Vertical Channel Patents (Class 438/268)
  • Patent number: 11956955
    Abstract: A liner is formed laterally-outside of individual channel-material strings in one of first tiers and in one of second tiers. The liners are isotropically etched to form void-spaces in the one second tier above the one first tier. Individual of the void-spaces are laterally-between the individual channel-material strings and the second-tier material in the one second tier. Conductively-doped semiconductive material is formed against sidewalls of the channel material of the channel-material strings in the one first tier and that extends upwardly into the void-spaces in the one second tier. The conductively-doped semiconductive material is heated to diffuse conductivity-increasing dopants therein from the void-spaces laterally into the channel material laterally there-adjacent and upwardly into the channel material that is above the void-spaces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2024
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: John D. Hopkins, Nancy M. Lomeli
  • Patent number: 11923407
    Abstract: Some embodiments include apparatuses and methods of forming the apparatuses. One of the apparatuses includes a channel to conduct current, the channel including a first channel portion and a second channel portion, a first memory cell structure located between a first gate and the first channel portion, a second memory cell structure located between a second gate and the second channel portion, and a void located between the first and second gates and between the first and second memory cell structures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Chris M. Carlson
  • Patent number: 11925022
    Abstract: A vertical structure extends through a tiered structure of alternating conductive and insulative materials. The vertical structure includes a channel structure and a tunneling structure. At least one of the conductive materials of the tiered structure provides a select gate tier (e.g., including a control gate for a select gate drain (SGD) transistor). Adjacent the select gate tier of the tiered structure, the tunneling structure consists of or consists essentially of an oxide-only material. Adjacent the word line tiers of the tiered structure, the tunneling structure comprises at least one material that is other than an oxide-only material, such as a nitride or oxynitride. The oxide-only material adjacent the select gate tier may inhibit unintentional loss of charge from a neighboring charge storage structure, which may improve the stability of the threshold voltage (Vth) of the select gate tier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Inventors: Ugo Russo, Chris M. Carlson
  • Patent number: 11903195
    Abstract: Embodiments of semiconductor devices and methods for forming the semiconductor devices are disclosed. In an example, a method for forming device openings includes forming a material layer over a first region and a second region of a substrate, the first region being adjacent to the second region, forming a mask layer over the material layer, the mask layer covering the first region and the second region, and forming a patterning layer over the mask layer. The patterning layer covers the first region and the second region and including openings corresponding to the first region. The plurality of openings includes a first opening adjacent to a boundary between the first region and the second region and a second opening further away from the boundary. Along a plane parallel to a top surface of the substrate, a size of the first opening is greater than a size of the second opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2023
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2024
    Assignee: Yangtze Memory Technologies Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Jia He, Haihui Huang, Fandong Liu, Yaohua Yang, Peizhen Hong, Zhiliang Xia, Zongliang Huo, Yaobin Feng, Baoyou Chen, Qingchen Cao
  • Patent number: 11894361
    Abstract: A semiconductor device is provided. The semiconductor device includes a first field effect device on a first region of a substrate, wherein a first gate structure and an electrostatic discharge device on a second region of the substrate, wherein a second gate structure for the electrostatic discharge device is separated from the substrate by the bottom dielectric layer, and a second source/drain for the electrostatic discharge device is in electrical contact with the substrate, wherein the second source/drain is doped with a second dopant type.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2024
    Assignee: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Julien Frougier, Sagarika Mukesh, Anthony I. Chou, Andrew M. Greene, Ruilong Xie, Veeraraghavan S. Basker, Junli Wang, Effendi Leobandung, Jingyun Zhang, Nicolas Loubet
  • Patent number: 11812611
