Intel Corporation

Fatih Hamzaoglu

Yih Wang

Travis W LaJoie

Umut Arslan

Van H Le

Abhishek A Sharma

Dinesh Somasekhar

Bernhard Sell

Pei-Hua Wang

Liqiong Wei

Jack T Kavalieros

Tahir Ghani

Kevin X Zhang

Chieh-Jen Ku

Vivek K De

Yibin Ye

Cyrille Dray

Blake C Lin

Juan G Alzate Vinasco

Muhammad M Khellah

Pulkit Jain

Shem Ogadhoh

Allen B Gardiner

Nathaniel August

Nikhil Mehta

Akash Garg

Gregory George

Balaji Srinivasan

Juan G Alzate-Vinasco

Shu Zhou

Swaroop Ghosh

Yu-Wen Huang

Julie Rollins

Stefan Rusu

James W Tschanz

Wilfred Gomes

Gunjan H Pandya

Bo Zheng

Brian S Doyle

Siva G Narendra

James S Clarke

Wei P Chen

Charles C Kuo

Hui Jae Yoo

Ali Keshavarzi

David L Kencke

Ilya V Karpov

Charles Augustine

Mark Armstrong

Miriam Ruth Reshotko

Carlos Alfonso Tokunaga

Roksana Golizadeh Mojarad

Arijit Raychowdhury

Eric A Karl

Nam Sung Kim

Pramod Kolar

Uddalak Bhattacharya

Albert Chen

Tsung-yung Jonathan Chang

Lin Ma

Yong-Gee Ng

Chieh-jen Ku

James D Waldemer

Hyunwoo Nho

Jonathan Shoemaker

Ming Chieh Huang

Jared Stoeger

Vinaykumar Hadagali

Ting Chen

Rangharajan Venkatesan

Alekhya Nimmagadda

Ananda Roy

Siufu Chiu

Meterelliyoz Mesut

Tsung-Yung Chang

Yih (Eric) Wang

An example IC device includes a frontend layer and a backend layer with a metallization stack. The metallization stack includes a backend memory layer with a plurality of memory cells with backend transistors, and a layer with a plurality of conductive interconnects (e.g., a plurality of conductive lines) and air gaps between adjacent ones of the plurality of interconnects. Providing air gaps in upper metal layers of metallization stacks of IC devices may advantageously reduce parasitic effects in the IC devices because such effects are typically proportional to the dielectric constant of a surrounding medium. In turn, reduction in the parasitic effects may lead to improvements in performance of, or requirements placed on, the backend memory.

Backend memory with air gaps in upper metal layers

A device structure includes transistors on a first level in a first region and a first plurality of capacitors on a second level, above the first level, where a first electrode of the individual ones of the first plurality of capacitors are coupled with a respective transistor. The device structure further includes a second plurality of capacitors on the second level in a second region adjacent the first region, where individual ones of the second plurality of capacitors include a second electrode, a third electrode and an insulator layer therebetween, where the second electrode of the individual ones of the plurality of capacitors are coupled with a first interconnect on a third level above the second level, and where the third electrode of the individual ones of the plurality of capacitors are coupled with a second interconnect.

Decoupling capacitors and methods of fabrication

Described herein are two transistor (2T) memory cells that use TFTs as access and gain transistors. When one or both transistors of a 2T memory cell are implemented as TFTs, these transistors may be provided in different layers above a substrate, enabling a stacked architecture. An example 2T memory cell includes an access TFT provided in a first layer over a substrate, and a gain TFT provided in a second layer over the substrate, the first layer being between the substrate and the second layer (i.e., the gain TFT is stacked in a layer above the access TFT). Stacked TFT based 2T memory cells allow increasing density of memory cells in a memory array having a given footprint area, or, conversely, reducing the footprint area of the memory array with a given memory cell density.

Two transistor memory cell using stacked thin-film transistors

Embodiments herein describe techniques for a semiconductor device including a substrate, a first inter-level dielectric (ILD) layer above the substrate, and a second ILD layer above the first ILD layer. A first capacitor and a second capacitor are formed within the first ILD layer and the second ILD layer. A first top plate of the first capacitor and a second top plate of the second capacitor are formed at a boundary between the first ILD layer and the second ILD layer. The first capacitor and the second capacitor are separated by a dielectric area in the first ILD layer. The dielectric area includes a first dielectric area that is coplanar with the first top plate or the second top plate, and a second dielectric area above the first dielectric area and to separate the first top plate and the second top plate. Other embodiments may be described and/or claimed.

Capacitor separations in dielectric layers

Embodiments herein describe techniques for a semiconductor device including a substrate. A first capacitor includes a first top plate and a first bottom plate above the substrate. The first top plate is coupled to a first metal electrode within an inter-level dielectric (ILD) layer to access the first capacitor. A second capacitor includes a second top plate and a second bottom plate, where the second top plate is coupled to a second metal electrode within the ILD layer to access the second capacitor. The second metal electrode is disjoint from the first metal electrode. The first capacitor is accessed through the first metal electrode without accessing the second capacitor through the second metal electrode. Other embodiments may be described and/or claimed.

Capacitor connections in dielectric layers

Embodiments herein describe techniques for a semiconductor device including a substrate. A first set of memory cells and a first selector are formed within a first group of metal layers and inter-level dielectric (ILD) layers above the substrate. A second set of memory cells and a second selector are formed within a second group of metal layers and ILD layers above the first group of metal layers and ILD layers. The first selector is coupled to the first set of memory cells to select one or more memory cells of the first set of memory cells based on a first control signal. In addition, the second selector is coupled to the second set of memory cells to select one or more memory cells of the second set of memory cells based on a second control signal. Other embodiments may be described and/or claimed.

