Micron Technology Incorporated

Yiping Wang

Yongjun Jeff Hu

Jordan D Greenlee

Matthew J King

Andrew Li

Wei Yeeng Ng

Haoyu Li

John David Hopkins

Collin Howder

Narula Bilik

Rita J Klein

Everett Allen McTeer

Alyssa N Scarbrough

Chandra S Tiwari

Silvia Borsari

Yi Hu

Daniel Billingsley

Xiaosong Zhang

Ramey M Abdelrahaman

Lance Williamson

Rajesh Balachandran

Zhenyu Bo

Joan M Kash

David Neumeyer

Yung K Pak

Stian E Wood

Adam William Saxler

Jaydeb Goswami

Harsh Narendrakumar Jain

Russell A Benson

Jiewei Chen

Pengyuan Zheng

Sandra Tagg

Wesley O McKinsey

Ying Rui

Jordan Chess

Caizhi Xu

A method used in forming memory circuitry comprises forming a stack comprising vertically-alternating first tiers and second tiers, with the stack extending from a memory-array region into a stair-step region. The stair-step region comprises a flight of stairs in a first vertical cross-section along a first direction. Masking material is formed directly above the flight of stairs. A species is ion implanted into the masking material to form different-composition first and second regions that are directly above individual of the stairs along a second direction that is orthogonal to the first direction. One of the first and the second regions is removed selectively relative to the other of the first and the second regions. After the removing, the other of the first and second regions is used as a mask while etching through one of the first tiers and one of the second tiers in the individual stairs to form multiple different-depth treads in the individual stairs in a second vertical cross-section along the second direction. Other embodiments, including structure, are disclosed.

Memory circuitry and method used in forming memory circuitry

Methods of forming a microelectronic device includes forming a preliminary stack structure including blocks separated by slots, each block including: tiers each including insulative material and sacrificial material; and live contact openings and support contact openings extending completely through the tiers. A first liner and a second liner are formed over surfaces of the preliminary stack structure. Portions of the second liner and the first liner within the support contact openings are removed without removing additional portions of the second liner and the first liner within the slots and the live contact openings. Fill material is formed within the slots, the live contact openings, and the support contact openings to form sacrificial slot structures, sacrificial contact structures, and support contact structures. The sacrificial contact structures are replaced with conductive contact structures. The sacrificial slot structures are removed, and the sacrificial material of the tiers is replaced with conductive material.

Methods of forming microelectronic devices including support contact structures, and related microelectronic devices, memory devices, and electronic systems

A method used in forming memory circuitry comprises forming a stack comprising vertically-alternating first tiers and second tiers. The stack extends from a memory-array region into a stair-step region. The stair-step region comprises a cavity comprising a flight of stairs. The first tiers are conductive and the second tiers are insulative at least in a finished-circuitry construction. A lining is formed in and that less-than-fills the cavity atop treads of the stairs. Individual of the treads comprise conducting material of one of the first tiers in the finished-circuitry construction. The lining that is atop the treads is replaced with at least one of metal material, polysilicon, or SiGe and insulative material is provided in remaining volume of the cavity directly above the at least one of the metal material, the polysilicon, or the SiGe. Conductive vias are formed through the insulative material and the at least one of the metal material, the polysilicon, or the SiGe. Individual of the conductive vias are directly above and directly against the conducting material of one of the individual treads. Other embodiments, including structure, are disclosed.

Methods, systems, and devices for plasma-doped trenches for memory are described. A method for forming a memory device with plasma-doped trenches may include forming a stack of materials having alternating layers of polysilicon and oxide materials. A trench may be etched in the stack and doped using a plasma doping process. In some examples, the trench may be doped by applying Boron fluoride, diborane, methane, or Boron and Carbon Hydride gases diluted with Hydrogen (H) or Helium to the sidewalls and bottom surface of the trench, which may dope portions of the polysilicon material with Boron, Carbon, Fluorine, Helium, or Hydrogen.

Plasma-doped trenches for memory

A memory array comprising strings of memory cells comprises laterally-spaced memory blocks individually comprising a vertical stack comprising alternating insulative tiers and conductive tiers directly above a conductor tier. Strings of memory cells comprise channel-material strings that extend through the insulative tiers and the conductive tiers. The channel-material strings directly electrically couple with conductor material of the conductor tier by conductive material of a lowest of the conductive tiers. Insulating material of the insulative tier that is immediately-directly above the lowest conductive tier is directly against a top of the conductive material of the lowest conductive tier. The insulating material comprises at least one of aluminum oxide, hafnium oxide, zirconium oxide, and carbon-doped insulative material. Other embodiments, including method, are disclosed.