    Abstract: Embodiments of structure and methods for forming a three-dimensional (3D) memory device are provided. In an example, the memory device includes a stack structure having interleaved a plurality of conductor layers and a plurality of dielectric layers over a substrate along a vertical direction. The memory device also includes a channel structure extending in the stack structure along the vertical direction. A thickness of at least one of the plurality of conductor layers is nominally proportional to a width of the channel structure at the same depth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2023
    Assignee: YANGTZE MEMORY TECHNOLOGIES CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Qiguang Wang, Wenxi Zhou
  • Patent number: 11729971
    Abstract: The present disclosure describes method and structure of a three-dimensional memory device. The memory device includes a substrate and a plurality of wordlines extending along a first direction over the substrate. The first direction is along the x direction. The plurality of wordlines form a staircase structure in a first region. A plurality of channels are formed in a second region and through the plurality of wordlines. The second region abuts the first region at a region boundary. The memory device also includes an insulating slit formed in the first and second regions and along the first direction. A first width of the insulating slit in the first region measured in a second direction is greater than a second width of the insulating slit in the second region measured in the second direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2023
    Assignee: Yangtze Memory Technologies Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Qiang Xu, Zhiliang Xia, Ping Yan, Guangji Li, Zongliang Huo
  • Patent number: 11682694
    Abstract: An embodiment relates to a method and manufacture of robust, high-performance devices. The method comprises preparing a unit cell of a Silicon Carbide (SiC) substrate comprising a first conductivity type substrate and a first conductivity type drift layer; forming a second conductivity type well region; forming a first conductivity type source region within the second conductivity type well region; and forming a second conductivity type shield region surrounding the first conductivity type source region. The second conductivity type shield region formed comprises a portion of the second conductivity type shield region located on a SiC surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2022
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2023
    Assignee: GeneSiC Semiconductor Inc.
    Inventors: Siddarth Sundaresan, Ranbir Singh, Jaehoon Park
  • Patent number: 11616076
    Abstract: A three-dimensional semiconductor memory device includes a substrate, an electrode structure including gate electrodes sequentially stacked on the substrate, a source structure between the electrode structure and the substrate, vertical semiconductor patterns passing through the electrode structure and the source structure, a data storage pattern between each of the vertical semiconductor patterns and the electrode structure, and a common source pattern between the source structure and the substrate. The common source pattern has a lower resistivity than the source structure and is connected to the vertical semiconductor patterns through the source structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2023
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Geunwon Lim, SangJun Hong, Seokcheon Baek
  • Patent number: 11587927
    Abstract: A device includes a semiconductor substrate having a first region and a second region. The device further includes a first pair of fin structures within the first region. The device further includes a second pair of fin structures within the second region. A top surface of the semiconductor surface between fin structures within the first pair is higher than a top surface of the semiconductor surface between the first pair and the second pair.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2023
    Assignee: TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Chih-Chuan Yang, Yu-Kuan Lin
  • Patent number: 11538939
    Abstract: A method of forming a vertical transport field effect transistor (VTFET) is provided. The method includes forming one or more vertical fins on a substrate, wherein there is a fin transition region between each of the one or more vertical fins and the substrate. The method further includes forming a sidewall liner having a first thickness on each of the one or more vertical fins. The method further includes forming a sidewall spacer having a second thickness on each of the sidewall liner(s), wherein the first thickness of the sidewall liner and the second thickness of the sidewall spacer determines an offset distance from each of the one or more vertical fins. The method further includes forming a trench with an edge offset from each of the one or more vertical fins by the offset distance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Brent Anderson, Ruilong Xie, Juntao Li, Kangguo Cheng
