Abstract: A three-dimensional memory device includes alternating stacks of insulating strips and electrically conductive strips laterally spaced apart among one another by line trenches and a two-dimensional array of memory stack structures and a two-dimensional array of dielectric pillar structures located in the line trenches. Each line trench is filled with laterally alternating sequence of memory stack structures and dielectric pillar structures. Each memory stack structure contains a vertical semiconductor channel, a pair of blocking dielectrics contacting outer sidewalls of the vertical semiconductor channel, a pair of charge storage layers contacting outer sidewalls of the pair of blocking dielectrics, and a pair of tunneling dielectrics contacting outer sidewalls of the pair of charge storage layers.

Abstract: A non-volatile storage apparatus comprises a non-volatile memory structure and an I/O interface. A portion of the memory die is used as a pool capacitor for the I/O interface.

Abstract: A non-volatile storage apparatus comprises a non-volatile memory structure and an I/O interface. A portion of the memory die is used as a pool capacitor for the I/O interface.

Abstract: Azimuthally-split metal-semiconductor alloy floating gate electrodes can be formed by providing an alternating stack of insulating layers and spacer material layers, forming a dielectric separator structure extending through the alternating stack, and forming memory openings that divides the dielectric separator structure into a plurality of dielectric separator structures. The spacer material layers are formed as, or are replaced with, electrically conductive layers, which are laterally recessed selective to the insulating layers and the plurality of dielectric separator structures to form a pair of lateral cavities at each level of the electrically conductive layers in each memory opening. After formation of a blocking dielectric layer, a pair of physically disjoined metal-semiconductor alloy portions are formed in each pair of lateral cavities as floating gate electrodes. A tunneling dielectric layer and a semiconductor channel layer is subsequently formed in each memory opening.

Abstract: Multiple tier structures are stacked over a substrate. Each tier structure includes an alternating stack of insulating layers and sacrificial material layers and a retro-stepped dielectric material portion overlying the alternating stack. Multiple types of openings are formed concurrently during formation of each tier structure. Openings concurrently formed through each tier structure can include at least two types of openings that may be selected from through-tier memory openings, through-tier support openings, and through-tier staircase-region openings. Each through-tier opening is filled with a respective through-tier sacrificial opening fill structure. Stacks of through-tier sacrificial opening fill structures can be removed in stages to form various device components, which include memory stack structures, support pillar structures, and staircase-region contact via structures.

Abstract: A three-dimensional memory device including self-aligned drain select level electrodes is provided. Memory stack structures extend through an alternating stack of insulating layers and spacer material layers. Each of the memory stack structures includes a memory film and a memory level channel portion. Drain select level channel portions are formed over the memory level channel portions with respective lateral shifts with respect to underlying memory stack structures. The direction of lateral shifts alternates from row to row for each row of drain select level channel portions. Drain select level gate dielectrics and drain select level gate electrodes are formed on the drain select level channel portions. Each drain select level gate electrode controls two rows of drain select level channel portions, and is laterally spaced from neighboring drain select level gate electrodes.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods are disclosed for selecting one or more mobile device applications using context data describing the current environment of a mobile device and application metadata describing environment conditions where applications are more likely to be relevant, in order to improve the experience of discovering, downloading, and installing mobile device applications. According to one embodiment, a method comprises associating metadata with mobile device applications automatically receiving context data representing a current geographical location from a mobile phone, searching the metadata to determine which applications are likely of interest based on the current geographical location, and transmitting notification data to the mobile phone indicating the determined applications.

Abstract: A three-dimensional stacked memory device is configured to provide uniform programming speeds of different sets of memory strings formed in memory holes. In a process for removing sacrificial material from word line layers, a block oxide layer in the memory holes is etched away relatively more when the memory hole is relatively closer to an edge of the word line layers where an etchant is introduced. A thinner block oxide layer is associated with a faster programming speed. To compensate, memory strings at the edges of the word line layers are programmed together, separate from the programming of interior memory strings. A program operation can use a higher initial program voltage for programming the interior memory strings compared to the edge memory strings.

