Three dimensional memory device containing resonant tunneling barrier and high mobility channel and method of making thereof
Granted: June 18, 2024
Patent Number:
12016179
A memory device includes an alternating stack of insulating layers and control gate layers, a memory opening vertically extending through the alternating stack, and a memory opening fill structure containing a memory film and a vertical semiconductor channel located within the memory opening. The memory film contains a resonant tunneling barrier stack, a semiconductor barrier layer, and a memory material layer located between the resonant tunneling barrier stack and the semiconductor…
Field effect transistors with gate fins and method of making the same
Granted: June 18, 2024
Patent Number:
12015084
A field effect transistor includes at least one line trench extending downward from a top surface of a channel region which laterally surrounds or underlies the at least one line trench, a gate dielectric contacting all surfaces of the at least one line trench and including a planar gate dielectric portion that extends over an entirety of a top surface of the channel region, a gate electrode, a source region, and a drain region.
Double sense amp and fractional bit assignment in non-volatile memory structures
Granted: June 18, 2024
Patent Number:
12014795
A method for programming a non-volatile memory structure, wherein the method comprises initiating a two-dimensional fractional number of bits-per-cell programming scheme with respect to at least a first memory cell and a second memory cell of a plurality of memory cells of the memory structure, wherein the memory structure comprises: (1) a first memory array that comprises a first population of the plurality of memory cells and associated peripheral circuitry disposed below the first…
Adaptive semi-circle select gate bias
Granted: June 18, 2024
Patent Number:
12014785
A memory apparatus and method of operation are provided. The apparatus includes memory cells connected to word lines and arranged in strings. Each of the strings has a drain-side select gate transistor on a drain-side connected to one of a plurality of bit lines. A control means is coupled to the word lines and the plurality of bit lines and the drain-side select gate transistors. The control means determines a unique select gate voltage for each of a plurality of groupings of the memory…
Non-volatile memory with shared data transfer latches
Granted: June 11, 2024
Patent Number:
12009049
An apparatus includes a control circuit that is configured to connect to an array of non-volatile memory cells. The control circuit includes a first plurality of data latches configured to connect to non-volatile memory cells of a first plane and a second plurality of data latches configured to connect to non-volatile memory cells of a second plane. The control circuit also includes a shared data transfer data latch configured for transfer of data with the first plurality of data latches…
Method of forming a stepped surface in a three-dimensional memory device and structures incorporating the same
Granted: June 11, 2024
Patent Number:
12010842
A method includes forming a first-tier alternating stack of first insulating layers and first sacrificial material layers, forming a joint dielectric layer over the first-tier alternating stack, such that the joint dielectric layer is thicker than each of the first insulating layers and the first sacrificial material layers, forming a second-tier alternating stack of second insulating layers and second sacrificial material layers over the joint dielectric layer and the first-tier…
Method of making a three-dimensional memory device using composite hard masks for formation of deep via openings
Granted: June 11, 2024
Patent Number:
12010841
An alternating stack of first material layers and second material layers is formed over a substrate. A hard mask layer is formed over the alternating stack. Optionally, an additional hard mask layer can be formed over the hard mask layer. A photoresist layer is applied and patterned, and cavities are formed in the hard mask layer by performing a first anisotropic etch process that transfers a pattern of the openings in the photoresist layer through the hard mask layer. Via openings are…
Three-dimensional memory device with a conductive drain-select-level spacer and methods for forming the same
Granted: June 11, 2024
Patent Number:
12010835
A three-dimensional memory device includes an alternating stack of insulating layers and electrically conductive layers, memory opening fill structures vertically extending through the alternating stack in a memory array region, and an electrically conductive spacer extending vertically and electrically connecting a first drain-select-level electrically conductive layer to a second drain-select-level electrically conductive layer.
