Stmicroelectronics S.r.l.

Micron Technology Incorporated

Sgs-thomson Microelectronics S.r.l.

Other

Lodestar Licensing Group LLC

Emilio Camerlenghi

Paolo Tessariol

Tecla Ghilardi

Luca Pividori

Paolo Giuseppe Cappelletti

Violante Moschiano

Tommaso Vali

Roberto Bez

Andrea D'Alessandro

Giulio Casagrande

Augusto Benvenuti

William C Filipiak

Gianpietro Carnevale

Luca Laurin

Giovanni Maria Paolucci

Elio Colabella

Yoshiaki Fukuzumi

Giovanni Campardo

Giorgio Servalli

Paolo Caprara

Paolo Colombo

Stefano Ratti

Umberto Maria Meotto

Adriana Rebora

David H Wells

Lifang Xu

Justin B Dorhout

Richard J Hill

Indra V Chary

Angelo Visconti

Jian Li

Vladimir Machkaoutsan

Mauro Luigi Sali

Alfonso Maurelli

Giulio Albini

Lars P Heineck

Alessandro Grossi

Niccolo′ Righetti

Ryan L Meyer

M Jared Barclay

Pieter Blomme

Sara Vigano

Paola Zabberoni

Gabriella Fontana

Daniela Peschiaroli

A method of forming a microelectronic device comprises forming a memory array region comprising memory cells vertically over a base structure comprising a semiconductive material and alignment mark structures vertically extending into the semiconductive material. First contact structures are formed to extend through the memory array region and into the alignment mark structures. A support structure is formed over the memory array region. A portion of the base structure is removed to expose the alignment mark structures. A control logic region is formed vertically adjacent a remaining portion of the base structure. The control logic region comprises control logic devices in electrical communication with the first contact structures by way of second contact structures extending partially through the alignment mark structures and contacting the first contact structures. Microelectronic devices, memory devices, electronic systems, and additional methods are also described.

Memory devices

Methods of operating a memory, and memory configured to perform similar methods, might include applying a negative first voltage level to a control gate of a transistor connected between a first node and a string of series-connected memory cells, increasing a voltage level applied to the first node at a particular rate while increasing the voltage level applied to the control gate of the transistor at the particular rate, and in response to the voltage level applied to the first node reaching a particular voltage level, ceasing increasing the voltage level applied to the first node and ceasing increasing the voltage level applied to the control gate of the transistor.

Erasing memory

Microelectronic devices, memory devices, and electronic systems

Methods of operating a memory, and memory configured to perform similar methods, might include applying a positive first voltage level to a first node selectively connected to a string of series-connected memory cells while applying a negative second voltage level to a control gate of a transistor connected between the first node and the string of series-connected memory cells, and increasing the voltage level applied to the first node to a third voltage level while increasing the voltage level applied to the control gate of the transistor to a fourth voltage level lower than the third voltage level and higher than the first voltage level.

Some embodiments include an integrated assembly having a pair of adjacent memory-block-regions, and having a separator structure between the adjacent memory-block-regions. The memory-block-regions include a first stack of alternating conductive levels and first insulative levels. The separator structure includes a second stack of alternating second and third insulative levels. The second insulative levels are substantially horizontally aligned with the conductive levels, and the third insulative levels are substantially horizontally aligned with the first insulative levels. Some embodiments include methods of forming integrated assemblies.

Integrated assemblies, and methods of forming integrated assemblies

Methods of forming microelectronic devices and memory devices, and related microelectronic devices, memory devices, and electronic systems

Memories having a controller configured, during a pre-charge portion of a read operation, to apply a sequence of increasing voltage levels concurrently to each access line of a plurality of access lines, wherein each voltage level of the sequence of increasing voltage levels is higher than any previous voltage level of the sequence of increasing voltage levels and lower than any subsequent voltage level of the sequence of increasing voltage levels, and determine a particular voltage level of the sequence of increasing voltage levels corresponding to a point at which all memory cells of the plurality of strings of series-connected memory cells are first deemed to be activated while applying the sequence of increasing voltage levels.