Abstract: A first-tier structure including a first alternating stack of first insulating layers and first spacer material layers is formed over a substrate. First-tier memory openings and at least one type of first-tier contact openings can be formed simultaneously employing a same anisotropic etch process. The first-tier contact openings formed over stepped surfaces of the first alternating stack may extend through the first alternating stack, or may stop on the stepped surfaces. Sacrificial first-tier opening fill portions are formed in the first-tier openings, and a second-tier structure can be formed over the first-tier structure. Memory openings including volumes of the first-tier memory openings are formed through the multi-tier structure, and memory stack structures are formed in the memory openings. Various contact openings are formed through the multi-tier structure, and various contact via structures are formed in the contact openings.

Abstract: Multiple tier structures are stacked over a substrate. Each tier structure includes an alternating stack of insulating layers and sacrificial material layers and a retro-stepped dielectric material portion overlying the alternating stack. Multiple types of openings are formed concurrently during formation of each tier structure. Openings concurrently formed through each tier structure can include at least two types of openings that may be selected from through-tier memory openings, through-tier support openings, and through-tier staircase-region openings. Each through-tier opening is filled with a respective through-tier sacrificial opening fill structure. Stacks of through-tier sacrificial opening fill structures can be removed in stages to form various device components, which include memory stack structures, support pillar structures, and staircase-region contact via structures.

Abstract: An array of memory stack structures extends through an alternating stack of insulating layers and electrically conductive layers over a substrate. An array of drain select level assemblies including cylindrical electrode portions is formed over the alternating stack with the same periodicity as the array of memory stack structures. A drain select level isolation strip including dielectric materials can be formed between a neighboring pair of drain select level assemblies employing the drain select level assemblies as a self-aligning template. Alternatively, cylindrical electrode portions can be formed around an upper portion of each memory stack structure. Strip electrode portions are formed on the cylindrical electrode portions after formation of the drain select level isolation strip.

Abstract: An array of memory stack structures extends through an alternating stack of insulating layers and electrically conductive layers. The drain-select-level assemblies may be provided by forming drain-select-level openings through a drain-select-level sacrificial material layer, and by forming a combination of a cylindrical electrode portion and a first gate dielectric mayin each first drain-select-level opening while forming a second gate dielectric directly on a sidewall of each second drain-select-level opening in a second subset of the drain-select-level openings. A strip electrode portion is formed by replacing the drain-select-level sacrificial material layer with a conductive material. Structures filling the second subset of the drain-select-level openings may be used as dummy structures at a periphery of an array. The dummy structures are free of gate electrodes and thus prevents a leakage current therethrough.

Abstract: A first-tier structure including a first alternating stack of first insulating layers and first spacer material layers is formed over a substrate. First-tier memory openings and at least one type of first-tier contact openings can be formed simultaneously employing a same anisotropic etch process. The first-tier contact openings formed over stepped surfaces of the first alternating stack may extend through the first alternating stack, or may stop on the stepped surfaces. Sacrificial first-tier opening fill portions are formed in the first-tier openings, and a second-tier structure can be formed over the first-tier structure. Memory openings including volumes of the first-tier memory openings are formed through the multi-tier structure, and memory stack structures are formed in the memory openings. Various contact openings are formed through the multi-tier structure, and various contact via structures are formed in the contact openings.

Abstract: A etch stop semiconductor rail is formed within a source semiconductor layer. A laterally alternating stack of dielectric rails and sacrificial semiconductor rails is formed over the source semiconductor layer and the etch stop semiconductor rail. After formation of a vertically alternating stack of insulating layers and spacer material layers, memory stack structures are formed through the vertically alternating stack and through interfaces between the sacrificial semiconductor rails and the dielectric rails. A backside trench is formed through the vertically alternating stack employing the etch stop semiconductor rail as an etch stop structure. Source strap rails providing lateral electrical contact to semiconductor channels of the memory stack structures are formed by replacement of sacrificial semiconductor rails with source strap rails.