Three-dimensional memory device containing a capped isolation trench fill structure and methods of making the same
Granted: June 11, 2024
Patent Number:
12009306
A semiconductor structure includes semiconductor devices located on a top surface of a substrate semiconductor layer, lower-level metal interconnect structures embedded in lower-level dielectric material layers, source-level material layers, an alternating stack of insulating layers and electrically conductive layers overlying the source-level material layer, memory stack structures, a vertically alternating sequence of insulating plates and dielectric material plates laterally…
Virtual metrology for feature profile prediction in the production of memory devices
Granted: June 11, 2024
Patent Number:
12009269
To provide more test data during the manufacture of non-volatile memories and other integrated circuits, machine learning is used to generate virtual test values. Virtual test results are interpolated for one set of tests for devices on which the test is not performed based on correlations with other sets of tests. In one example, machine learning determines a correlation study between bad block values determined at die sort and photo-limited yield (PLY) values determined inline during…
Cross-point magnetoresistive random memory array and method of making thereof using self-aligned patterning
Granted: June 4, 2024
Patent Number:
12004357
A memory device includes a cross-point array of magnetoresistive memory cells. Each magnetoresistive memory cell includes a vertical stack of a selector-containing pillar structure and a magnetic tunnel junction pillar structure. The lateral spacing between neighboring pairs of magnetoresistive memory cells may be smaller along a first horizontal direction than along a second horizontal direction, and a dielectric spacer or a tapered etch process may be used to provide a pattern of an…
Cross-point magnetoresistive random memory array and method of making thereof using self-aligned patterning
Granted: June 4, 2024
Patent Number:
12004356
A memory device includes a cross-point array of magnetoresistive memory cells. Each magnetoresistive memory cell includes a vertical stack of a selector-containing pillar structure and a magnetic tunnel junction pillar structure. The lateral spacing between neighboring pairs of magnetoresistive memory cells may be smaller along a first horizontal direction than along a second horizontal direction, and a dielectric spacer or a tapered etch process may be used to provide a pattern of an…
Three-dimensional memory array with dual-level peripheral circuits and methods for forming the same
Granted: June 4, 2024
Patent Number:
12004348
A bonded assembly includes a memory die that is bonded to a logic die. The memory die includes a three-dimensional memory array located on a memory-side substrate, memory-side dielectric material layers located on the three-dimensional memory array and embedding memory-side metal interconnect structures and memory-side bonding pads, a backside peripheral circuit located on a backside surface of the memory-side substrate, and backside dielectric material layers located on a backside of…
Three-dimensional memory device including self-aligned drain-select-level isolation structures and method of making thereof
Granted: June 4, 2024
Patent Number:
12004347
An alternating stack of insulating layers and spacer material layers is formed over a substrate. A plurality of arrays of memory opening fill structures is formed through the alternating stack. A plurality of dielectric plates is formed, which laterally surrounds a respective array of memory opening fill structures. Self-aligned drain-select-level isolation structures are formed between a respective neighboring pair of arrays of memory opening fill structures through gaps between…
Three-dimensional memory device with staircase etch stop structures and methods for forming the same
Granted: May 28, 2024
Patent Number:
11997850
A three-dimensional memory device includes an alternating stack of insulating layers and electrically conductive layers, and memory opening fill structures vertically extending through the alternating stack. An insulating liner overlies stepped surfaces of the alternating stack in a staircase region. A plurality of discrete dielectric plates can be formed over the insulating liner. In one embodiment, the plurality of discrete dielectric plates can function as etch stop structures for…
Ferroelectric field effect transistors having enhanced memory window and methods of making the same
Granted: May 28, 2024
Patent Number:
11996462
A ferroelectric transistor includes a semiconductor channel comprising a semiconductor material, a strained and/or defect containing ferroelectric gate dielectric layer located on a surface of the semiconductor channel, a source region located on a first end portion of the semiconductor channel, and a drain region located on a second end portion of the semiconductor channel.
Three-dimensional memory device with separated contact regions and methods for forming the same
Granted: May 28, 2024
Patent Number:
11996153
A memory die includes an alternating stack of insulating layers and electrically conductive layers through which memory opening fill structures vertically extend. The memory die includes at least three memory array regions interlaced with at least two contact regions, or at least three contact regions interlaced with at least two memory array regions in the same memory plane. A logic die including at least two word line driver regions can be bonded to the memory die. The interlacing of…
Dynamic word line reconfiguration for NAND structure
Granted: May 21, 2024
Patent Number:
11990185
Technology is disclosed herein reconfiguring word lines as either data word lines or dummy word lines. In a sub-block mode reconfigurable word lines are used as dummy word lines that provide electrical isolation between data word lines in a block. The block may be divided into an upper tier, a middle tier, and a lower tier, with the reconfigurable word lines within the middle tier. In a full-block mode the reconfigurable group of the word lines are used as data word lines. Because the…
Three-dimensional memory device with off-center or reverse slope staircase regions and methods for forming the same
Granted: May 21, 2024
Patent Number:
11991881
A three-dimensional memory device includes alternating stacks of insulating layers and electrically conductive layers, and memory stack structures vertically extending through a respective one of the alternating stacks and located within the first memory array region and the second memory array region. An inter-array region containing lower and upper staircases is located between the first and the second memory array regions. The first memory array region may have a greater length than…
Three-dimensional memory device including aluminum alloy word lines and method of making the same
Granted: May 21, 2024
Patent Number:
11990413
A three-dimensional memory device includes an alternating stack of insulating layers and electrically conductive layers. The electrically conductive layers include an intermetallic alloy of aluminum and at least one metal other than aluminum. Memory openings vertically extend through the alternating stack. Memory opening fill structures are located in a respective one of the memory openings and include a respective vertical semiconductor channel and a respective vertical stack of memory…
