Yangtze Memory Technologies Co., Ltd.

Fandong Liu

Zhiliang Xia

Wenyu Hua

Jia He

Zongliang Huo

Yaohua Yang

Peizhen Hong

Baoyou Chen

Yaobin Feng

Qiang Xu

Qingchen Cao

Haihui Huang

Yue Qiang Pu

Linchen Wu

Kun Zhang

Embodiments of semiconductor devices and methods for forming the semiconductor devices are disclosed. In an example, a method for forming device openings includes forming a material layer over a first region and a second region of a substrate, the first region being adjacent to the second region, forming a mask layer over the material layer, the mask layer covering the first region and the second region, and forming a patterning layer over the mask layer. The patterning layer covers the first region and the second region and including openings corresponding to the first region. The plurality of openings includes a first opening adjacent to a boundary between the first region and the second region and a second opening further away from the boundary. Along a plane parallel to a top surface of the substrate, a size of the first opening is greater than a size of the second opening.

Openings layout of three-dimensional memory device

A memory device includes a substrate, a stack over the substrate, and a gate line slit extending along a first direction and dividing the stack into two portions. The stack includes a connection portion that connects the two portions of the stack. The connection portion includes at least two sub-connection portions along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. The gate line slit includes at least two portions along the first direction. Each sub-connection portion is between adjacent two portions of the gate line slit.

Word line structure of three-dimensional memory device

Methods and structures of a three-dimensional memory device are disclosed. In an example, the memory device comprises a substrate, a stack structure on the substrate, and at least one gate line slit extending along a first direction substantially parallel to a top surface of the substrate, and dividing the stack structure into at least two portions. The stack structure includes at least one connection portion that divides the at least one gate line slit, and conductively connects the at least two portions.

Three-dimensional (3D) memory devices and methods for forming the 3D memory devices are provided. For example, a method for forming a 3D memory device is provided. A dielectric stack including interleaved sacrificial layers and dielectric layers is formed on a substrate. A staircase structure is formed on at least one side of the dielectric stack. Dummy channel holes and dummy source holes extending vertically through the staircase structure are formed. A subset of the dummy channel holes is surrounded by the dummy source holes. A dummy channel structure is formed in each dummy channel hole, and interleaved conductive layers and dielectric layers are formed in the staircase structure by replacing, through the dummy source holes, the sacrificial layers in the staircase structure with the conductive layers. A spacer is formed along a sidewall of each dummy source hole to cover the conductive layers in the staircase structure, and a contact is formed within the spacer in each dummy source hole.

Three-dimensional memory device and method for forming the same

Methods and structures of a three-dimensional memory device are disclosed. In an example, the method comprises: providing a substrate; forming an alternating stack over the substrate, the alternating stack comprising a plurality of tiers of sacrificial layer/insulating layer pairs extending along a first direction substantially parallel to a top surface of the substrate; forming a plurality of tiers of word lines extending along the first direction based on the alternating stack; forming at least one connection portion conductively connecting two or more of the word lines of the plurality of tiers of word lines; and forming at least one metal contact via conductively shared by connected word lines, the at least one metal contact via being connected to at least one metal interconnect.

Embodiments of 3D memory devices with a dielectric etch stop layer and methods for forming the same are disclosed. In an example, a method for forming a 3D memory device is disclosed. The method includes forming a dielectric etch stop layer. The dielectric etch stop is disposed on a substrate. The method also includes forming a dielectric stack on the dielectric etch stop layer. The dielectric stack includes a plurality of interleaved dielectric layers and sacrificial layers. The method further includes forming an opening extending vertically through the dielectric stack and extending the opening through the dielectric etch stop layer. In addition, the method includes forming a selective epitaxial growth (SEG) plug at a lower portion of the opening. The SEG plug is disposed on the substrate. Moreover, the method includes forming a channel structure above and in contact with the SEG plug in the opening. The method further includes forming a memory stack comprising a plurality of interleaved dielectric layers and conductor layers by replacing the sacrificial layers in the dielectric stack with the conductor layers.

Methods for reducing defects in semiconductor plug in three-dimensional memory device

Embodiments of a three-dimensional (3D) memory device are provided. A method for forming a 3D memory device is disclosed. A dielectric stack including interleaved sacrificial layers and dielectric layers is formed over a substrate. Channel holes and contact holes are formed through the dielectric stack. The contact holes extend vertically into the substrate and are each surrounded by channel holes of nominally equal lateral distances to the respective contact hole in a plan view. A channel structure is formed in each of the channel holes. A memory stack having interleaved conductive layers and dielectric layers is formed by replacing, through the contact holes, the sacrificial layers in the dielectric stack with the conductive layers. A spacer is formed along a sidewall of each of the contact holes to cover the conductive layers of the memory stack. A contact is formed over the spacer in each of the contact holes. The contact is electrically connected to a common source of the channel structures.

Three-dimensional (3D) memory devices and methods for forming the 3D memory devices are provided. In one example, a 3D memory device includes a substrate, a memory stack including interleaved conductive layers and dielectric layers on the substrate, and a staircase structure on one side of the memory stack. The 3D memory device also includes a staircase contact in the staircase structure and a plurality of dummy source structures each extending vertically through the staircase structure. The plurality of dummy source structures surround the staircase contact.

Embodiments of a three-dimensional (3D) memory device are provided. The 3D memory device includes a substrate, a memory stack with interleaved conductive layers and dielectric layers over the substrate, an array of channel structures each extending vertically through the memory stack, and a plurality of contact hole structures each extending vertically through the memory stack and electrically connected to a common source of one or more of the channel structures. At least one of the plurality of contact hole structures is surrounded by a plurality of the channel structures of nominally equal lateral distances to the respective contact hole structure.

Embodiments of 3D memory devices with a dielectric etch stop layer and methods for forming the same are disclosed. In an example, a 3D memory device includes a substrate, a dielectric etch stop layer disposed on the substrate, a memory stack disposed on the dielectric etch stop layer and including a plurality of interleaved conductor layers and dielectric layers, and a plurality of memory strings each extending vertically through the memory stack and including a selective epitaxial growth (SEG) plug in a bottom portion of the memory string. The SEG plug is disposed on the substrate.

Methods and structures of a three-dimensional memory device are disclosed. In an example, the memory device includes a substrate, a first tier of conductor layers of a first length comprising a first plurality of conductor layers extending along a first direction over the substrate. The first direction is substantially parallel to a top surface of the substrate. In some embodiments, the memory device also includes at least one connection portion conductively connecting two or more conductor layers of the first tier, and a first metal contact via conductively shared by connected conductor layers of the first tier and connected to a first metal interconnect.

Embodiments of a method for forming a three-dimensional (3D) memory devices are disclosed. The method can comprise forming a device wafer including: forming a first channel hole penetrating a first alternating layer stack of a device wafer, forming an epitaxial layer on a bottom of the first channel hole, and forming a first channel layer on a sidewall of the first channel hole. The method can further comprise forming at least one connecting wafer, each connecting wafer including a second channel hole penetrating a second alternating layer stack without an epitaxial layer on a bottom of the second channel hole; and bonding the at least one connecting wafer and the device wafer, such that a second channel layer on a sidewall of the second channel hole in each connecting wafer is electrically connected with the first channel layer in the device wafer.

Growing community of inventors

Wuhan, China

Fandong Liu