Floadia Corporation

Renesas Electronics Corporation

Renesas Technology Corp.

Kosuke Okuyama

Yasuhiro Taniguchi

Yasuhiko Kawashima

Yutaka Shinagawa

Hideo Kasai

Ryotaro Sakurai

Shinji Yoshida

Fukuo Owada

Kazumasa Yanagisawa

Tatsuro Toya

Takashi Hashimoto

Yoshiyuki Kawashima

Yasushi Ishii

Koichi Toba

Daisuke Okada

Shoji Yoshida

Toshikazu Matsui

Kentaro Saito

Satoshi Noda

Satoru Machida

Munekatsu Nakagawa

Shoji Shukuri

Toshifumi Takeda

Takafumi Kato

Takanori Yamaguchi

Teruo Hatada

Tetsuya Muraya

Tomoichi Hayashi

The present invention provides a solid-state imaging device and a camera system capable of recording a still image without using a recording medium. Each pixel P of an image sensor is provided with a photodiode, a transfer transistor, a reset transistor, and an amplifying transistor, as well as a memory element that has functions of a select transistor. The memory element has a structure integrating a drain side select transistor, a source side select transistor, and a memory transistor. By applying a program voltage to a memory gate electrode as a gate voltage, the memory transistor stores charge of an amount corresponding to an amount of light received by the photodiode in a charge storage layer.

Solid-state imaging device and camera system

A multiply-accumulate operation apparatus is capable of sufficiently restraining a sneak current when employing a precharge method where the magnitude of an electric current flowing through an output line is detected. In a synapse operation section, memory cells storing respective synaptic connection weights are arranged in rows and columns. Output lines are connected to memory cells in the corresponding column, and input lines are connected to memory cells in the corresponding row. Each output line is precharged, and then its electric potential is decreased during the corresponding memory cells flow cell currents corresponding to their synaptic connection weights. A memory element of each memory cell includes a memory transistor, a drain side transistor, and a source side transistor connected in series, and is connected between the corresponding input and output line. The memory transistor stores a synaptic connection weight according to the amount of charge in a charge storage layer.

Multiplier-accumulator

When a memory cell (MC) is downsized by reducing the distance between a drain region () and a source region () on the surface of a fin (S) with a high impurity concentration inside the fin (S), the shape of the fin (S) can be set such that a potential difference between a memory gate electrode (MG) and the fin (S) is reduced to suppress the occurrence of disturbance. Accordingly, the memory cell (MC) achieves downsizing and suppression of the occurrence of disturbance.

Memory cell, nonvolatile semiconductor storage device, and method for manufacturing nonvolatile semiconductor storage device

In the non-volatile semiconductor memory device, a mobile charge collector layer, a mobile charge collecting contact, a mobile charge collecting first wiring layer, an in-between contact between the mobile charge collector layers, and a mobile charge collecting second wiring layer are disposed adjacent to a floating gate. Thereby, without increasing areas of active regions in the non-volatile semiconductor memory device, the number of mobile charges collected near the floating gate is reduced. The non-volatile semiconductor memory device allows high-speed operation of a memory cell while reducing fluctuations in a threshold voltage of the memory cell caused by collection of the mobile charges, which are attracted from an insulation layer, near the floating gate.

Non-volatile semiconductor memory device

A memory cell and a non-volatile semiconductor memory device are disclosed. Nitride sidewall layers are respectively disposed in a first sidewall spacer and a second sidewall spacer, to separate a memory gate electrode and a first select gate electrode from each other and the memory gate electrode and a second select gate electrode from each other. Hence, a breakdown voltage is improved around the memory gate electrode as compared with a conventional case in which the first sidewall spacer and the second sidewall spacer are simply made of insulating oxide films. The nitride sidewall layers are disposed farther from a memory well than a charge storage layer. Hence, charge is unlikely to be injected into the nitride sidewall layers at charge injection from the memory well into the charge storage layer, thereby preventing an operation failure due to charge storage in a region other than the charge storage layer.

Memory cell and non-volatile semiconductor storage device

A semiconductor integrated circuit device includes first and second select gate electrodes that are sidewall-shaped along sidewalls of a memory gate structure. With this configuration, the memory gate structure is not disposed on the first select gate electrode and the second select gate electrode. Accordingly, the memory gate structure the first select gate structure, and the second select gate structure can have equal heights, thereby achieving reduction in size as compared to a conventional case. In addition, a silicide layer on the first select gate electrode and a silicide layer on the second select gate electrode can be separated farther from a memory gate electrode by the thickness of a cap film. Accordingly, the silicide layers on the first select gate electrode and the second select gate electrode are unlikely to contact with the memory gate electrode, thereby preventing a short-circuit defect of the memory gate electrode.

Memory cell, semiconductor integrated circuit device, and method for manufacturing semiconductor integrated circuit device

In an anti-fuse memory includes a rectifier element of a semiconductor junction structure in which a voltage applied from a memory gate electrode to a word line is applied as a reverse bias in accordance with voltage values of the memory gate electrode and the word line, and does not use a conventional control circuit. Hence, the rectifier element blocks application of a voltage from the memory gate electrode to the word line. Therefore a conventional switch transistor that selectively applies a voltage to a memory capacitor and a conventional switch control circuit allowing the switch transistor to turn on or off are not necessary. Miniaturization of the anti-fuse memory and a semiconductor memory device are achieved correspondingly.

