Sandisk Technologies Inc.

Shunsuke Takuma

Seiji Shimabukuro

Tatsuya Hinoue

Kengo Kajiwara

Yuji Totoki

Satoshi Shimizu

Akihiro Tobioka

Nobuyuki Fujimura

Takashi Kudo

Zhixin Cui

Fumitaka Amano

Takaaki Iwai

Keigo Kitazawa

Naoto Norizuki

Hirotada Tobita

Makoto Tsutsue

At least one vertically alternating sequence of continuous insulating layers and continuous sacrificial material layers is formed over a substrate. Rows of backside support pillar structures are formed through the at least one vertically alternating sequence. Memory stack structures are formed through the at least one vertically alternating sequence. A two-dimensional array of discrete backside trenches is formed through the at least one vertically alternating sequence. Contiguous combinations of a subset of the backside trenches and a subset of the backside support pillar structures divide the at least one vertically alternating sequence into alternating stacks of insulating layers and sacrificial material layers. The sacrificial material layers are replaced with electrically conductive layers while the backside support pillar structures provide structural support to the insulating layers.

Three-dimensional memory device with backside support pillar structures and methods of forming the same

A memory device includes at least one alternating stack of insulating layers and electrically conductive layers, a memory opening vertically extending through the at least one alternating stack, and a memory opening fill structure located in the memory opening and containing a vertical stack of memory elements and a vertical semiconductor channel. The memory opening fill structure includes a lateral protrusion having a tapered sidewall surface; and one of the electrically conductive layers is a taper-containing electrically conductive layer that is located at a level of the lateral protrusion of the memory opening fill structure.

Three-dimensional memory device including a dummy word line with tapered corner and method of making the same

A memory device includes a first alternating stack of first insulating layers and first electrically conductive layers located over a substrate, a memory opening vertically extending through the first alternating stack and having a tapered sidewall surface at a level of one of the first electrically conductive layers, and a memory opening fill structure located in the memory opening and comprising a vertical stack of memory elements and a vertical semiconductor channel. One of the first electrically conductive layers includes a taper-containing electrically conductive layer that is located at a level of the lateral protrusion of the memory opening and has a contoured sidewall having a tapered sidewall segment that is parallel to the tapered sidewall surface of the lateral protrusion.

A vertical repetition of a unit layer stack includes an insulating layer, a first sacrificial material layer, another insulating layer, and a second sacrificial material layer. A memory opening is formed through the vertical repetition, and a memory opening fill structure is formed in the memory opening. A backside trench is formed through the alternating stack. The first sacrificial material layers are replaced with first electrically conductive layers, and the second sacrificial material layer are replaced with second electrically conductive layers after formation of the first electrically conductive layers.

Dual sacrificial material replacement process for a three-dimensional memory device and structure formed by the same

A multi-wafer deposition tool includes a vacuum enclosure including a platen laterally surrounding multiple wafer stages, a spindle-blade assembly including a spindle and multiple transfer blades attached to the spindle, and a controller configured to transfer wafers between the multiple wafer stages through rotation of the multiple transfer blades around a rotation axis pasting through the spindle. A chamber clean process may be performed while the transfer blades of the spindle-blade assembly are positioned over the multiple wafer stages. Alternatively or additionally, a deposition cycle may be performed while the transfer blades of the spindle-blade assembly are positioned between neighboring pairs of the wafer stages and while a purge gas that flows out of purge gas openings into spaces between the wafer stages.

Multi-wafer deposition tool for reducing residual deposition on transfer blades and methods of operating the same

A alternating stack of insulating layers and sacrificial material layers is formed over a substrate. An array of memory opening fill structures and an array of support pillar structures are formed through the alternating stack. Backside trenches are formed through the alternating stack by performing an anisotropic etch process. The anisotropic etch process etches peripheral portions of a subset of the array of support pillar structures. The sacrificial material layers are replaced with electrically conductive layer by forming backside recesses while the support pillar structures provide mechanical support to the insulating layers.

Three-dimensional memory device containing auxiliary support pillar structures and method of making the same

A three-dimensional memory device includes an alternating stack of insulating layers and electrically conductive layers having stepped surfaces, memory stack structures extending through the alternating stack, a retro-stepped dielectric material portion overlying the stepped surfaces, and pillar-shaped contact-opening assemblies located within a respective pillar-shaped volume vertically extending through the retro-stepped dielectric material portion and a region of the alternating stack that underlies the retro-stepped dielectric material portion. Some of the pillar-shaped contact-opening assemblies can include a first conductive plug that laterally contacts a cylindrical sidewall of a respective one of the electrically conductive layers and a conductive via structure that contacts a top surface of the first conductive plug.

Three-dimensional memory device containing self-aligned lateral contact elements and methods for forming the same

A three-dimensional memory device includes alternating stacks of insulating layers and electrically conductive layers located over a substrate. Each of the alternating stacks laterally extend along a first horizontal direction, and neighboring pairs of the alternating stacks are laterally spaced apart along a horizontal direction by laterally alternating sequences of memory openings and dielectric pillar structures. Each of the memory openings contains a respective memory opening fill structure that includes a dielectric core, a first vertical semiconductor channel, a second vertical semiconductor channel, a first memory film, and a second memory film. The dielectric core contacts a pair of dielectric pillar structures among the dielectric pillar structures of the laterally alternating sequences.

Three-dimensional memory device including split memory cells and methods of forming the same

A method of forming a three-dimensional memory device includes forming memory stack structures vertically extending through an alternating stack of insulating layers and electrically conductive layers over a substrate, such that each of the memory stack structures includes a memory film and a vertical semiconductor channel laterally surrounded by the memory film. The method also includes forming a stack of a first silicon nitride layer and a second silicon nitride layer over the memory stack structures, such that the first silicon nitride layer has a higher hydrogen-to-nitrogen ratio than the second silicon nitride layer, performing an anneal process at an elevated temperature to diffuse hydrogen from the first silicon nitride layer into the memory stack structures, and removing the first and second silicon nitride layers.

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Yokkaichi, Japan

Shunsuke Takuma