Micron Technology Incorporated

Intel Corporation

Intel Ndtm US LLC

Meng-Wei Kuo

Fatma Arzum Simsek-Ege

John David Hopkins

Krishna Kumar Parat

Luan C Tran

Yushi Hu

Fei Wang

David A Daycock

Jie Li

Qian Tao

Christopher J Larsen

Randy J Koval

Purnima Narayanan

Srikant Jayanti

Hiroyuki Sanda

Barbara L Casey

Srivardhan Gowda

Dipanjan Basu

Randy Koval

Guoxing Duan

Henok Mebrahtu

Minsheng Wang

Xingui Zhang

Guanjie Li

Qun Gao

Systems, apparatuses and methods may provide for memory cell technology comprising a control gate, a conductive channel, and a charge storage structure coupled to the control gate and the conductive channel, wherein the charge storage structure includes a polysilicon layer and a metal layer. In one example, the metal layer includes titanium nitride or other high effective work function metal.

Metal hybrid charge storage structure for memory

Some embodiments include a method of forming vertically-stacked memory cells. An opening is formed through a stack of alternating insulative and conductive levels. Cavities are formed to extend into the conductive levels. Regions of the insulative levels remain as ledges which separate adjacent cavities from one another. Material is removed from the ledges to thin the ledges, and then charge-blocking dielectric and charge-storage structures are formed within the cavities. Some embodiments include an integrated structure having a stack of alternating insulative levels and conductive levels. Cavities extend into the conductive levels. Ledges of the insulative levels separate adjacent cavities from one another. The ledges are thinned relative to regions of the insulative levels not encompassed by the ledges. Charge-blocking dielectric and charge-storage structures are within the cavities.

Integrated structures and methods of forming vertically-stacked memory cells

Some embodiments include apparatuses and methods having a source material, a dielectric material over the source material, a select gate material over the dielectric material, a memory cell stack over the select gate material, a conductive plug located in an opening of the dielectric material and contacting a portion of the source material, and a channel material extending through the memory cell stack and the select gate material and contacting the conductive plug.

Memory cell pillar including source junction plug

A 3D NAND storage device includes a plurality of layers containing doped semiconductor material interleaved with a plurality of layers of dielectric material. Each of the pillars forming the 3D NAND storage device includes a plurality of memory cells and a drain-end select gate (SGD). The pillars are separated by a hollow channel in which a plurality of film layers, including at least a lower film layer and an upper film layer have been deposited. The systems and methods described herein remove at least the upper film layer proximate the SGD while maintaining the film layers proximate the memory cells. Such an arrangement beneficially permits tailoring the film layers proximate the SGD prior to depositing the channel film layer in the hollow channel. The systems and methods described herein permit the deposition of a continuous channel film layer proximate both the memory cells and the SGD.

3D NAND with integral drain-end select gate (SGD)

Integrated structures of vertically-stacked memory cells

A 3D memory structure including a modified floating gate and dielectric layer geometry is described. In embodiments, a memory cell includes a channel region and a floating gate where a length of the floating gate along a direction of the channel region is substantially longer than a length of the floating gate along an orthogonal direction along the channel region. A control gate adjacent to the floating gate extends at least as long as the control gate along the direction of the channel region and includes a tapered edge extending away from the channel region towards the control gate. In embodiments, a dielectric layer between the control gate and the floating gate may follow the tapered edge along the floating gate and form a discrete region proximate to the floating gate to at least partially insulate the floating gate from an adjacent memory cell. Other embodiments are disclosed and claimed.

Modified floating gate and dielectric layer geometry in 3D memory arrays

Growing community of inventors

Boise, ID, United States of America

Meng-Wei Kuo