Patents by Inventor Kohji Kanamori

Kohji Kanamori has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 10896711
    Abstract: A memory device includes memory cells, the memory cells each including a first gate, a second gate electrically isolated from the first gate, a first gate insulating layer including a data storage layer having a ferroelectric material and disposed between the first gate and a channel region, a second gate insulating layer disposed between the second gate and the channel region, a first switching cell connected between the memory cells and a source line, and a second switching cell connected between the memory cells and a bit line. The second switching cell includes a third gate, a fourth gate, a third gate insulating layer not including a data storage layer having the ferroelectric material and the third gate disposed between the third gate and the channel region, and a fourth gate insulating layer disposed between the fourth gate and the channel region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2021
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kyung Hwan Lee, Seung Hyun Kim, Yong Seok Kim, Jun Hee Lim, Kohji Kanamori
  • Patent number: 10896728
    Abstract: In a method of writing data in a nonvolatile memory device including a plurality of cell strings, each of the plurality of cell strings includes a plurality of memory cells disposed in a vertical direction. A program target page is divided into a plurality of subpages. The program target page is connected to one of a plurality of wordlines. Each of the plurality of subpages includes memory cells that are physically spaced apart from one another. A program operation is sequentially performed on the plurality of subpages. A program verification operation is performed on the program target page including the plurality of subpages at a time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2021
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kohji Kanamori, Chang-Seok Kang, Yong-Seok Kim, Kyung-Hwan Lee
  • Publication number: 20200411546
    Abstract: A vertical memory device includes gate electrodes on a substrate, a channel extending through the gate electrodes, and a contact plug extending through the gate electrodes. The gate electrodes are stacked in a first direction substantially vertical to an upper surface of the substrate and arranged to have a staircase shape including steps of which extension lengths in a second direction substantially parallel to the upper surface gradually increase from a lowermost level toward an uppermost level. A pad at an end portion of each of the gate electrodes in the second direction has a thickness greater than those of other portions thereof. The channel extends in the first direction. The contact plug extends in the first direction. The channel contacts the pad of a first gate electrode among the gate electrodes to be electrically connected thereto, and is electrically insulated from second gate electrodes among the gate electrodes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 12, 2020
    Publication date: December 31, 2020
    Applicant: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Young-Hwan SON, Kohji KANAMORI, Shin-Hwan KANG, Young Jin KWON
  • Publication number: 20200388632
    Abstract: A vertical memory device includes gate electrodes on a substrate. The gate electrodes are spaced apart from each other in a vertical direction. A channel penetrates the gate electrodes and extends in the vertical direction. A tunnel insulation pattern is formed on an outer sidewall of the channel. A charge trapping pattern structure is formed on an outer sidewall of the tunnel insulation pattern adjacent the gate electrodes in a horizontal direction. The charge trapping pattern structure includes upper and lower charge trapping patterns. A blocking pattern is formed between the charge trapping pattern structure and each of the adjacent gate electrodes. An upper surface of the upper charge trapping pattern is higher than an upper surface of the adjacent gate electrode. A lower surface of the lower charge trapping pattern is lower than a lower surface of an adjacent gate electrode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 27, 2020
    Publication date: December 10, 2020
    Inventors: KYUNGHWAN LEE, Kwangsoo Kim, Taehun Kim, Yongseok Kim, Kohji Kanamori
  • Patent number: 10861874
    Abstract: A vertical semiconductor device includes conductive pattern structures extending in a first direction, a trench between two adjacent conductive pattern structures in a second direction crossing the first direction, a memory layer disposed on sidewalls of the trench, first insulation layers disposed in the trench and spaced apart from each other in the first direction, channel patterns disposed on the memory layer and in the trench and spaced apart from each other in the first direction, and etch stop layer patterns disposed in the trench. Each conductive pattern structure includes conductive patterns and insulation layers alternately stacked on an upper surface of the substrate. Each etch stop layer pattern is disposed between a corresponding first insulation layer and the blocking dielectric layer. Etch stop layer patterns are spaced apart from each other in the first direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2020
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kyung-Hwan Lee, Yong-Seok Kim, Jun-Hee Lim, Kohji Kanamori
