Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba

Toshiba Memory Corporation

Kenji Sawamura

Mitsuhiro Noguchi

Aya Minemura

Takeshi Kamigaichi

Kotaro Noda

Kyoko Noda

Toshitake Yaegashi

Katsuaki Isobe

Kenji Gomikawa

Michiaki Matsuo

According to one embodiment, a semiconductor memory device includes a substrate, a stacked body, a semiconductor pillar, a charge storage film, and at least one columnar member. The stacked body is provided on the substrate. In the stacked body, a plurality of insulating films and a plurality of electrode films are layered together alternately. The semiconductor pillar is provided in the stacked body and extends in a stacking direction of the stacked body. The charge storage film is provided between the semiconductor pillar and the stacked body. The columnar member is provided in the stacked body and extends in the stacking direction. A lower portion of the columnar member is provided in the substrate.

Semiconductor memory device

An embodiment comprises: a plurality of stacked bodies, each of the stacked bodies including a plurality of control gate electrodes stacked in a first direction, the stacked bodies extending in a second direction intersecting the first direction; an insulating isolation layer disposed between a pair of the stacked bodies adjacent in a third direction intersecting the first direction and the second direction, the insulating isolation layer extending in the second direction; a plurality of semiconductor layers, each of the semiconductor layers extending in the first direction and having its side surface covered by the plurality of control gate electrodes, the semiconductor layers being disposed in a plurality of columns in one of the plurality of stacked bodies; a memory cell disposed between the control gate electrode and the semiconductor layer, the memory cell including a charge accumulation layer; a plurality of bit lines each connected to one end of the semiconductor layer, the bit lines extending in the third direction; and a control circuit being configured to control the control gate electrode and the bit line. The control circuit, during a read operation, applies a first voltage to a first bit line connected to the semiconductor layer positioned in a first column of the plurality of columns, thereby reading a first one of the memory cells connected to the first bit line, and applies a second voltage different from the first voltage to a second bit line connected to the semiconductor layer positioned in a second column which is at a position more distant from the insulating isolation layer than the first column is, thereby reading a second one of the memory cells connected to the second bit line.

According to an embodiment, a nonvolatile semiconductor memory device comprises a memory cell array and a control circuit. The memory cell array includes a plurality of memory cell layers that are stacked. Each memory cell layer comprises a plurality of memory cells formed on a semiconductor layer. The plurality of memory cell layers include: a first memory cell layer where the semiconductor layer is configured of monocrystalline silicon; and a second memory cell layer where the semiconductor layer is configured of polycrystalline silicon. The control circuit, when controlling write or read of data to/from a memory cell belonging to the first memory cell layer, performs control based on a first parameter, and when controlling write or read of data to/from a memory cell belonging to the second memory cell layer, performs control based on a second parameter that differs from the first parameter.

Nonvolatile semiconductor memory device having stacked memory cell layers and a control circuit controlling write or read based on parameters according to a selected memory cell layer

A control circuit performs a write operation to 1-page memory cells along the selected word line, by applying a write pulse voltage to a selected word line, and then performs a verify read operation of confirming whether the data write is completed. When the data write is not completed, a step-up operation is performed of raising the write pulse voltage by a certain step-up voltage. A bit scan circuit determines whether the number of memory cells determined to reach a certain threshold voltage is equal to or more than a certain number among the memory cells read at the same time, according to read data held in the sense amplifier circuit as a result of the verify read operation. The control circuit changes the amount of the step-up voltage according to the determination of the bit scan circuit.

Non-volatile semiconductor memory device

According to one embodiment, a semiconductor device comprises an active area extending in a first direction, a contact plug located on a first portion of the active area, and a transistor located on a second portion adjacent to the first portion of the active area in the first direction. A width of a top surface area of the first portion in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction is smaller than that of a top surface area of the second portion in the second direction.

Semiconductor device and method for manufacturing semiconductor device

According to one embodiment, a semiconductor memory device includes a memory cell array, a first sense amplifier circuit, and a second sense amplifier circuit. The memory cell array includes a plurality of first memory cell units, a plurality of second memory cell units, a plurality of first interconnects, and a plurality of second interconnects. The first sense amplifier circuit is connected to the plurality of first interconnects. The second sense amplifier circuit is connected to the plurality of second interconnects. Heights of upper surfaces of interconnects are equal. At least one of a width of each of the plurality of second interconnects along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and a thickness of each of the plurality of second interconnects along a third direction perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction is set smaller than each of the plurality of first interconnects, and the first sense amplifier circuit and the second sense amplifier circuit are disposed to face each other across the memory cell array.

A control circuit is configured to perform, in a write operation to a memory cell and a verify operation for verifying a threshold voltage of the memory cell, a voltage control to provide the memory cell with threshold voltage distributions. The circuit is configured to apply, in a read operation from the memory cell, to a selected memory cell a read voltage between the lower and upper limits of the threshold voltage distributions, and apply to an unselected memory cell a first read-pass voltage higher than the upper limit of a first threshold voltage distribution that is the maximum distribution of the threshold voltage distributions. The circuit is configured to apply, at least during a verify operation in a first write operation conducted before a second write operation that completes writing to the first threshold voltage distribution, a second read-pass voltage lower than the first read-pass voltage to the unselected memory cell, and apply to the semiconductor layer and the source-line a positive voltage.

Non-volatile semiconductor memory device, method of reading data therefrom, and semiconductor device

A semiconductor memory device includes a first insulation film, Charge accumulation portions, a second insulation film, and a control gate. The first insulation film is located on an active area (AA). The charge accumulation portions comprise minute crystals arranged on the first insulation film. A density of the charge accumulation portions at an end portion in an AA width direction of the first insulation film is higher than a density of the charge accumulation portions at a central potion in the AA width direction. The second insulation film is located on the first insulation film so as to coat the charge accumulation portions. The control gate is located on the second insulation film.

Semiconductor storage device comprising dot-type charge accumulation portion and control gate, and method of manufacturing the same

A semiconductor memory device includes a memory cell string provided on a semiconductor substrate, and a first select transistor including a gate insulation film, which is provided on the semiconductor substrate having a recess structure which is lower, only at a central portion thereof, than the semiconductor substrate on which the memory cell string is provided, and a gate electrode provided on the gate insulation film, the first select transistor selecting the memory cell string.

A nonvolatile memory element includes a laminated gate provided above a semiconductor substrate with a tunnel insulating film disposed therebetween and having a floating gate electrode, a gate-gate insulating film and a control gate electrode sequentially stacked. The gate-gate insulating film includes a first silicon oxide film, a first aluminum oxide film having hafnium added thereto, a second aluminum oxide film, a third aluminum oxide film having hafnium added thereto and a second silicon oxide film sequentially stacked.

Nonvolatile memory element

A nonvolatile semiconductor memory according to examples of the present invention includes a NAND string comprised memory cells connected in series, two select gate transistors each of which is connected to each end of the NAND string, and a write control circuit which makes a first write condition for a selected cell different from a second write condition for the selected cell. The first write condition is that the selected cell is one of two memory cells adjacent to the two select gate transistors. The second write condition is that the selected cell is one of the memory cells except for two memory cells adjacent to the two select gate transistors.

Growing community of inventors

Yokohama, Japan

Kenji Sawamura