Anti-fuse memory and semiconductor storage device

A non-volatile semiconductor memory device in which, while voltage from a first control line is applied, as a memory gate voltage, to a sub control line through a switching transistor, another switching transistor can block voltage application to a corresponding sub control line. Thus, while a plurality of memory cells are arranged in one direction along the first control line, the number of memory cells to which a memory gate voltage is applied can reduced by the switching transistor, which reduces the occurrence of disturbance, accordingly. The sub control line to which the memory gate voltage is applied from the first control line is used as the gates of memory transistors, and thus the sub control line and the gates are disposed in a single wiring layer, thereby achieving downsizing as compared to a case in which the sub control line and the gates are disposed in separate wiring layers.

Non-volatile semiconductor storage device for reducing the number of memory cells arranged along a control to which a memory gate voltage is applied

A non-volatile SRAM memory cell and a non-volatile semiconductor memory device capable of programming SRAM data in a SRAM to a non-volatile memory unit through fast operation of the SRAM are disclosed. A non-volatile semiconductor memory device can achieve reduction in a voltage necessary for a programming operation to program SRAM data to the non-volatile memory unit. Thus, a first access transistor, a second access transistor, a first load transistor, a second load transistor, a first drive transistor, and a second drive transistor included in the SRAM connected with the non-volatile memory unit can each include a gate insulating film having a thickness less than or equal to 4 nm, which achieves fast operation of the SRAM at a lower power supply voltage.

Non-volatile SRAM memory cell and non-volatile semiconductor storage device

In a semiconductor memory device, voltage application from a memory gate electrode of the memory capacitor to a word line can be blocked by a rectifier element depending on values of voltages applied to the memory gate electrode and the word line without using a conventional control circuit. The configuration eliminates the need to provide a switch transistor and a switch control circuit for turning on and off the switch transistor as in conventional cases, and accordingly achieves downsizing. In the semiconductor memory device, for example, each bit line contact is shared by four anti-fuse memories adjacent to each other and each word line contact is shared by four anti-fuse memories adjacent to each other, thereby achieving downsizing of the entire device as compared to a case in which the bit line contact and the word line contact are individually provided to each anti-fuse memory.

Semiconductor memory device

A voltage applied to a bit line or to a source line is reduced to a value allowing a first or second select gate structure to block electrical connection between the bit line and a channel layer or between the source line and the channel layer, irrespective of a voltage needed to inject charge into a charge storage layer by a quantum tunneling effect. In accordance with the reduction in voltage(s) applied to the bit line and the source line, thickness of each of a first and second select gate insulating films of the first and second select gate structure is reduced. High-speed operation is achieved correspondingly. With the reduction in voltage(s) applied to the bit and source lines, thickness of a gate insulating film of a field effect transistor in a peripheral circuit controlling a memory cell is reduced. The area of the peripheral circuit is reduced correspondingly.

A first switch transistor and a second switch transistor are turned on concurrently. Thereby a first ReRAM is electrically connected to a first storage node, and a second ReRAM is electrically connected to a second storage node. Complementary SRAM data stored in an SRAM is programmed into a non-volatile memory section of a first memory cell and a second memory cell. One of the first switch transistor and the second switch transistor is turned on to electrically connect only the first ReRAM to the first storage node or to electrically connect only the second ReRAM to the second storage node. Hence, the first memory cell or the second memory cell functions as an independent-type cell in accordance with usage. Data is programmed separately into the first memory cell Mor the second memory cell M. Thus memory capacity is increased.

Non-volatile SRAM memory cell, and non-volatile semiconductor storage device

To propose a non-volatile semiconductor memory device capable of injecting charge into a floating gate by source side injection even in a single-layer gate structure. In a non-volatile semiconductor memory device (), while each of the memory transistor (MGA) and the switch transistor (SGA) is made to have a single-layer gate structure, when a selected memory cell () is turned on by applying a high voltage to one end of a memory transistor (MGA) from a source line (SL) during data programming and applying a low voltage to one end of the switch transistor (SGA) from a bit line (BL), a voltage drop occurs in a low-concentration impurity extension region (ET) in the memory transistor (MGA) between the source line (SL) and the bit line (BL) to generate an intense electric field, and charge can be injected into the floating gate (FG) by source side injection using the intense electric field.

Non-volatile semiconductor storage device

Provided is a non-volatile semiconductor memory device capable of reliably preventing a malfunction of a read transistor without increasing the number of bit lines. In a non-volatile semi conductor memory device (), program transistors () and erase transistors () serving as charge transfer paths during data programming and erasure are provided while a second bit line (BLN) connected to the program transistor () in a first cell () for performing data programming also serves as a reading bit line in the other second cell () by switching switch transistors (SWa, SWb) so that malfunctions of read transistors () that occur because the read transistors are used for data programming and erasure can be reliably prevented without the number of bit lines being increased.

Growing community of inventors

Kodaira, Japan

Kosuke Okuyama