  • Publication number: 20200381619
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes interlayer insulating layers and horizontal structures alternately and repeatedly disposed on a semiconductor substrate, separation structures extending in a direction perpendicular to an upper surface of the semiconductor substrate on the semiconductor substrate, to extend in a first horizontal direction parallel to the upper surface of the semiconductor substrate, and vertical structures disposed between the separation structures. Each of the horizontal structures includes a plurality of semiconductor regions, and the plurality of semiconductor regions of each of the plurality of semiconductor regions include a first semiconductor region and a second semiconductor region sequentially arranged in a direction away from a side surface of a corresponding one of the vertical structures and having different conductivity types.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 20, 2020
    Publication date: December 3, 2020
    Inventors: Kyung Hwan LEE, Chang Seok KANG, Yong Seok KIM, Kohji KANAMORI, Hui Jung KIM, Jun Hee LIM
  • Publication number: 20200381448
    Abstract: Three-dimensional semiconductor memory devices are provided. A three-dimensional semiconductor memory device includes a stack structure that includes gate electrodes on a substrate. The three-dimensional semiconductor memory device includes a first vertical structure, a second vertical structure, a third vertical structure, and a fourth vertical structure that penetrate the stack structure and are sequentially arranged in a zigzag shape along a first direction. Moreover, the three-dimensional semiconductor memory device includes a first bit line that extends in the first direction. The first bit line vertically overlaps the second vertical structure and the fourth vertical structure. Centers of the second and fourth vertical structures are spaced apart at the same distance from the first bit line. The first vertical structure is spaced apart at a first distance from the first bit line. The third vertical structure is spaced apart at a second distance from the first bit line.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 11, 2019
    Publication date: December 3, 2020
    Inventors: Kyunghwan Lee, Yongseok Kim, Kohji Kanamori, Minhan Shin
  • Publication number: 20200381449
    Abstract: A nonvolatile memory device includes a mold structure having a stack of word lines on a substrate and first and second string selection lines on the word lines, a first cutting structure through the mold structure, a second cutting structure through the mold structure, the second cutting structure being spaced apart from the first cutting structure, a channel structure penetrating the mold structure to be connected to the substrate, the channel structure being between the first and second cutting structures, a first cutting line cutting through the first string selection line but not through the second string selection line, the first cutting line being between the first and second cutting structures, and a second cutting line cutting through the second string selection line but not through the first string selection line, the second cutting line being between the second cutting structure and the channel structure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2019
    Publication date: December 3, 2020
    Inventors: Je Suk MOON, Seo-Goo KANG, Young Hwan SON, Kohji KANAMORI, Jee Hoon HAN
  • Patent number: 10854630
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a plurality of channel structures on a substrate, each channel structure extending in a first direction perpendicular to the substrate, a common source extension structure including a first semiconductor layer having an n-type conductivity and a gate insulating layer between the substrate and the channel structures, a plurality of gate electrodes on the common source extension structure and spaced apart from each other on a sidewall of each of the channel structures in the first direction, and a common source region on the substrate in contact with the common source extension structure and including a second semiconductor layer having an n-type conductivity. An upper portion of the common source extension structure has a first width, and a lower portion of the common source extension structure has a second width smaller than the first width.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2020
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kwang-soo Kim, Yong-seok Kim, Tae-hun Kim, Min-kyung Bae, Jae-hoon Jang, Kohji Kanamori
  • Patent number: 10854632
    Abstract: A vertical memory device includes first, second and third impurity regions sequentially stacked in a first direction substantially perpendicular to an upper surface of a substrate, a gate electrode structure including gate electrodes spaced apart from each other in the first direction on the third impurity region, a channel extending through the gate electrode structure, the second and third impurity regions, and an upper portion of the first impurity region on the substrate in the first direction, and a charge storage structure covering a portion of an outer sidewall and a lower surface of the channel. The channel directly contacts a sidewall of the second impurity region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2020
