Intel Corporation

Micron Technology Incorporated

Sk Hynix Nand Product Solutions Corp.

Intel Ndtm US LLC

Liu Liu

Jordan D Greenlee

David A Daycock

Deepak Thimmegowda

Minsoo Lee

Benben Li

Rithu K Bhonsle

Narula Bilik

Giovanni Mazzone

Krishna Kumar Parat

Chang Wan Ha

Brian J Cleereman

Hong Ma

Jui-Yen Lin

David S Meyaard

Srivardhan Gowda

Ahsanur Rahman

David Meyaard

Jong Sun Sel

Nanda Kumar Chakravarthi

Abhinav Tripathi

Hoon Koh

Baosuo Zhou

Chuan Sun

Richard M Gularte

A memory device with a three-dimensional (3D) staircase memory stack includes dummy connectors proximate semi-isolated connectors. The memory device includes multiple wordlines stacked in a 3D staircase stack, which includes a wordline at an edge of a region of the staircase. The memory device includes vertical connectors through an isolation layer on the 3D staircase stack to connect the wordlines with conductive lines in an access layer. A wordline at the edge of the region of the staircase has a vertical connector that will be adjacent a connector on one side and not on the other side. The memory device includes at least one dummy vertical connector on the edge side of the vertical connector of the wordline on the edge, wherein the dummy vertical connector does not electrically connect a wordline of the 3D staircase stack to a conductive line in the access layer.

Dummy wordline contacts to improve etch margin of semi-isolated wordlines in staircase structures

An embodiment of a memory device may include a full block memory array of a lower tile of 3D NAND string memory cells, a full block memory array of an upper tile of 3D NAND string memory cells, a first portion of a string driver circuit coupled to the full block memory array of the lower tile, a second portion of the string driver circuit coupled to the full block memory array of the upper tile, a first split block memory array of the lower tile coupled to the first portion of the string driver circuit, and a second split block memory array of the upper tile coupled to the second portion of the string driver circuit. Other embodiments are disclosed and claimed.

Split block array for 3D NAND memory

Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed towards a memory device including a top wordline contact located in a region that is protected from erosion during a planarization process, e.g., chemical mechanical polish (CMP). In embodiments, a plurality of wordlines are formed in a stack of multiple layers and a plurality of wordline contacts are formed to intersect with the plurality of wordlines. In embodiments, the stack forms a staircase and each of the plurality of wordline contacts lands on a corresponding each of the wordlines proximate to an edge of the staircase such that a top wordline contact lands in a region on a top wordline previously covered by a sacrificial layer. In some embodiments, the region is proximate to a raised notch at an edge of the staircase. Other embodiments may be described and claimed.

3D memory device with top wordline contact located in protected region during planarization

An integrated circuit memory includes a first memory block and an adjacent second memory block. The first memory block comprises a first memory pillar around which a first memory cell is formed. The second memory block comprises a second memory pillar around which a second memory cell is formed. An isolation or slit area between the first and second memory blocks electrically isolates the first and second memory blocks. In an example, the slit area comprising a slit pillar around which no memory cells are formed. The slit pillar is a dummy pillar, and insulator material electrically isolates the slit pillar from a Word Line (WL) through which it passes. The isolation layer electrically can also isolate a (WL) of the first memory block from a corresponding WL of the second memory block. In an example, the slit pillar and the memory pillars have at least in part similar structures.

Block-to-block isolation and deep contact using pillars in a memory array

Some embodiments include a method of forming stacked memory decks. A first deck has first memory cells arranged in first tiers disposed one atop another, and has a first channel-material pillar extending through the first tiers. An inter-deck structure is over the first deck. The inter-deck structure includes an insulative expanse, and a region extending through the insulative expanse and directly over the first channel-material pillar. The region includes an etch-stop structure. A second deck is formed over the inter-deck structure. The second deck has second memory cells arranged in second tiers disposed one atop another. An opening is formed to extend through the second tiers and to the etch-stop structure. The opening is subsequently extended through the etch-stop structure. A second channel-material pillar is formed within the opening and is coupled to the first channel-material pillar. Some embodiments include integrated assemblies.

Integrated assemblies which include stacked memory decks, and methods of forming integrated assemblies

Growing community of inventors

Dalian, China

Liu Liu