  • Patent number: 11527620
    Abstract: Some embodiments include an integrated assembly having a polycrystalline first semiconductor material, and having a second semiconductor material directly adjacent to the polycrystalline first semiconductor material. The second semiconductor material is of a different composition than the polycrystalline first semiconductor material. A conductivity-enhancing dopant is within the second semiconductor material. The conductivity-enhancing dopant is a neutral-type dopant relative to the polycrystalline first semiconductor material. An electrical gate is adjacent to a region of the polycrystalline first semiconductor material and is configured to induce an electric field within said region of the polycrystalline first semiconductor material. The gate is not adjacent to the second semiconductor material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2022
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Kamal M. Karda, Deepak Chandra Pandey, Haitao Liu, Richard J. Hill, Guangyu Huang, Yunfei Gao, Ramanathan Gandhi, Scott E. Sills
  • Patent number: 11515326
    Abstract: A memory device includes an alternating stack of insulating layers and electrically conductive layers located over a substrate, a memory opening vertically extending through the alternating stack, and a memory opening fill structure located in the memory opening and including a vertical semiconductor channel and a memory material layer. A vertical stack of insulating material portions can be provided at levels of the insulating layers to provide a laterally-undulating profile to the memory material layer. Alternatively, a combination of inner insulating spacers and outer insulating spacers can be employed to provide a laterally-undulating profile to the memory material layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2022
    Assignee: SANDISK TECHNOLOGIES LLC
    Inventors: Zhixin Cui, Tatsuya Hinoue
  • Patent number: 11499073
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a composition for etching, comprising a first inorganic acid, a first additive represented by Chemical Formula 1, and a solvent. The composition for etching is a high-selectivity composition that can selectively remove a nitride film while minimizing the etch rate of an oxide film, and which does not have problems such as particle generation, which adversely affect the device characteristics.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2022
    Inventors: Jae-Wan Park, Jung-Hun Lim, Jin-Uk Lee
  • Patent number: 11444098
    Abstract: A vertical non-volatile memory device includes a channel on a substrate and extending in a first direction perpendicular to an upper surface of the substrate, a first charge storage structure on an outer sidewall of the channel, a second charge storage structure on an inner sidewall of the channel, first gate electrodes spaced apart from each other in the first direction on the substrate, each which surrounds the first charge storage structure, and a second gate electrode on an inner sidewall of the second charge storage structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2022
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Younghwan Son, Seungwon Lee, Seogoo Kang, Juyoung Lim, Jeehoon Han
  • Patent number: 11430697
    Abstract: A method for forming a mask layer above a semiconductor fin structure is disclosed. In one aspect the method includes forming a first set of spacers and a second set of spacers arranged at the side surfaces of the first set of spacers, providing a first filler material between the second set of spacers, etching a top portion of the first filler material to form recesses between the second set of spacers, and providing a second filler material in the recesses, the second filler material forming a set of sacrificial mask lines. Further, the method includes recessing a top portion of at least the first set of spacers, providing a mask layer material between the sacrificial mask lines, and removing the sacrificial mask lines and the first filler material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2022
    Assignee: IMEC vzw
    Inventors: Boon Teik Chan, Zheng Tao, Efrain Altamirano Sanchez
  • Patent number: 11404432
    Abstract: A vertical semiconductor device and a method for fabricating the same may include forming an alternating stack of dielectric layers and sacrificial layers over a lower structure, forming an opening by etching the alternating stack, forming a non-conformal blocking layer on the alternating stack in which the opening is formed, adsorbing a deposition inhibitor on a surface of the blocking layer to convert the non-conformal blocking layer into a conformal blocking layer on which the deposition inhibitor is adsorbed, and forming a charge storage layer on the conformal blocking layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2022
    Assignee: SK hynix Inc.