Memory architecture at back-end-of-line

Embodiments herein describe techniques for a semiconductor device having an interconnect structure including an inter-level dielectric (ILD) layer between a first layer and a second layer of the interconnect structure. The interconnect structure further includes a separation layer within the ILD layer. The ILD layer includes a first area with a first height to extend from a first surface of the ILD layer to a second surface of the ILD layer. The ILD layer further includes a second area with a second height to extend from the first surface of the ILD layer to a surface of the separation layer, where the first height is larger than the second height. Other embodiments may be described and/or claimed.

Intermediate separation layers at the back-end-of-line

Embodiments herein describe techniques for a semiconductor device including a substrate oriented in a horizontal direction, and a memory cell including a transistor and a capacitor above the substrate. The transistor includes a gate electrode oriented in a vertical direction substantially orthogonal to the horizontal direction, and a channel layer oriented in the vertical direction, around the gate electrode and separated by a gate dielectric layer from the gate electrode. The capacitor is within an inter-level dielectric layer above the substrate. The capacitor includes a first plate coupled with a second portion of the channel layer of the transistor, and a second plate separated from the first plate by a capacitor dielectric layer. The first plate of the capacitor is also a source electrode of the transistor. Other embodiments may be described and/or claimed.

Memory cells based on vertical thin-film transistors

Described herein are arrays of embedded dynamic random-access memory (eDRAM) cells that use TFTs as selector transistors. When at least some selector transistors are implemented as TFTs, different eDRAM cells may be provided in different layers above a substrate, enabling a stacked architecture. An example stacked TFT based eDRAM includes one or more memory cells provided in a first layer over a substrate and one or more memory cells provided in a second layer, above the first layer, where at least the memory cells in the second layer, but preferably the memory cells in both the first and second layers, use TFTs as selector transistors. Stacked TFT based eDRAM allows increasing density of memory cells in a memory array having a given footprint area, or, conversely, reducing the footprint area of the memory array with a given memory cell density.

Stacked thin-film transistor based embedded dynamic random-access memory

An apparatus is described. The apparatus includes a semiconductor chip that includes logic circuitry, embedded dynamic random access memory (DRAM) cells and embedded ferroelectric random access memory (FeRAM) cells.

Semiconductor chip manufacturing process for integrating logic circuitry, embedded DRAM and embedded non-volatile ferroelectric random access memory (FERAM) on a same semiconductor die

Described are apparatuses for improving resistive memory energy efficiency. An apparatus performs data-driven write to make use of asymmetric write switch energy between write0 and write1 operations. The apparatus comprises: a resistive memory cell coupled to a bit line and a select line; a first pass-gate coupled to the bit line; a second pass-gate coupled to the select line; and a multiplexer operable by input data, the multiplexer to provide a control signal to the first and second pass-gates or to write drivers according to logic level of the input data. An apparatus comprises circuit for performing read before write operation which avoids unnecessary writes with an initial low power read operation. An apparatus comprises circuit to perform self-controlled write operation which stops the write operation as soon as bit-cell flips. An apparatus comprises circuit for performing self-controlled read operation which stops read operation as soon as data is detected.

Apparatus for low power write and read operations for resistive memory

Some embodiments include apparatuses having a resistive memory device and methods to apply a combination of voltage stepping current stepping and pulse width stepping during an operation of changing a resistance of a memory cell of the resistive memory device. The apparatuses also include a write termination circuit to limit drive current provided to a memory cell of the resistive memory device during a particular time of an operation performed on the memory cell. The apparatuses further include a programmable variable resistor and resistor control circuit that operate during sensing operation of the memory device.

Apparatuses and methods to control operations performed on resistive memory cells

Described are apparatuses for improving resistive memory energy efficiency. An apparatus performs data-driven write to make use of asymmetric write switch energy between writeand writeoperations. The apparatus comprises: a resistive memory cell coupled to a bit line and a select line; a first pass-gate coupled to the bit line; a second pass-gate coupled to the select line; and a multiplexer operable by input data, the multiplexer to provide a control signal to the first and second pass-gates or to write drivers according to logic level of the input data. An apparatus comprises circuit for performing read before write operation which avoids unnecessary writes with an initial low power read operation. An apparatus comprises circuit to perform self-controlled write operation which stops the write operation as soon as bit-cell flips. An apparatus comprises circuit for performing self-controlled read operation which stops read operation as soon as data is detected.

Apparatuses for improving resistive memory energy efficiency are provided. An apparatus performs data-driven write to make use of asymmetric write switch energy between write0 and write1 operations. The apparatus comprises: a resistive memory cell coupled to a bit line and a select line; a first pass-gate coupled to the bit line; a second pass-gate coupled to the select line; and a multiplexer operable by input data, the multiplexer to provide a control signal to the first and second pass-gates or to write drivers according to logic level of the input data. An apparatus comprises circuit for performing read before write operation which avoids unnecessary writes with an initial low power read operation. An apparatus comprises circuit to perform self-controlled write operation which stops the write operation as soon as bit-cell flips. An apparatus comprises circuit for performing self-controlled read operation which stops read operation as soon as data is detected.

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Portland, OR, United States of America

Fatih Hamzaoglu