizontal active strips running parallel to the surface of a silicon substrate, with the TFTs in each stack being controlled by vertical local word-lines provided along one or both sidewalls of the stack of active strips. Each active strip includes at least a channel layer formed between two shared source or drain layers. Data storage in the TFTs of an active strip is provided by charge-storage elements provided between the active strip and the control gates provided by the adjacent local word-lines. Each active strip may provide TFTs that belong to one or two NOR strings, depending on whether one or both sides of the active strip are used.

Multi-gate nor flash thin-film transistor strings arranged in stacked horizontal active strips with vertical control gates

A quasi-volatile memory (QV memory) stack includes at least one semiconductor die, having formed thereon QV memory circuits, bonded to a second semiconductor on which a memory controller for the QV memory ('QV memory controller') is formed. The circuits in the bonded semiconductor dies are electrically connected using numerous copper interconnect conductors and conductive through-silicon vias (TSVs). The QV memory controller may include one or more interfaces to additional devices (“back-channel devices”) to enable the QV memory controller to also serve as a controller for each back-channel device and to provide additional services. The QV memory controller performs data transfers between a back-channel device and the QV memory without intervention by the host CPU.

Quasi-volatile memory device with a back-channel usage

A memory structure, includes active columns of polysilicon formed above a semiconductor substrate, each active column includes one or more vertical NOR strings, with each NOR string having thin-film storage transistors sharing a local source line and a local bit line, the local bit line is connected by one segment of a segmented global bit line to a sense amplifier provided in the semiconductor substrate.

Three-dimensional vertical nor flash thin-film transistor strings

A 3-dimensional array of NOR memory strings being organized by planes of NOR memory strings, in which (i) the storage transistors in the NOR memory strings situated in a first group of planes are configured to be programmed, erased, program-inhibited or read in parallel, and (ii) the storage transistors in NOR memory strings situated within a second group of planes are configured for storing resource management data relating to data stored in the storage transistors of the NOR memory strings situated within the first group of planes, wherein the storage transistors in NOR memory strings in the second group of planes are configured into sets.

Memory circuit, system and method for rapid retrieval of data sets

A storage transistor has a tunnel dielectric layer and a charge-trapping layer between a channel region and a gate electrode, wherein the charge-tapping layer has a conduction band offset that is less than the lowering of the tunneling barrier in the tunnel dielectric layer when a programming voltage is applied, such that electrons direct tunnel into the charge-trapping layer. The conduction band of the charge-trapping layer has a value between −1.0 eV and 2.3 eV. The storage transistor may further include a barrier layer between the tunnel dielectric layer and the charge-trapping layer, the barrier layer having a conduction band offset less than the conduction band offset of the charge-trapping layer.

Cool electron erasing in thin-film storage transistors

Thin-film Ferroelectric field-effect transistor (FeFET) may be organized as 3-dimensional NOR memory string arrays. Each 3-dimensional NOR memory string array includes a row of active stack each including a predetermined number of active strips each provided one on top of another and each being spaced apart from another by an isolation layer. Each active strip may include a shared source layer and a shared drain layer shared by the FeFETs provided along the active strip. Data storage in the active strip is provided by ferroelectric elements that can individually electrically set into one of two polarization states. FeFETs on separate active strips may be configured for read, programming or erase operations in parallel.

Three-dimensional memory string array of thin-film ferroelectric transistors

A method for forming 3-dimensional vertical NOR-type memory string arrays uses damascene local bit lines is provided. The method of the present invention also avoids ribboning by etching local word lines in two steps. By etching the local word lines in two steps, the aspect ratio in the patterning and etching of stack of local word lines ('word line stacks') is reduced, which improves the structural stability of the word line stacks.

Methods for forming multi-layer vertical NOR-type memory string arrays

A high-capacity system memory may be built from both quasi-volatile (QV) memory circuits, logic circuits, and static random-access memory (SRAM) circuits. Using the SRAM circuits as buffers or cache for the QV memory circuits, the system memory may achieve access latency performance of the SRAM circuits and may be used as code memory. The system memory is also capable of direct memory access (DMA) operations and includes an arithmetic logic unit for performing computational memory tasks. The system memory may include one or more embedded processor. In addition, the system memory may be configured for multi-channel memory accesses by multiple host processors over multiple host ports. The system memory may be provided in the dual-in-line memory module (DIMM) format.

Quasi-volatile system-level memory

Various methods and various staircase structures formed out of the active strips of a memory structure (e.g., a memory array having a three-dimensional arrangement of NOR memory strings) above a semiconductor substrate allows efficient electrical connections to semiconductor layers within the active strips.

Staircase structures for electrically connecting multiple horizontal conductive layers of a 3-dimensional memory device

Growing community of inventors

Saratoga, CA, United States of America

Eli Harari