    Inventors: Hye-Hyeon Byeon, Sang-Deok Kim, Il-Young Kwon, Tae-Hong Gwon, Jin-Ho Bin
  • Patent number: 11348938
    Abstract: In a method of manufacturing a vertical memory device, a first sacrificial layer including a nitride is formed on a substrate. A mold including an insulation layer and a second sacrificial layer alternately and repeatedly stacked on the first sacrificial layer is formed. The insulation layer and the second sacrificial layer include a first oxide and a second oxide, respectively. A channel is formed through the mold and the first sacrificial layer. An opening is formed through the mold and the first sacrificial layer to expose an upper surface of the substrate. The first sacrificial layer is removed through the opening to form a first gap. A channel connecting pattern is formed to fill the first gap. The second sacrificial layer is replaced with a gate electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2022
    Inventors: Il-Woo Kim, Sang-Gi An, Hyun-Gon Pyo, Ik-Soo Kim, Hee-Sook Park, Ji-Woon Im
  • Patent number: 11316013
    Abstract: A nitride semiconductor device includes a nitride semiconductor layer, channel cells in the nitride semiconductor layer, a source lead region of a second conductivity type in the nitride semiconductor layer, and a source electrode on a side where a first main surface of the nitride semiconductor layer is located. The channel cells each include a well region of a first conductivity type and a source region of the second conductivity type in contact with the well region. The source lead region is connected to the source region. The channel cells extend in a first direction in a planar view from a normal direction of the first main surface, and arranged in a second direction intersecting with the first direction in the planar view. The source electrode is in contact with the source lead region away from a line of the channel cells arranged in the second direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2022
    Assignee: FUJI ELECTRIC CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Katsunori Ueno
  • Patent number: 11307200
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides an improved field effect transistor and device that can be used to sense and characterize a variety of materials. The field effect transistor and/or device including the transistor may be used for a variety of applications, including genome sequencing, protein sequencing, biomolecular sequencing, and detection of ions, molecules, chemicals, biomolecules, metal atoms, polymers, nanoparticles and the like.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2022
    Inventor: Bharath Takulapalli
  • Patent number: 11302797
    Abstract: A vertical transport fin field effect transistor (VT FinFET), including one or more vertical fins on a surface of a substrate, an L-shaped or U-shaped spacer trough on the substrate adjacent to at least one of the one or more vertical fins, and a gate dielectric layer on the sidewalls of the at least one of the one or more vertical fins and the L-shaped or U-shaped spacer trough.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2022
    Assignee: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Zhenxing Bi, Thamarai S. Devarajan, Balasubramanian Pranatharthiharan, Sanjay C. Mehta, Muthumanickam Sankarapandian
  • Patent number: 11302776
    Abstract: An embodiment relates to a method and manufacture of robust, high-performance devices. The method comprises preparing a unit cell of a Silicon Carbide (SiC) substrate comprising a first conductivity type substrate and a first conductivity type drift layer; forming a second conductivity type well region; forming a first conductivity type source region within the second conductivity type well region; and forming a second conductivity type shield region surrounding the first conductivity type source region. The second conductivity type shield region formed comprises a portion of the second conductivity type shield region located on a SiC surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2022
    Assignee: GeneSiC Semiconductor Inc.
    Inventors: Siddarth Sundaresan, Ranbir Singh, Jaehoon Park
  • Patent number: 11296236
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a substrate, a plurality of nanowires, and a gate stack. The nanowires are over the substrate. Each of the nanowires includes a channel region, the channel region having top and bottom surfaces and a first sidewall between the top and bottom surfaces, in which the first sidewall of the channel region has a (111) crystalline orientation. The gate stack is over the channel regions of the nanowires.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2022
    Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Georgios Vellianitis
  • Patent number: 11257720
    Abstract: A manufacturing method for a semiconductor device, and an integrated semiconductor device. The manufacturing method comprises: on a semiconductor substrate, forming an epitaxial layer having a first region, a second region, and a third region; forming at least one groove in the third region, forming at least two second doping deep traps in the first region, and forming at least two second doping deep traps in the second region; forming a first dielectric island between the second doping deep traps and forming a second dielectric island on the second doping deep traps; forming a first doping groove at both sides of the first dielectric island in the first region; forming a gate structure on the first dielectric island; forming an isolated first doping source region using the second dielectric island as a mask.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2022
    Assignee: CSMC TECHNOLOGIES FAB2 CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Shikang Cheng, Yan Gu, Sen Zhang
  • Patent number: 11251179
    Abstract: A semiconductor and a method of forming a semiconductor on a single chip, including forming a shallow trench isolation (STI) region on a short channel device and a long channel device, forming at least two vertical fins connected in the long channel device, and forming contacts on a source and drain regions for the long channel device and short channel device, wherein the contacts connect a top surface of the source or drain region for series FET (Field-Effect Transistor) connection for the long channel device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2022
    Assignee: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Terence B. Hook, Baozhen Li, Kirk David Peterson, Junli Wang
  • Patent number: 11222782
    Abstract: A method for fabricating a silicon carbide semiconductor device includes providing a SiC epitaxial layer disposed over a surface of a SiC substrate, forming an implant aperture in a hardmask layer on a surface of the expitaxial SiC layer, implanting contact and well regions in the SiC epitaxial layer through the hardmask layer, the contact region lying completely within and recessed from edges of the well region by performing one of implanting the well region through the implant aperture, reducing the area of the implant aperture forming a reduced-area contact implant aperture and implanting the contact region through the reduced-area implant aperture to form a contact region, and implanting the contact region through the implant aperture, increasing the area of the implant aperture to form a increased-area well implant aperture and implanting the well region through the increased-area implant aperture to form a well region completely surrounding the contact region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2022
    Assignee: Microchip Technology Inc.