Abstract: A three-dimensional memory device includes semiconductor devices located on a semiconductor substrate, lower interconnect level dielectric layers embedding lower interconnect structures, an alternating stack of insulating layers and electrically conductive layers overlying the lower interconnect level dielectric layers and including stepped surfaces, memory stack structures vertically extending through the alternating stack, and contact via structures extending downward from the stepped surfaces through underlying portions of the alternating stack to the lower interconnect structures. Each of the contact via structures laterally contacts an electrically conductive layer located at the stepped surfaces, and provides electrical interconnection to an underlying semiconductor device. A top portion of each contact via structures contacts an electrically conductive layer, and is electrically isolated from other underlying electrically conductive layers.

Abstract: A three-dimensional memory device includes alternating stacks of insulating strips and electrically conductive strips laterally spaced apart among one another by line trenches and a two-dimensional array of memory stack structures and a two-dimensional array of dielectric pillar structures located in the line trenches. Each line trench is filled with laterally alternating sequence of memory stack structures and dielectric pillar structures. Each memory stack structure contains a vertical semiconductor channel, a pair of blocking dielectrics contacting outer sidewalls of the vertical semiconductor channel, a pair of charge storage layers contacting outer sidewalls of the pair of blocking dielectrics, and a pair of tunneling dielectrics contacting outer sidewalls of the pair of charge storage layers.

Abstract: A memory device includes an alternating stack of insulating layers and electrically conductive layers. Vertical NAND strings are formed through the alternating stack, each of which includes a drain region, memory cell charge storage transistors, and a pair of drain select transistors in a series connection. A common bit line is electrically connected to drain regions of two vertical NAND strings. The drain select transistors of the two vertical NAND strings are configured such that drain select transistors sharing a first common drain select gate electrode provide a higher threshold voltage for one of the two vertical NAND strings, and drain select transistors sharing a second common drain select gate electrode provide a higher threshold voltage for the other of the two vertical NAND strings. The different threshold voltages can be provided by a combination of a masked ion implantation and selective charge injection.

Abstract: A first-tier structure including a first alternating stack of first insulating layers and first spacer material layers is formed over a substrate. First-tier memory openings and at least one type of first-tier contact openings can be formed simultaneously employing a same anisotropic etch process. The first-tier contact openings formed over stepped surfaces of the first alternating stack may extend through the first alternating stack, or may stop on the stepped surfaces. Sacrificial first-tier opening fill portions are formed in the first-tier openings, and a second-tier structure can be formed over the first-tier structure. Memory openings including volumes of the first-tier memory openings are formed through the multi-tier structure, and memory stack structures are formed in the memory openings. Various contact openings are formed through the multi-tier structure, and various contact via structures are formed in the contact openings.

Abstract: An array of memory stack structures extends through an alternating stack of insulating layers and electrically conductive layers over a substrate. An array of drain select level assemblies including cylindrical electrode portions is formed over the alternating stack with the same periodicity as the array of memory stack structures. A drain select level isolation strip including dielectric materials can be formed between a neighboring pair of drain select level assemblies employing the drain select level assemblies as a self-aligning template. Alternatively, cylindrical electrode portions can be formed around an upper portion of each memory stack structure. Strip electrode portions are formed on the cylindrical electrode portions after formation of the drain select level isolation strip.

Abstract: A three-dimensional memory device includes an alternating stack of insulating layers and control gate electrodes located over a substrate, a drain select gate device located above the alternating stack, and a vertical semiconductor channel extending through the alternating stack and through the drain select gate device. The drain select gate device contains a floating gate electrode located between the vertical semiconductor channel and a first drain select gate electrode.