Unisantis Electronics Singapore Pte. Ltd.

Masakazu Kakumu

Nozomu Harada

Koji Sakui

Riichiro Shirota

Yoshihisa Iwata

A memory device includes pages arranged in a column direction and each constituted by memory cells arranged in a row direction on a substrate, each memory cell includes a semiconductor body, first and second impurity regions, and first and second gate conductor layers, the first and second impurity regions and first and second gate conductor layers are connected to source, bit, word, and plate lines respectively, and a page read operation includes a first refresh operation of increasing by an impact ionization phenomenon, a group of positive holes in the semiconductor body of a memory cell for which page writing has been performed and a subsequent second refresh operation of making some of a group of positive holes in the semiconductor body of a memory cell for which page writing has not been performed disappear and decreasing the number of positive holes.

Memory device with stacked body orthogonal to substrate and method using write and ease page refresh operations

Provided is a semiconductor device including a memory cell and a MOS transistor. The memory cell includes a first gate insulating layer and a first gate conductor layer surrounding a first pillar-shaped p layer erected on a first p layer substrate, and a second gate insulating layer, a second gate conductor layer, and Nlayers surrounding a second pillar-shaped p layer connected to the first pillar-shaped p layer. The MOS transistor includes a third pillar-shaped p layer erected on a second p layer substrate connected to the first p layer substrate, and a third gate insulating layer, a third gate conductor layer, and Nlayers surrounding a fourth pillar-shaped p layer placed on and in contact with the third pillar-shaped p layer. In a vertical direction, the second pillar-shaped p layer has a length shorter than a length of the fourth pillar-shaped p layer.

Semiconductor device including memory element

A memory device is formed with at least one memory array, the memory array being formed with a plurality of pages and a plurality of bit lines, each page being formed with a plurality of memory cells arranged in a row direction on a substrate in a plan view, the plurality of memory cells being connected to the bit lines disposed in a column direction. Each of the memory cells included in each of the pages includes a semiconductor base material, a first impurity region and a second impurity region positioned in respective ends of the semiconductor base material, a first gate conductor layer, and a second gate conductor layer. In the memory cell, the first impurity region is connected to a source line, the second impurity region is connected to a bit line, one of the first and second gate conductor layers is connected to a word line, and the other is connected to a plate line. A page erase operation, a page write operation, and a page read operation are performed by controlling a voltage applied to each of the source line, the bit line, the word line, and the plate line. At least one of the bit lines and one of the pages are selected in the page erase operation, the page write operation, and the page read operation, and an erase operation on the memory cell connected to both the bit line and the page thus selected, a write operation of storage data of the sense amplifier circuit to the memory cell, or a read operation from the memory cell to the sense amplifier circuit is executed.

Memory device including semiconductor element

Si bodiestoto, andtoare disposed parallel to a substrateand are adjacent to each other in a horizontal direction at regular intervals. A HfOlayersurrounds the Si bodiesto. TiN layerstosurround the HfOlayer, are isolated from each other, and are each formed of portions contiguous in the horizontal direction. The Si bodiestoare formed stepwise in cross-sectional view in the terminating end in the horizontal direction. Metal wiring layerstoare connected to the TiN layerstoand extend up to above an insulating layerthrough contact holestoextending in a vertical direction from the terminating ends of the TiN layersto. The metal wiring layerstoare connected to word lines WLto WL

Semiconductor-element-including memory device

A memory device includes pages in a column direction on a substrate and memory cells in each page in a row direction in plan view. Each memory cell includes a semiconductor base, first and second impurity regions, connected to a source line and a bit line, respectively, at both ends of the semiconductor base, and first and second gate conductor layers, one of which is connected to a word line and the other of which is connected to a plate line. A continuous operation of a page erase operation and a page write operation is performed by controlling voltages applied to the source line, the bit line, the word line, and the plate line without performing a reset operation for returning the voltage applied to the plate line to a ground voltage.

Memory device using semiconductor element

A dynamic flash memory includes a p layer as a semiconductor base material, first and second nlayers on opposite sides thereof, first and second gate insulating layers in contact with each other and partially covering the p layer, and first and second gate conductor layers electrically isolated from each other and respectively provided on the first and second gate insulating layers. The first and second nlayers and first and second gate conductor layers are respectively connected to source, bit, word, and plate lines. During writing, 1.0 V, 1.5 V, and 1.2 V are sequentially applied to the bit, plate, and word lines, respectively. During erasing, 2 V is applied to the plate line, and then, a voltage applied to each terminal is always set 0 V or greater (e.g., 0.6 V for the bit line). Further, during reading, voltages are sequentially applied to the bit, plate, and word lines.

Memory device with semiconductor elements

A p layer extending in a direction horizontal to a substrate is provided separately from the substrate. An n+ layer and an n layer are provided on respective sides of the layer. A gate insulating layer partially covers the layers. A gate conductor layer partially covers the layer. A gate insulating layer partially covering the layer is provided separately from the layer. A gate conductor layer partially covers the layer. An n+ layer is provided at part of the p layer between the layers. The layers are connected to a bit line, a control line, a word line, a plate line, and a source line, respectively. Memory operation of a dynamic flash memory cell is performed by manipulating voltage of each line.