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kohji Kanamori, Young-Hwan Son, Byung-Kwan You, Eun-Taek Jung
  • Publication number: 20200365560
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a first semiconductor structure comprising a substrate and a circuit element, and a second semiconductor structure connected to the first semiconductor structure. The second semiconductor structure includes a base layer, a first memory cell structure, a second memory cell structure, and common bit lines between the first memory cell structure and the second memory cell structure. The first memory cell structure includes first gate electrodes, first channel structures, and first string select channel structures. The second memory cell structure includes second gate electrodes, second channel structures, second string select channel structures, and connection regions between the second channel structures and the second string select channel structures.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 6, 2020
    Publication date: November 19, 2020
    Applicant: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kohji KANAMORI, Yongseok KIM, Kyunghwan LEE, Junhee LIM, Jeehoon HAN
  • Publication number: 20200350329
    Abstract: A semiconductor memory device including a first semiconductor layer, a second semiconductor layer, and a third semiconductor layer between the first and second semiconductor layers, gate electrodes arranged on the second semiconductor layer and spaced apart from each other in a first direction perpendicular to an upper surface of the second semiconductor layer, and channel structures penetrating the first, second and third semiconductor layers and the gate electrodes, each respective channel structure of channel structures including a gate insulating film, a channel layer, and a buried insulating film, the gate insulating film including a tunnel insulating film adjacent to the channel layer, a charge blocking film adjacent to the gate electrodes, and a charge storage film between the tunnel insulating film and the charge blocking film, and the charge storage film including an upper cover protruding toward the outside of the respective channel structure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 21, 2019
    Publication date: November 5, 2020
    Applicant: Samsung Electronics Co, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kohji KANAMORI, Seogoo KANG, Shinhwan KANG
  • Publication number: 20200343307
    Abstract: A semiconductor memory device includes a stack structure comprising a plurality of insulating layers and a plurality of interconnection layers that are alternately and repeatedly stacked. A pillar structure is disposed on a side surface of the stack structure. The pillar structure includes an insulating pillar and a variable resistance layer disposed on the insulating pillar and positioned between insulating pillar and the stack structure. A channel layer is disposed on the variable resistance layer and is positioned between the variable resistance layer and the stack structure. A gate dielectric layer is disposed on the channel layer and is positioned between the plurality of interconnection layers and the channel layer. The channel layer is disposed between the variable resistance layer and the gate dielectric layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 18, 2019
    Publication date: October 29, 2020
    Inventors: Kyunghwan Lee, Yongseok Kim, Kohji Kanamori
  • Publication number: 20200343259
    Abstract: A vertical semiconductor device may include a stacked structure and a plurality of channel structures. The stacked structure may include insulation layers and gate patterns alternately and repeatedly stacked on a substrate. The stacked structure may extend in a first direction parallel to an upper surface of the substrate. The gate patterns may include at least ones of first gate patterns. The stacked structure may include a sacrificial pattern between the first gate patterns. The channel structures may pass through the stacked structure. Each of the channel structures may extend to the upper surface of the substrate, and each of the channel structures may include a charge storage structure and a channel. Ones of the channel structures may pass through the sacrificial pattern in the stacked structure to the upper surface of the substrate, and may extend to the upper surface of the substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 6, 2019
    Publication date: October 29, 2020
    Applicant: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shinhwan KANG, Younghwan SON, Haemin LEE, Kohji KANAMORI, Jeehoon HAN
  • Patent number: 10818689
    Abstract: Provided are three-dimensional semiconductor memory devices and methods of fabricating the same. The three-dimensional semiconductor memory device includes a plurality of electrode structures provided on a substrate and extending in parallel to each other in one direction and each including electrodes and insulating layers alternately stacked on the substrate, a plurality of vertical structures penetrating the plurality of electrode structures, and an electrode separation structure disposed between two of the plurality of electrode structures adjacent to each other. Each of the electrodes includes an outer portion adjacent to the electrode separation structure, and an inner portion adjacent to the plurality of vertical structures. A thickness of the outer portion is smaller than a thickness of the inner portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2020
