Sandisk Technologies Inc.

Teruo Okina

Akio Nishida

Shinsuke Yada

Hiroyuki Ogawa

James K Kai

Masanori Tsutsumi

Mitsuteru Mushiga

Noriaki Oda

Johann Alsmeier

Yanli Zhang

Takeki Ninomiya

Yusuke Yoshida

Kenichi Okabe

Ryo Yoshimoto

Kyohei Nabesaka

A semiconductor structure includes an alternating stack of insulating layers and electrically conductive layers that is located on a front side of at least one semiconductor material layer; memory openings vertically extending through the alternating stack; memory opening fill structures; a dielectric material portion contacting sidewalls of the insulating layers of the alternating stack. In one embodiment, a connection via structure can vertically extend through the dielectric material portion, and a metal plate can contact the connection via structure. Alternately or additionally, an integrated via and pad structure may be provided, which includes a conductive via portion vertically extending through the dielectric material portion and a conductive pad portion located on an end of the conductive via portion.

Three-dimensional memory device containing etch stop metal plates for backside via structures and methods for forming the same

A memory die includes an alternating stack of insulating layers and electrically conductive layers, a semiconductor material layer located over the alternating stack, a dielectric spacer layer located over the semiconductor material layer, a memory opening vertically extending through the alternating stack, through the semiconductor material layer, and at least partly through the dielectric spacer layer, a memory opening fill structure located in the memory opening and including a dielectric core, a vertical semiconductor channel having a hollow portion which surrounds the dielectric core and a pillar portion which does not surround the dielectric core, and a memory film, and a source layer located over the dielectric spacer layer and contacting the pillar portion. In one embodiment, a tubular spacer laterally surrounds the pillar portion, is laterally spaced from the pillar portion by a cylindrical portion of the memory film, and contacts a cylindrical sidewall of the semiconductor material layer.

Three-dimensional memory device containing a pillar contact between channel and source and methods of making the same

A semiconductor structure includes a memory die bonded to a logic die. The memory die includes an alternating stack of insulating layers and electrically conductive layers, a semiconductor material layer located on a distal surface of the alternating stack, a dielectric spacer layer located on a distal surface of the semiconductor material layer, memory opening fill structures vertically extending through the alternating stack, through the semiconductor material layer, and at least partly through the dielectric spacer layer, and a source layer located on a distal surface of the dielectric spacer layer and contacting pillar portions of the vertical semiconductor channels that are embedded within the dielectric spacer layer.

A three-dimensional memory device includes an alternating stack of insulating layers and electrically conductive layers located over at least one source layer, and groups of memory opening fill structures vertically extending through the alternating stack. Each memory opening fill structure can include a vertical stack of memory elements and a vertical semiconductor channel. A plurality of source-side select gate electrodes can be laterally spaced apart by source-select-level dielectric isolation structures. Alternatively or additionally, the at least one source layer may include a plurality of source layers. A group of memory opening fill structures can be selected by selecting a source layer and/or by selecting a source-level electrically conductive layer.

Three-dimensional memory device with separated source-side lines and method of making the same

A three-dimensional memory device includes a first three-dimensional memory plane including first alternating stacks of first insulating layers and first word lines, and first bit lines electrically connected first vertical semiconductor channels, and a second three-dimensional memory plane including second alternating stacks of second insulating layers and second word lines and second bit lines electrically connected to second vertical channels. An inter-array backside trench laterally extend between the first three-dimensional memory plane and the second three-dimensional memory plane, and filled with an inter-array backside insulating material portion that provides electrical isolation between the three-dimensional memory planes.

Three-dimensional memory device including trench-isolated memory planes and method of making the same

A memory die includes an alternating stack of insulating layers and electrically conductive layers, memory stack structures extending through the alternating stack, and each of the memory stack structures includes a respective vertical semiconductor channel and a respective memory film, drain regions located at a first end of a respective one of the vertical semiconductor channels, and a source layer having a first surface and a second surface. The first surface is located at a second end of each of the vertical semiconductor channels, and a semiconductor wafer is not located over the second surface of the source layer.

Bonded three-dimensional memory devices and methods of making the same by replacing carrier substrate with source layer

Semiconductor devices can be formed over a semiconductor substrate, and interconnect-level dielectric material layers embedding metal interconnect structures can be formed thereupon. In one embodiment, a pad-connection-via-level dielectric material layer, a proximal dielectric diffusion barrier layer, and a pad-level dielectric material layer can be formed. Bonding pads surrounded by dielectric diffusion barrier portions can be formed in the pad-level dielectric material layer. In another embodiment, a layer stack of a proximal dielectric diffusion barrier layer and a pad-and-via-level dielectric material layer can be formed. Integrated pad and via cavities can be formed through the pad-and-via-level dielectric material layer, and can be filled with bonding pads containing dielectric diffusion barrier portions and integrated pad and via structures.

Semiconductor die including diffusion barrier layers embedding bonding pads and methods of forming the same

A first semiconductor die includes first semiconductor devices located over a first substrate, first interconnect-level dielectric layers embedding first metal interconnect structures and located over the first semiconductor devices, a first pad-level dielectric layer embedding first bonding pads and located over the first interconnect-level dielectric layers, and first edge seal structures laterally surrounding the first semiconductor devices. Each of the first edge seal structures vertically extends from the first substrate to a distal surface of the first pad-level dielectric layer, and includes a respective first pad-level ring structure that continuously extends around the first semiconductor devices. At least one row of first dummy metal pads is embedded in the first pad-level dielectric layer between a respective pair of first edge seal structures. Second pad-level ring structures embedded in a second semiconductor die can be bonded to the rows of first dummy metal pads.

Semiconductor die containing dummy metallic pads and methods of forming the same

A three-dimensional memory device includes an alternating stack of insulating layers and electrically conductive layers located over a carrier substrate. Memory stack structures vertically extend through the alternating stack. Each memory stack structure includes a respective vertical semiconductor channel and a respective memory film. A pass-through via structure vertically extends through a dielectric material portion that is adjacent to the alternating stack. The memory die can be bonded to a logic die containing peripheral circuitry for supporting operations of memory cells within the memory die. A distal end of each of the vertical semiconductor channels is physically exposed by removing the carrier substrate. A source layer is formed directly on the distal end each of the vertical semiconductor channels. A backside bonding pad or bonding wire is formed to be electrically connected to the pass-through via structure.

A method of forming a device structure includes forming a memory-level structure including a three-dimensional memory device over a front side surface of a semiconductor substrate, forming memory-side dielectric material layers over the memory-level structure, bonding a handle substrate to the memory-side dielectric material layers, thinning the semiconductor substrate while the handle substrate is attached to the memory-side dielectric material layers, forming a driver circuit including field effect transistors on a backside semiconductor surface of the semiconductor substrate after thinning the semiconductor substrate, and removing the handle substrate from the memory-side dielectric material layers.

Method of forming a three-dimensional memory device and a driver circuit on opposite sides of a substrate

A semiconductor die includes at least one first semiconductor device located on a first substrate, a first pad-level dielectric layer which is a diffusion barrier overlying the at least one first semiconductor device, and first bonding structures including a respective first metallic bonding pad embedded in the first pad-level dielectric layer. Each of the first bonding structures includes a metallic fill material portion having a horizontal distal surface that is located within a horizontal plane including a horizontal distal surface of the first pad-level dielectric layer, and a metallic liner laterally surrounding the metallic fill material portion and vertically spaced from the horizontal plane by a vertical recess distance.

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Yokkaichi, Japan

Teruo Okina