Freescale Semiconductor,inc.

Motorola Corporation

Gowrishankar L Chindalore

Craig T Swift

Cheong Min Hong

Jane A Yater

Paul A Ingersoll

Ramachandran Muralidhar

Alexander Hoefler

Rajesh A Rao

James David Burnett

Michael Alan Sadd

Brian A Winstead

Sung-Taeg Kang

Ko-Min Chang

Robert F Steimle

Ronald J Syzdek

Ted R White

Frank Kelsey Baker, Jr

Erwin J Prinz

Matthew Thomas Herrick

Criag T Swift

Jon Scott Choy

Tushar Praful Merchant

Konstantin V Loiko

Thuy B Dao

Thomas Jew

Horacio P Gasquet

Peter J Kuhn

Chi Nan Brian Li

Laureen H Parker

David C Sing

Mohammed Suhail

Steven G H Anderson

Embodiments include a split-gate non-volatile memory cell that is formed having a control gate and a select gate, where at least a portion of the control gate is formed over the select gate. A charge storage layer is formed between the select gate and the control gate. The select gate is formed using a first conductive layer and a second conductive layer. The second conductive layer is formed over the first conductive layer and has a lower resistivity than the first conductive layer. In one embodiment, the first conductive layer is polysilicon and the second conductive layer is titanium nitride (TiN). In another embodiment, the second conductive layer may be a silicide or other conductive material, or combination of conductive materials having a lower resistivity than the first conductive layer.

Split-gate non-volatile memory cells having improved overlap tolerance

A method for forming a semiconductor device includes forming a first plurality of nanocrystals over a surface of a substrate having a first region and a second region, wherein the first plurality of nanocrystals is formed in the first region and the second region and has a first density; and, after forming the first plurality of nanocrystals, forming a second plurality of nanocrystals over the surface of the substrate in the second region and not the first region, wherein the first plurality of nanocrystals together with the second plurality of nanocrystals in the second region result in a second density, wherein the second density is greater than the first density.

Semiconductor device having different non-volatile memories having nanocrystals of differing densities and method therefor

A method of making a semiconductor device on a semiconductor layer includes forming a select gate, a recess, a charge storage layer, and a control gate. The select gate is formed have a first sidewall over the semiconductor layer. The recess is formed in the semiconductor layer adjacent to the first sidewall of the select gate. The thin layer of charge storage material is formed in which a first portion of the thin layer of charge storage material is formed in the first recess and a second portion of the thin layer of charge storage material is formed along the first sidewall of the first select gate. The control gate is formed over the first portion of the thin layer of charge storage material. The result is a semiconductor device useful a memory cell.

Split gate device and method for forming

A method includes forming a first layer of gate material over a semiconductor substrate; forming a hard mask layer over the first layer; forming an opening; forming a charge storage layer over the hard mask layer and within the opening; forming a second layer of gate material over the charge storage layer; removing a portion of the second layer and a portion of the charge storage layer which overlie the hard mask layer, wherein a second portion of the second layer remains within the opening; forming a patterned masking layer over the hard mask layer and over the second portion, wherein the patterned masking layer defines both a first and second bitcell; and forming the first and second bitcell using the patterned masking layer, wherein each of the first and second bitcell comprises a select gate made from the first layer and a control gate made from the second layer.

Method of making a split gate memory cell

A method for forming a split-gate non-volatile memory (NVM) cell includes forming a first gate layer over a semiconductor substrate; forming a conductive layer over the first gate layer; patterning the first gate layer and the conductive layer to form a first sidewall, wherein the first sidewall comprises a sidewall of the first gate layer and a sidewall of the conductive layer; forming a first dielectric layer over the conductive layer and the semiconductor substrate, wherein the first dielectric layer overlaps the first sidewall; forming a second gate layer over the first dielectric layer, wherein the second gate layer is formed over the conductive layer and the first gate layer and overlaps the first sidewall; and patterning the first gate layer and the second gate layer to form a first gate and a second gate, respectively, of the split-gate NVM cell, wherein the second gate overlaps the first gate and a portion of the conductive layer remains between the first gate and the second gate.

Split-gate non-volatile memory cell having improved overlap tolerance and method therefor

A method is disclosed for making a non-volatile memory cell on a semiconductor substrate. A select gate structure is formed over the substrate. The control gate structure has a sidewall. An epitaxial layer is formed on the substrate in a region adjacent to the sidewall. A charge storage layer is formed over the epitaxial layer. A control gate is formed over the charge storage layer. This allows for in-situ doping of the epitaxial layer under the select gate without requiring counterdoping. It is beneficial to avoid counterdoping because counterdoping reduces charge mobility and increases the difficulty in controlling threshold voltage. Additionally there may be formed a recess in the substrate and the epitaxial layer is formed in the recess, and a halo implant can be performed, prior to forming the epitaxial layer, through the recess into the substrate in the area under the select gate.