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kyunghwan Lee, Changseok Kang, Yongseok Kim, Junhee Lim, Kohji Kanamori
  • Publication number: 20200303410
    Abstract: Three-dimensional semiconductor memory devices are provided. A three-dimensional semiconductor memory device includes a plurality of word line blocks including a plurality of cell strings that are connected in parallel between a bit line and a common source line. Each of the cell strings includes a plurality of memory cell transistors that are stacked on a substrate in a vertical direction, a plurality of ground selection transistors that are connected in series between the plurality of memory cell transistors and the substrate, and a string selection transistor that is between the plurality of memory cell transistors and the bit line. In each of the cell strings, at least one of the plurality of ground selection transistors has a first threshold voltage, and remaining ones of the ground selection transistors have a second threshold voltage different from the first threshold voltage. Related methods of operating three-dimensional semiconductor memory devices are also provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 16, 2019
    Publication date: September 24, 2020
    Inventors: Kohji Kanamori, Yongseok Kim, Kyunghwan Lee, Junhee Lim
  • Publication number: 20200303401
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a lower stack structure that includes a lower word line, an upper stack structure that is on the lower stack structure and includes an upper word line, a decoder that is adjacent to the lower stack structure and the upper stack structure, a signal interconnection that is connected to the decoder, a lower selector that is connected to the signal interconnection and further connected to the lower word line, and an upper selector that is connected to the signal interconnection, isolated from direct contact with the lower selector, and further connected to the upper word line.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 31, 2019
    Publication date: September 24, 2020
    Applicant: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kohji Kanamori, Yong Seok Kim, Kyung Hwan Lee, Jun Hee Lim, Jee Hoon Han
  • Patent number: 10763167
    Abstract: A vertical semiconductor device includes a conductive pattern structure in which insulation patterns and conductive patterns alternately and repeatedly stacked on the substrate. The conductive pattern structure includes an edge portion having a stair-stepped shape. Each of the conductive patterns includes a pad region corresponding to an upper surface of a stair in the edge portion. A pad conductive pattern is disposed to contact a portion of an upper surface of the pad region. A mask pattern is disposed on an upper surface of the pad conductive pattern. A contact plug penetrates the mask pattern to contact the pad conductive pattern.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2020
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kyung-Hwan Lee, Chang-Seok Kang, Yong-Seok Kim, Jun-Hee Lim, Kohji Kanamori
  • Patent number: 10748923
    Abstract: A vertical memory device includes gate electrodes on a substrate, a channel extending through the gate electrodes, and a contact plug extending through the gate electrodes. The gate electrodes are stacked in a first direction substantially vertical to an upper surface of the substrate and arranged to have a staircase shape including steps of which extension lengths in a second direction substantially parallel to the upper surface gradually increase from a lowermost level toward an uppermost level. A pad at an end portion of each of the gate electrodes in the second direction has a thickness greater than those of other portions thereof. The channel extends in the first direction. The contact plug extends in the first direction. The channel contacts the pad of a first gate electrode among the gate electrodes to be electrically connected thereto, and is electrically insulated from second gate electrodes among the gate electrodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2020
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Young-Hwan Son, Kohji Kanamori, Shin-Hwan Kang, Young Jin Kwon
  • Patent number: 10714495
    Abstract: A three-dimensional semiconductor memory device includes a peripheral logic structure including a plurality of peripheral logic circuits disposed on a semiconductor substrate, a horizontal semiconductor layer disposed on the peripheral logic structure, an electrode structure including a plurality of electrodes and insulating layers vertically and alternately stacked on the horizontal semiconductor layer, and a through-interconnection structure penetrating the electrode structure and the horizontal semiconductor layer and including a through-plug connected to the peripheral logic structure. A sidewall of a first insulating layer of the insulating layers is spaced apart from the through-plug by a first distance. A sidewall of a first electrode of the electrodes is spaced apart from the through-plug by a second distance greater than the first distance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2020
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kwonsoon Jo, Seo-Goo Kang, Younghwan Son, Kohji Kanamori