Advanced Micro Devices Corporation

Other

Janet S Wang

Narbeh Derhacobian

Ravi S Sunkavalli

Mark T Ramsbey

Michael Allen Van Buskirk

Hidehiko Shiraiwa

Jean Y Yang

David Michael Rogers

Sameer S Haddad

Mark W Randolph

Timothy J Thurgate

Nicholas H Tripsas

Daniel Sobek

Vei-Han Chan

Yider Wu

Scott D Luning

Angela Tai Hui

Tuan Duc Pham

Scott Luning

One aspect of the present invention relates to a method of forming a non-volatile semiconductor memory device, involving the sequential or non-sequential steps of forming a charge trapping dielectric over a substrate, the substrate having a core region and a periphery region; removing at least a portion of the charge trapping dielectric in the periphery region; forming a gate dielectric in the periphery region; forming buried bitlines in the core region; and forming gates in the core region and the periphery region.

Simultaneous formation of charge storage and bitline to wordline isolation

One aspect of the present invention relates to a non-volatile semiconductor memory device, containing a substrate, the substrate having a core region and a periphery region; a charge trapping dielectric over the core region of the substrate; a gate dielectric in the periphery region of the substrate; buried bitlines under the charge trapping dielectric in the core region; and wordlines over the charge trapping dielectric in the core region, wherein the core region is substantially planar.

Planar structure for non-volatile memory devices

One aspect of the present invention relates to a method of forming a non-volatile semiconductor memory device, involving the sequential or non-sequential steps of forming a charge trapping dielectric over a substrate, the substrate having a core region and a periphery region; removing at least a portion of the charge trapping dielectric in the periphery region; forming a gate dielectric in the periphery region; forming buried bitlines in the core region; removing at least a portion of the charge trapping dielectric positioned over the buried bitlines in the core region; forming a bitline isolation over the buried bitlines in the core region; and forming gates in the core region and the periphery region. Another aspect of the present invention relates to increasing the thickness of the gate dielectric in at least a portion of the periphery region simultaneously while forming the bitline isolation.

Method of simultaneous formation of bitline isolation and periphery oxide

One aspect of the present invention relates to a method of forming spacers in a silicon-oxide-nitride-oxide-silicon (SONOS) type nonvolatile semiconductor memory device, involving the steps of providing a semiconductor substrate having a core region and periphery region, the core region containing SONOS type memory cells and the periphery region containing gate transistors; implanting a first implant into the core region and a first implant into the periphery region of the semiconductor substrate; forming a spacer material over the semiconductor substrate; masking the core region and forming spacers adjacent the gate transistors in the periphery region; and implanting a second implant into the periphery region of the semiconductor substrate.

Method of manufacturing spacer etch mask for silicon-oxide-nitride-oxide-silicon (SONOS) type nonvolatile memory

A method of programming a memory cell with a substrate that includes a first region and a second region with a channel therebetween and a gate above the channel, and a charge trapping region that contains a first amount of charge. The method includes applying a constant first voltage across the gate, applying a second constant voltage across the first region and applying a third voltage that is constant and negative to the substrate so that the effect of spillover electrons is substantially reduced when compared with when the third constant voltage is absent.

Method of programming a non-volatile memory cell using a substrate bias

A system and method for providing a memory cell on a semiconductor is disclosed. In one aspect, the method and system include providing at least one gate stack on the semiconductor, depositing at least one spacer, and providing at least one source implant in the semiconductor. The at least one gate stack has an edge. A portion of the at least one spacer is disposed along the edge of the at least one gate stack. In another aspect, the method and system include providing at least one gate stack on the semiconductor, providing a first junction implant in the semiconductor, depositing at least one spacer, and providing a second junction implant in the semiconductor after the at least one spacer is deposited. The at least one gate stack has an edge. A portion of the at least one spacer is disposed at the edge of the at least one gate stack. In a third aspect, the method and system include providing at least one gate stack on the semiconductor, providing at least one source implant in the semiconductor, depositing at least one spacer after the at least one source implant is provided, and providing at least one drain implant in the semiconductor after the spacer is deposited. The at least one gate has an edge. A portion of the at least one spacer is disposed along the edge of the at least one gate.

Method and system for using a spacer to offset implant damage and reduce lateral diffusion in flash memory devices

A method of programming flash EEPROM devices that provides self-limiting multi-level programming states. Each cell in the flash EEPROM device can be programmed to have one of multiple threshold voltages. Each cell to be programmed has a programming voltage applied to the gate, a programming voltage applied to the drain and bias voltage applied to either the source (V,) or to the substrate (V,) or both. The bias voltages V,or V,are determined during a precharacterization procedure and each desired threshold voltage has a corresponding bias voltage V,or V,that provides the desired threshold voltage during the programming procedure. The bias voltages V,or V,are selected to provide self-limiting programming by the effective vertical field E,&equals;V,&minus;V,&minus;(either V,or V,), where V,increases during programming until the programming stops. The lateral field E,&equals;V,&minus;(either V,and/or V,) is adjusted during programming to keep the lateral field E,equal to V,.

Self-limiting multi-level programming states

Reduction in the short channel effect of a Flash EPROM cell is described. A method includes forming a gate structure on a substrate structure, and performing a nitrogen implant. Further included is performing device doping, wherein the nitrogen implant inhibits diffusion of dopant material into a channel of the cell. A Flash EPROM cell with reduced short channel effect includes a gate region, a drain region, and a source region, the source region and drain region defining a channel region therebetween beneath the gate region. The source region and drain region further have nitrogen implanted therein to reduce lateral diffusion of dopant material into the channel region.

Flash EPROM cell with reduced short channel effect and method for providing same

A method to tighten the threshold voltage distribution curve in a memory device composed of multiple memory cells organized in rows and columns by soft programming each memory cell. Soft programming voltages that utilize the hot-carrier mechanism are selected and are applied sequentially to memory cells in wordlines. The soft programming voltages include a ramped voltage V,of <3 volts, a V,of <5 volts and a V,of <0 volts. The soft programming voltages are applied for a time period of <10 microseconds. The V,distribution is reduced to a maximum width of <2 volts. The soft programming is applied to the memory cells after the memory cells have been verified as having been erased and a having been overerase corrected.

Ramped gate technique for soft programming to tighten the Vt distribution

Method and system for using a spacer to offset implant damage and reduce

Aspects for forming a Flash EPROM cell with an adjustable threshold voltage are described. In a method aspect, the method includes forming a substrate structure to establish a foundation for cell formation, and forming a gate structure with a floating gate layer comprising polysilicon-germanium (poly-SiGe) of a non-uniform Ge concentration on the substrate structure. The method further includes forming source and drain regions within the substrate structure, the drain region having a different threshold voltage than the source region. In a further aspect, a Flash EPROM cell with an adjustable threshold voltage includes a substrate structure as a foundation for the cell. The cell further includes a gate structure on the substrate structure, the gate structure comprising a floating gate layer of polysilicon-germanium (poly-SiGe) of non-uniform Ge concentration. Additionally, source and drain regions are included in the substrate structure bordering the gate structure, the drain region having a differing threshold voltage than the source region.

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San Francisco, CA, United States of America

Janet S Wang