Semiconductor memory device

A memory device includes pages in a column direction on a substrate and memory cells in each page in a row direction in plan view. Each memory cell includes a semiconductor base, first and second impurity regions at both ends of the semiconductor base, and first and second gate conductor layers. A page erase operation, a page write operation, and a page read operation are performed by controlling voltages applied to the first and second impurity regions and the first and second gate conductor layers. In a first page group including at least one page, a refresh operation of increasing positive holes is performed in a memory cell storing logical data '1'. The refresh operation is performed continuously to an N-th page group.

A dynamic flash memory includes a p layer as a semiconductor base material; first and second nlayers extending on opposite sides thereof; a first gate insulating layer partially covering the p layer; a first gate conductor layer provided thereon; a second gate insulating layer provided in contact with the first gate insulating layer and partially covering the p layer; and a second gate conductor layer provided on the second gate insulating layer and electrically isolated from the first gate conductor layer. The first and second nlayers, and the first and second gate conductor layers are respectively connected to a source line, a bit line, a word line, and a plate line. A voltage applied to each terminal during memory erasing is always greater than or equal to 0 V such that 2 V and 0.6 V are respectively applied to the plate line and the bit line.

A memory device includes pages each including memory cells arranged in columns in plan view on a substrate, and voltages applied to first and second gate conductor layers and first and second impurity regions in each memory cell are controlled to retain a group of positive holes, generated by an impact ionization phenomenon, inside a semiconductor body. The first and second impurity regions are connected to source and bit lines, the first and second gate conductor layers are connected to word and plate lines, and voltages applied to these lines are controlled to perform a page write operation, a page erase operation, and a page read operation. In the page write operation, the group of positive holes are retained inside the semiconductor body at a first time, and a page write post-processing operation of making a group of excess positive holes disappear is performed at a second time.

A p layer is a semiconductor base material. An n+ layer is disposed on one extension side of the layer. An n+ layer is disposed on the opposite side in contact with the layer. A gate insulating layer partially covers the layers. A gate conductor layer is disposed in contact with the layer. A gate insulating layer partially covers the layers. A gate conductor layer is disposed in electrical separation from the layer. Memory operation is performed by applying voltage to each of the layers. In this case, the gate capacitance of a MOS structure constituted by the layers per unit area is smaller than that of a MOS structure constituted by the layers.

A memory device includes pages arranged in a column direction and each constituted by memory cells arranged in a row direction in plan view on a substrate, each memory cell includes a semiconductor body, first and second impurity regions, and first and second gate conductor layers, and in a page read operation, a first refresh operation of increasing by an impact ionization phenomenon, the number of positive holes in the semiconductor body of a memory cell for which page writing has been performed and a second refresh operation of decreasing the number of positive holes in the semiconductor body of a memory cell for which page writing has not been performed are performed and a third refresh operation for a memory cell, in a page, in which the logical '1' data is stored is performed by using latch data in a sense amplifier circuit.

A groove is formed in a first semiconductor layer, a sidewall of the groove is coated with a first insulating film, a first impurity layerand a second impurity layerthereon are disposed in the groove, a second semiconductor layeris disposed on the second impurity layer, a first semiconductor is disposed at the other part, an nlayerand an nlayerare positioned at respective ends of the second semiconductor layerand connected to a source line SL and a bit line BL, respectively, a first gate insulating layeris formed on the second semiconductor layer, and a first gate conductor layeris connected to a word line WL. Voltage applied to the source line SL, a plate line PL connected to the first semiconductor layer, the word line WL, and the bit line BL is controlled to perform data holding operation of holding, near the gate insulating layer, holes generated by an impact ionization phenomenon in a channel regionof the second semiconductor layer or by gate-induced drain leakage current, and data erase operation of removing the holes from the channel region

A p layer extending in a direction horizontal to a substrate is provided separately from the substrate. An n+ layer is provided on one side of the layer. A gate insulating layer partially covers the layers. A gate conductor layer partially covers the layer. A gate insulating layer partially covering the layer is provided separately from the layer. A gate conductor layer partially covers the layer. An n+ layer is provided at part of the p layer between the layers. The layers are connected to a bit line, a source line, a word line, and a plate line, respectively. Memory operation of a dynamic flash memory cell is performed by manipulating voltage of each line.

Memory device including semiconductor

A first insulating layeris disposed on a substrate. N+ layersare separated from the insulating layer and in directions horizontal and vertical to the substrate. P layerscontact the n+ layersand extend in the horizontal direction. N+ layerscontact the p layers. Gate insulating layerscover the p layersand part of the n+ layersand. Second gate conductor layersare electrically separated from a first gate conductor layercontacting the gate insulating layers. A conductor layercontacts the n+ layers. A conductor layercontacts the n+ layers. A second insulating layercontacts the first gate conductor layer, the n+ layers, and the conductor layer. A third insulating layercontacts the second gate conductor layers, the n+ layers, and the conductor layer

Memory device with single-transistor DRAM cells with no capacitors, and memory cells stacked in the vertical direction using gate-all-around (GAA) technology

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Masakazu Kakumu