Unisantis Electronics Singapore Pte. Ltd.

Nozomu Harada

Fujio Masuoka

Koji Sakui

Hiroki Nakamura

Masakazu Kakumu

Yisuo Li

Zhixian Chen

Xinpeng Wang

Riichiro Shirota

Aashit Ramachandra Kamath

Yoshiaki Kikuchi

Navab Singh

Patrick Guo-Qiang Lo

Teng Soong Phua

Xiang Li

Zheng Tao

Phillipe Matagne

Min Soo Kim

A semiconductor element memory device is configured to perform a data hold operation of controlling voltages to be applied to a plate line, a word line, a source line, and a bit line to hold, in a semiconductor base, a positive hole group formed by an impact ionization phenomenon or a gate-induced drain leakage current, and a data erase operation of controlling voltages to be applied to the plate line, the word line, the source line, and the bit line to discharge the positive hole group from the semiconductor base. The semiconductor element memory device includes a plurality of memory cells arranged in a matrix within a block, and constantly manages, using a controller circuit and a logical/physical conversion table, which physical block address of a dynamic flash memory corresponds to data stored in a logical block address.

Semiconductor element 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 data retention operation of holding positive hole groups generated by an impact ionization phenomenon or by a gate-induced drain leakage current in a semiconductor base body is performed by controlling voltages applied to plate lines, word lines, a source line, odd-numbered bit lines, and even-numbered bit lines; and a data erase operation is performed by removing positive hole groups from inside the semiconductor base body by controlling the voltages applied to plate lines, word lines, source line, odd-numbered bit lines, and even-numbered bit lines and lowering a voltage of The semiconductor base body by means of capacitive coupling between the plate lines and word lines. A block is made up of memory cells arrayed in a matrix, and storage data is read from the memory cells in the block alternately to the odd-numbered bit lines and even-numbered bit line.

A memory device includes a page constituted by multiple memory cells arranged in a row form on a substrate, and performs a page write operation of controlling voltages to be applied to first and second gate conductor layers and first and second impurity layers of each memory cell included in the page to hold a positive hole group formed by an impact ionization phenomenon inside a channel semiconductor layer; During a page read operation, page data of a memory cell group selected with the word line is read to the sense amplifier circuit, and a refresh operation is performed at least once before the page read operation to hold a positive hole group formed by an impact ionization phenomenon inside a channel semiconductor layer.

Memory device using dynamic flash memory cells

A memory device includes a plurality of pages arrayed in a column direction in a plan view, each page being constituted by a plurality of memory cells arrayed in a row direction on a substrate. Each of the memory cells included in each of the pages includes a semiconductor base material, first and second impurity regions positioned at respective ends of the semiconductor base material, first, second, and third gate conductor layers. The first and second impurity regions, the first, second, and third gate conductor layers are connected to a source line, a bit line, a first select gate line, a plate line, and a second select gate line, respectively. Upon operation end of page write operation and page read operation, voltage of the plate line is set to negative voltage lower than 0 V through capacitive coupling of the plate line and each of the first and second select gate lines to improve data retention characteristics of a write memory cell.

Memory device including semiconductor element

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. Page erase, page write, and read operations are performed by controlling voltages applied to the source, bit, word, and plate lines. A first operation of outputting data of a first page to an input/output circuit via a sense amplifier circuit and a second operation of reading data of a second page of the same bank as the first page to the bit line are performed in parallel.

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

There is provided a columnar semiconductor memory device in which a data retention operation is performed in which voltages applied to a first gate conductor layer, a second gate conductor layer, a first impurity region, and a second impurity region are controlled to retain a group of positive holes, generated by an impact ionization phenomenon or a gate-induced drain leakage current, inside a semiconductor body, and a data erase operation is performed in which the voltages applied to the first gate conductor layer, the second gate conductor layer, the first impurity region, and the second impurity region are controlled to discharge the group of positive holes from inside the semiconductor body and the voltage of the semiconductor body is lowered with capacitive coupling with the first gate conductor layer and capacitive coupling with the second gate conductor layer.

A memory device includes pages each constituted by a plurality of memory cells arranged in columns on a substrate, voltages applied to a first gate conductor layer, a second gate conductor layer, a first impurity region, and a second impurity region in each memory cell included in each page are controlled to perform a page write operation of retaining a group of positive holes, generated by an impact ionization phenomenon or a gate-induced drain leakage current, inside a semiconductor body, the voltages applied to the first gate conductor layer, the second gate conductor layer, the first impurity region, and the second impurity region are controlled to perform a page erase operation of discharging the group of positive holes from inside the semiconductor body and further lowering a voltage of the semiconductor body with capacitive coupling with the first gate conductor layer and with the second gate conductor layer, and in the page erase operation, at least two or more pages are simultaneously selected from among the pages and the page erase operation is performed.

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.

Semiconductor-element-including memory device

A memory apparatus includes a page including a plurality of memory cells arranged in a column on a substrate. Each of voltages applied to first and second gate conductor layers and first and second impurity layers in each memory cell included in the page is controlled to perform a page write operation of retaining holes, which have been formed through an impact ionization phenomenon or using a gate induced drain leakage current, in a semiconductor base material, or each of voltages applied to the first and second gate conductor layers, third and fourth gate conductor layers, and the first and second impurity layers is controlled to perform a page erase operation of removing the holes from the semiconductor base material, and further lowering a voltage of the semiconductor base material through capacitive coupling with the first gate conductor layer and the second gate conductor layer.

Memory apparatus using semiconductor devices

A memory apparatus includes a page including a plurality of memory cells arranged in a column on a substrate. Each of voltages applied to first and second gate conductor layers and first and second impurity layers in each memory cell included in the page is controlled to perform a page write operation of retaining holes, which have been formed through an impact ionization phenomenon or using a gate induced drain leakage current, in a semiconductor base material, or each of voltages applied to the first and second gate conductor layers, third and fourth gate conductor layers, and the first and second impurity layers is controlled to perform a page erase operation of removing the holes from the semiconductor base material, and to input page data for the page write operation to a sense amplifier circuit during the page erase operation.

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Nozomu Harada