Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba

Micron Technology Incorporated

Toshiba Memory Corporation

Kioxia Corporation

Lodestar Licensing Group LLC

Toshiba Memory Coporation

Jun Fujiki

Yoshiaki Fukuzumi

Naoki Yasuda

Koichi Muraoka

Shuji Tanaka

Masao Shingu

Hideaki Aochi

Shinya Arai

Yoshihiko Kamata

Masanobu Saito

Masashi Yoshida

Kotaro Fujii

Richard J Hill

Daisuke Matsushita

Matthew J King

Takeshi Kamigaichi

Shosuke Fujii

David A Daycock

Tsunehiro Ino

Albert Fayrushin

Chandra S Tiwari

Masumi Saitoh

Akira Takashima

Kiwamu Sakuma

Takashi Ishida

Tomoharu Tanaka

Fumitaka Arai

Takeshi Imamura

Paolo Tessariol

Atsuhiro Kinoshita

Atsushi Kawasumi

Kosuke Tatsumura

Keiji Ikeda

Akira Goda

Tomoko Fujiwara

Kunal Shrotri

Yoshifumi Nishi

Yasushi Nakasaki

Hidenori Miyagawa

Masaki Tsuji

Yukio Nakabayashi

Shigeru Kawanaka

Umberto Maria Meotto

Sidhartha Gupta

Shoko Kikuchi

Tomoya Kawai

Kyle A Ritter

Keiko Ariyoshi

Matthew Holland

Gaku Sudo

Koji Matsuo

Kye Hyun Baek

Jun Nogami

Tatsuro Shinozaki

Kenzo Manabe

Arrays of memory cells including a data line, a common source, a conductive element between the data line and the common source, a first string of series-connected memory cells having a first segment of series-connected memory cells selectively connected to the conductive element and a second segment of series-connected memory cells selectively connected to the conductive element and selectively connected to its first segment of series-connected memory cells through the conductive element, and a second string of series-connected memory cells having a first segment of series-connected memory cells selectively connected to the conductive element and a second segment of series-connected memory cells selectively connected to the conductive element and selectively connected to its first segment of series-connected memory cells through the conductive element, as well as apparatus containing such arrays of memory cells and methods of their operation, and methods of their formation.

Memory arrays having multiple strings of series-connected memory cells selectively connected in parallel, their fabrication, and their operation

A microelectronic device comprises a stack structure, pillar structures, a conductive plug structure, a sense transistor, and selector transistors. The stack structure comprises a vertically alternating sequence of conductive material and insulative material, and is divided into blocks separated by dielectric slot structures. The blocks individually include sub-blocks horizontally extending in parallel with one another. The pillar structures vertically extend through one of the blocks of the stack structure. Each pillar structure of a group of the pillar structures is positioned within a different one of the sub-blocks of the one of the blocks than each other pillar structure of the group. The conductive plug structure is coupled to multiple of the pillar structures of the group of the pillar structures. The sense transistor is gated by the conductive plug structure. The selector transistors couple the sense transistor to a read source line structure and a digit line structure.

Microelectronic devices, and related memory devices and electronic systems

Microelectronic devices include a stack structure comprising a vertically alternating sequence of insulative structures and conductive structures arranged in tiers. A series of pillars extends through the stack structure. At least one isolation structure extends through an upper stack portion of the stack structure. The at least one isolation structure protrudes into pillars of neighboring columns of pillars of the series of pillars. Conductive contacts are in electrical communication with the pillars into which the at least one isolation structure protrudes. Related methods and electronic systems are also disclosed.

Microelectronic devices including pillars with partially-circular upper portions and circular lower portions, and related methods

Apparatus might include an array of memory cells comprising a plurality of strings of series-connected memory cells, a data line, a plurality of sets of field-effect transistors with each of the sets of field-effect transistors between the data line and a respective string of series-connected memory cells and having N field-effect transistors that are fabricated to have a respective binary permutation of two threshold voltages of a plurality of possible binary permutations of two threshold voltages having N positions, and N select lines that are each connected to a control gate of a respective field-effect transistor of each of the sets of field-effect transistors.

Apparatus containing memory array structures having multiple sub-blocks

Some embodiments include apparatuses and methods of forming the apparatuses. One of the apparatuses includes tiers located one over another, each of the tiers including memory cells and a control gate for the memory cells, each of the tiers including first transistors connected in series between the control gate in a respective tier and a conductive line, and second transistors connected in series between the control gate in the respective tier and the conductive line, the second transistors connected in parallel with the first transistors between the control gate and the conductive line, conductive joints coupled to channel regions of the first and second transistors, and gates for the first transistors and second transistors, each of the gates shared by one of the first transistors and one of the second transistors.

Memory device including in-tier driver circuit

Methods of forming integrated circuit structures for a capacitive sense NAND memory include forming a first semiconductor overlying a dielectric, forming a second semiconductor to be in contact with a first end of the first semiconductor, forming a third semiconductor to be in contact with a second end of the first semiconductor opposite the first end of the first semiconductor, forming a vertical channel material structure overlying the first semiconductor and having a channel material capacitively coupled to the first semiconductor, and forming a plurality of series-connected field-effect transistors adjacent the vertical channel material structure.