Split-gate non-volatile memory cell and method

A method forms a split gate memory cell by providing a semiconductor substrate and forming an overlying select gate. The select gate has a predetermined height and is electrically insulated from the semiconductor substrate. A charge storing layer is subsequently formed overlying and adjacent to the select gate. A control gate is subsequently formed adjacent to and separated from the select gate by the charge storing layer. The charge storing layer is also positioned between the control gate and the semiconductor substrate. The control gate initially has a height greater than the predetermined height of the select gate. The control gate is recessed to a control gate height that is less than the predetermined height of the select gate. A source and a drain are formed in the semiconductor substrate.

Method of forming a split gate non-volatile memory cell

A memory system including non-volatile memory cells. The memory system includes program circuitry that programs cells to a first threshold voltage or a second threshold voltage based on the number of times that cells of the memory system have been erased. In one embodiment, the threshold voltage is reduced when any set of cells of the memory system have been erased a specific number of times.

Method of programming a non-volatile memory

A method for integrating Non-Volatile Memory (NVM) circuitry with logic circuitry is provided. The method includes depositing a first layer of gate material over the NVM area and the logic area of the substrate. The method further includes depositing multiple adjoining sacrificial layers comprising nitride, oxide and nitride (ARC layer) overlying each other. The multiple adjoining sacrificial layers are used to pattern select gate and control gate of memory transistor in the NVM area, and the ARC layer of the multiple adjoining sacrificial layers is used to pattern gate of logic transistor in the logic area.

Method for integrating NVM circuitry with logic circuitry

A floating gate memory cell has a floating gate in which there are two floating gate layers. The top layer is etched to provide a contour in the top layer while leaving the lower layer unchanged. The control gate follows the contour of the floating gate to increase capacitance therebetween. The two layers of the floating gate can be polysilicon separated by a very thin etch stop layer. This etch stop layer is thick enough to provide an etch stop during a polysilicon etch but preferably thin enough to be electrically transparent. Electrons are able to easily move between the two layers. Thus the etch of the top layer does not extend into the lower layer but the first and second layer have the electrical effect for the purposes of a floating gate of being a continuous conductive layer.

Programming and erasing structure for a floating gate memory cell and method of making

A method of making a semiconductor device includes providing a first wafer and providing a second wafer having a first side and a second side, the second wafer including a semiconductor substrate, a storage layer, and a layer of gate material. The storage layer may be located between the semiconductor structure and the layer of the gate material and the storage layer may be located closer to the first side of the second wafer than the semiconductor structure. The method further includes boding the first side of the second wafer to the first wafer. The method further includes removing a first portion of the semiconductor structure to leave a layer of the semiconductor structure after the bonding. The method further includes forming a transistor having a channel region, wherein at least a portion of the channel region is formed from the layer of the semiconductor structure.

Back-gated semiconductor device with a storage layer and methods for forming thereof

An electronic device can include a first memory cell and a second memory cell. The first memory cell can include a first source, and a second memory cell can include a second source. The first memory cell and the second memory cell can lie within a same sector of a memory array. In one embodiment, erasing the electronic device can include erasing the first memory cell while inhibiting the erase of the second memory cell. A third memory cell can have a third source and lie within another sector. In another embodiment, inhibiting the erase of the first memory cell can include placing the first source and the third source at a same potential. In a particular embodiment, the first source can be electrically insulated from the second source.

Electronic device including a nonvolatile memory array and methods of using the same

A memory device is disclosed. A reference device of the memory includes a trimmable current source and a fixed current source. Currents provided by each source are summed to provide a reference current to a sense amplifier. The sense amplifier senses the state of a bit cell by comparing a current from the bit cell, representative of a logic value, to the reference current. By basing the reference current on both a fixed and a trimmable current source, the reference device can be trimmed to compensate for process and operating characteristics of the device, while maintaining a minimum reference current in the event of a disturb mechanism that results in loss of the current provided by the trimmable current source.

Bit cell reference device and methods thereof

An electronic device can include memory cells that are connected to gate lines, bit lines, or a combination thereof. In one embodiment, at least two sets of memory cells can be oriented substantially along a first direction, (e.g., rows or columns). A first gate line may be electrically connected to fewer rows or columns of memory cells as compared to a second gate line. For example, the first gate line may only be electrically connected to the first set of memory cells, and the second gate line may be electrically connected to the second and third sets of memory cells. In another embodiment, a first bit line may be electrically connected to fewer rows or columns of memory cells as compared to a second bit line. In still another embodiment, another set of memory cells may be oriented substantially along another direction that is substantially perpendicular to the first direction.

Electronic device including gate lines, bit lines, or a combination thereof

An electronic device can include a nonvolatile memory cell having DSEs within a dielectric layer. In one aspect, a process of forming the electronic device can include implanting and nucleating a first charge-storage material to form DSEs. The process can also include implanting a second charge-storage material and growing the DSEs such that the DSEs include the first and second charge-storage material. In another aspect, a process of forming the electronic device can include forming a semiconductor layer over a dielectric layer, implanting a charge-storage material, and annealing the dielectric layer. After annealing, substantially none of the charge-storage material remains within a denuded zone within the dielectric layer. In a third aspect, within a dielectric layer, a first set of DSEs can be spaced apart from a second set of DSEs, wherein substantially no DSEs lie between the first set of DSEs and the second set of DSEs.

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Austin, TX, United States of America

Gowrishankar L Chindalore