Apparatus for determining a pass voltage of a read operation

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. First dummy pillars in the memory blocks extend through at least a majority of the insulative tiers and the conductive tiers through which the channel-material strings extend. Second dummy pillars are laterally-between and longitudinally-spaced-along immediately-laterally-adjacent of the memory blocks. The second dummy pillars extend through at least a majority of the insulative tiers and the conductive tiers through which the operative channel-material strings extend laterally-between the immediately-laterally-adjacent memory blocks. Other embodiments, including method, are disclosed.

Methods used in forming a memory array comprising strings of memory cells

Apparatus having plurality of data lines each selectively connected to a respective string of series-connected memory cells, a plurality of registers each configured to indicate a state of a respective data line, and logic configured to indicate when each data line of the plurality of data lines has a particular state might facilitate determination of a pass voltage of a read operation.

Methods of operating a memory, and memory configured to perform similar methods, might include sensing a state of each data line of a plurality of data lines while increasing a voltage level applied to each access line of a plurality of access lines commonly connected to a plurality of strings of series-connected memory cells, ceasing increasing the voltage level applied to each access line of the plurality of access lines in response to the state of each data line of the plurality of data lines having a particular condition, changing a voltage level applied to a particular access line of the plurality of access lines to a particular voltage level, and sensing a state of each data line of a subset of the plurality of data lines while applying the particular voltage level to the particular access line.

Apparatus and methods for determining data states of memory cells

A method used in forming a memory array comprises forming a tier comprising conductor material above a substrate. Sacrificial islands comprising etch-stop material are formed directly above the conductor material of the tier comprising the conductor material. A stack comprising vertically-alternating insulative tiers and wordline tiers is formed above the sacrificial islands and the tier comprising the conductor material. Etching is conducted through the insulative tiers and the wordline tiers to the etch-stop material of individual of the sacrificial islands to form channel openings that have individual bases comprising the etch-stop material. The sacrificial islands are removed through individual of the channel openings to extend the individual channel openings to the tier comprising the conductor material. Channel material is formed in the extended-channel openings to the tier comprising the conductor material. The channel material is electrically coupled with the conductor material of the tier comprising the conductor material. Structure independent of method is disclosed.

Memory arrays and methods used in forming a memory array

Some embodiments include methods of forming memory arrays. An assembly is formed which has an upper level over a lower level. The lower level includes circuitry. The upper level includes semiconductor material within a memory array region, and includes insulative material in a region peripheral to the memory array region. First and second trenches are formed to extend into the semiconductor material. The first and second trenches pattern the semiconductor material into a plurality of pedestals. The second trenches extend into the peripheral region. Contact openings are formed within the peripheral region to extend from the second trenches to the first level of circuitry. Conductive material is formed within the second trenches and within the contact openings. The conductive material forms sense/access lines within the second trenches and forms electrical contacts within the contact openings to electrically couple the sense/access lines to the lower level of circuitry.

Methods of forming memory arrays

Briefly, embodiments of non-volatile memory and embodiments of fabrication thereof are disclosed. For example, a non-volatile memory device having a gate assembly with a floating gate and a control gate assembly is described. The control gate assembly includes a non-metal conductive control gate and a metal control gate in one embodiment. Additional embodiments are described, including use of a sacrificial nitride layer and forming contact recesses to create source or drain contacts, as other examples.

Non-volatile memory

A reference cell layout includes a plurality of active areas, in parallel to each other, and a first contact of the active areas, and a first gate, the first contact shorting the active areas. A memory device includes the reference cell layout and a corresponding array of memory cells having active areas sized substantially identical to the active areas of the reference cell layout and plural second contacts respectively contacting the active areas of the memory cells.

Reference cell layout with enhanced RTN immunity

Growing community of inventors

Bergamo, Italy

Emilio Camerlenghi