Methods of forming integrated circuit structures for capacitive sense NAND memory

A semiconductor memory device includes a semiconductor substrate including a diode formed in an upper layer portion of the semiconductor substrate, a first insulating film provided above the semiconductor substrate, a first conductive film provided above the first insulating film and coupled to the diode, a stacked body provided above the first conductive film, an insulator and an electrode film being stacked alternately in the stacked body, a semiconductor member piercing the stacked body and being connected to the first conductive film, and a charge storage member provided between the electrode film and the semiconductor member.

Semiconductor memory device and method for manufacturing same

A microelectronic device comprises a stack structure comprising a stack structure comprising a vertically alternating sequence of conductive structures and insulative structures arranged in tiers, the stack structure divided into block structures separated from one another by slot structures, strings of memory cells vertically extending through the block structures of the stack structure, the strings of memory cells individually comprising a channel material vertically extending through the stack structure, an additional stack structure vertically overlying the stack structure and comprising a vertical sequence of additional conductive structures and additional insulative structures arranged in additional tiers, first pillars extending through the additional stack structure and vertically overlying the strings of memory cells, each of the first pillars horizontally offset from a center of a corresponding string of memory cells, second pillars extending through the additional stack structure and vertically overlying the strings of memory cells, and additional slot structures comprising a dielectric material extending through at least a portion of the additional stack structure and sub-dividing each of the block structures into sub-block structures, the additional slot structures horizontally neighboring the first pillars. Related microelectronic devices, electronic systems, and methods are also described.

Microelectronic devices including tiered stacks including conductive structures isolated by slot structures, and related electronic systems and methods

Microelectronic devices including isolation structures protruding into upper pillar portions, and related methods and systems

Arrays of memory cells might include a first upper data line, a second upper data line, a lower data line, a first pass gate selectively connected to the lower data line, a second pass gate connected to the first pass gate and selectively connected to the lower data line, a third pass gate selectively connected to the lower data line, a fourth pass gate connected to the third pass gate and selectively connected to the lower data line, unit column structures selectively connected to a respective one of the upper data lines and capacitively coupled to a first channel of a respective one of the pass gates, and control lines capacitively coupled to a second channel of a respective one of the pass gates.

Memory array structures for capacitive sense NAND memory

A semiconductor memory device includes a semiconductor substrate, a first insulating film provided above the semiconductor substrate, a first conductive film provided above the first insulating film, a plurality of first electrode films provided above the first conductive film and stacked to be separated from each other, a semiconductor member extending in a stacking direction of the plurality of first electrode films, and a charge storage member provided between the semiconductor member and one of the plurality of first electrode films. The first conductive film includes a main portion disposed at least below the plurality of first electrode films, and a fine line portion extending from the main portion toward an end surface side of the semiconductor substrate. A width of the fine line portion is narrower than a width of the main portion.

Arrays of memory cells might include a data line, a source, a plurality of pass gates connected in series between the data line and the source, a plurality of unit column structures each having a respective plurality of series-connected non-volatile memory cells connected in series with a respective plurality of series-connected field-effect transistors, wherein a channel of each non-volatile memory cell of its respective plurality of series-connected non-volatile memory cells and a channel of each field-effect transistor of its respective plurality of series-connected field-effect transistors are selectively connected to one another, and a plurality of backside gate lines each connected to the second control gate of a respective pass gate of the plurality of pass gates, wherein, for each unit column structure of the plurality of unit column structures, the channel of a particular field-effect transistor of its respective plurality of field-effect transistors is capacitively coupled to the first channel of a respective pass gate of the plurality of pass gates.

Sense line structures in capacitive sense NAND memory

Memory might include a plurality of series-connected non-volatile memory cells, a plurality of series-connected first field-effect transistors connected in series with the plurality of series-connected non-volatile memory cells, and a second field-effect transistor, wherein the channel of the second field-effect transistor is capacitively coupled to channels of the plurality of series-connected first field-effect transistors. The memory might further include a controller configured to cause the memory to selectively activate a selected non-volatile memory cell, activate each remaining non-volatile memory cell, increase a voltage level of the respective channel of each first field-effect transistor, selectively discharge the voltage level of the respective channel of each first field-effect transistor through the selected non-volatile memory cell, and determine whether the second field-effect transistor is activated in response to a remaining voltage level of the respective channel of each first field-effect transistor.

Access operations in capacitive sense NAND memory

An array of memory cells might include a first data line, a second data line, a source, a capacitance selectively connected to the first data line, a string of series-connected non-volatile memory cells between the first data line and the capacitance, and a pass gate selectively connected between the second data line and the source, wherein an electrode of the capacitance is capacitively coupled to a channel of the pass gate.

Capacitive sense NAND memory

Memory might include a non-volatile memory cell, a capacitance selectively connected to the non-volatile memory cell, a field-effect transistor having a channel capacitively coupled to an electrode of the capacitance, and a controller for access of the non-volatile memory cell configured to cause the memory to increase a voltage level of the electrode of the capacitance, selectively discharge the voltage level of the electrode of the capacitance through the non-volatile memory cell responsive to a data state stored in the non-volatile memory cell, and determine whether the field-effect transistor is activated in response to a remaining voltage level of the electrode of the capacitance.

Growing community of inventors

Yokohama, Japan

Jun Fujiki