Memory arrays comprising strings of memory cells and methods used in forming a memory array comprising strings of memory cells

Some embodiments include apparatuses and methods of forming the apparatuses. One of the apparatuses includes a device including tiers of materials located one over another, the tiers of materials including respective memory cells and control gates for the memory cells. The control gates include respective portions that collectively form part of a staircase structure. The staircase structure includes first regions and second regions coupled to the first regions. The second regions include respective sidewalls in which a portion of each of the first regions and a portion of each of the second regions are part of a respective control gate of the control gates. The device also includes conductive pads electrically separated from each other and located on the first regions of the staircase structure, and conductive contacts contacting the conductive pads.

Memory device including staircase structure having conductive pads

Some embodiments include an integrated assembly having a first structure containing semiconductor material, and having a second structure contacting the first structure. The first structure has a composition along an interface with the second structure. The composition includes additive to a concentration within a range of from about 10atoms/cmto about 10atoms/cm. The additive includes one or more of carbon, oxygen, nitrogen and sulfur. Some embodiments include methods of forming integrated assemblies.

Integrated assemblies and methods of forming integrated assemblies

A microelectronic device comprises a stack structure comprising insulative levels vertically interleaved with conductive levels. The conductive levels individually comprise a first conductive structure, and a second conductive structure laterally neighboring the first conductive structure, the second conductive structure exhibiting a concentration of β-phase tungsten varying with a vertical distance from a vertically neighboring insulative level. The microelectronic device further comprises slot structures vertically extending through the stack structure and dividing the stack structure into block structures, and strings of memory cells vertically extending through the stack structure, the first conductive structures between laterally neighboring strings of memory cells, the second conductive structures between the slot structures and strings of memory cells nearest the slot structures. Related memory devices, electronic systems, and methods are also described.

Microelectronic devices and memory devices including conductive levels having varying compositions

A method used in forming a conductive via of integrated circuitry comprises forming a lining laterally over sidewalls of an elevationally-elongated opening. The lining comprises elemental-form silicon. The elemental-form silicon of an uppermost portion of the lining is ion implanted in the elevationally-elongated opening. The ion-implanted elemental-form silicon of the uppermost portion of the lining is etched selectively relative to the elemental-form silicon of a lower portion of the lining below the uppermost portion that was not subjected to said ion implanting. The elemental-form silicon of the lower portion of the lining is reacted with a metal halide to form elemental-form metal in a lower portion of the elevationally-elongated opening that is the metal from the metal halide. Conductive material in the elevationally-elongated opening is formed atop and directly against the elemental-form metal. Other embodiments, including structure independent of method, are disclosed.

Conductive via of integrated circuitry, memory array comprising strings of memory cells, method of forming a conductive via of integrated circuitry, and method of forming a memory array comprising strings of memory cells

An apparatus comprises a conductive structure, another conductive structure, and a laminate spacer structure interposed between the conductive structure and the another conductive structure in a first direction. The laminate spacer structure comprises a dielectric spacer structure, another dielectric spacer structure, and an additional dielectric spacer structure interposed between the dielectric spacer structure and the another dielectric spacer structure. The additional dielectric spacer structure comprises at least one dielectric material, and gas pockets dispersed within the at least one dielectric material. Additional apparatuses, memory devices, electronic systems, and a method of forming an apparatus are also described.

Methods of forming an apparatus including laminate spacer structures

A memory array comprising strings of memory cells comprises laterally-spaced memory blocks individually comprising a vertical stack comprising alternating insulative tiers and conductive tiers. Operative channel-material strings of memory cells extend through the insulative tiers and the conductive tiers. Intervening material is laterally-between and longitudinally-along immediately-laterally-adjacent of the memory blocks. The intervening material comprises longitudinally-alternating first and second regions that individually have a vertically-elongated seam therein. The vertically-elongated seam in the first regions are taller than in the second regions. Additional embodiments, including method, are disclosed.

Memory arrays and methods used in forming a memory array comprising strings of memory cells

A microelectronic device comprises a stack structure comprising insulative levels vertically interleaved with conductive levels. The conductive levels individually comprise a first conductive structure, and a second conductive structure laterally neighboring the first conductive structure, the second conductive structure exhibiting a concentration of &#x3b2;-phase tungsten varying with a vertical distance from a vertically neighboring insulative level. The microelectronic device further comprises slot structures vertically extending through the stack structure and dividing the stack structure into block structures, and strings of memory cells vertically extending through the stack structure, the first conductive structures between laterally neighboring strings of memory cells, the second conductive structures between the slot structures and strings of memory cells nearest the slot structures. Related memory devices, electronic systems, and methods are also described.

Microelectronic devices including conductive levels having varying compositions, and related memory devices, electronic systems, and methods

Growing community of inventors

Boise, ID, United States of America

Yiping Wang