    Inventors: Amaury Gendron-Hansen, Bruce Odekirk
  • Patent number: 11211399
    Abstract: A vertical structure extends through a tiered structure of alternating conductive and insulative materials. The vertical structure includes a channel structure and a tunneling structure. At least one of the conductive materials of the tiered structure provides a select gate tier (e.g., including a control gate for a select gate drain (SGD) transistor). Adjacent the select gate tier of the tiered structure, the tunneling structure consists of or consists essentially of an oxide-only material. Adjacent the word line tiers of the tiered structure, the tunneling structure comprises at least one material that is other than an oxide-only material, such as a nitride or oxynitride. The oxide-only material adjacent the select gate tier may inhibit unintentional loss of charge from a neighboring charge storage structure, which may improve the stability of the threshold voltage (Vth) of the select gate tier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2021
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Ugo Russo, Chris M. Carlson
  • Patent number: 11183636
    Abstract: Techniques for forming RRAM cells with increased density are provided. In one aspect, a method of forming a RRAM device includes: providing an underlayer disposed on a substrate; patterning trenches in the underlayer; forming bottom electrodes at two different levels of the underlayer that includes first bottom electrodes at bottoms of the trenches and second bottom electrodes along a top surface of the underlayer in between the trenches; depositing an insulating layer on the first/second bottom electrodes; and forming top electrodes on the insulating layer, wherein the top electrodes include word lines, wherein the first and second bottom electrodes include bit lines that are orthogonal to the word lines. A RRAM device is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2021
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Kangguo Cheng, Juntao Li, Dexin Kong, Takashi Ando
  • Patent number: 11149201
    Abstract: Provided is a silicon nitride layer etching composition, and more specifically, a silicon nitride layer etching composition including two different silicon-based compounds in an etching composition to be capable of selectively etching a silicon nitride layer relative to a silicon oxide layer with a remarkable etch selectivity ratio and providing remarkable effects of suppressing generation of precipitates and reducing the abnormal growth of other layers existing in the vicinity, including the silicon oxide layer when the silicon nitride layer etching composition is used for an etching process and a semiconductor manufacturing process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2021
    Assignee: ENF TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Dong Hyun Kim, Hyeon Woo Park, Du Won Lee, Jang Woo Cho, Myung Ho Lee, Myung Geun Song
  • Patent number: 11139174
    Abstract: A method includes forming a mask layer over a target layer. A first etching process is performed on the mask layer to form a first opening and a second opening in the mask layer. A second etching process is performed on the mask layer to reduce an end-to-end spacing between the first opening and the second opening. The first etching process and the second etching process have different anisotropy properties. A pattern of the mask layer is transferred to the target layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2021
    Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Xi-Zong Chen, Yun-Yu Hsieh, Cha-Hsin Chao, Li-Te Hsu
  • Patent number: 11133194
    Abstract: A method of etching a substrate includes generating plasma comprising a first concentration of an etchant and a second concentration of an inhibitor and etching the substrate by exposing an exposed interface between a first material and a second material to the plasma. The first material includes a lower reactivity to both the etchant and the inhibitor than the second material. The first concentration is less than the second concentration. Etching the substrate includes etching the first material and the second material at the exposed interface to form an etched indentation including an enriched region of the second material, forming a passivation layer at the enriched region using the inhibitor, and etching the first material at the etched indentation. The passivation layer reduces an etch rate of the second material to a reduced rate that is less than an etch rate of the first material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2021
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Sergey Voronin, Christopher Catano, Nicholas Joy, Alok Ranjan, Christopher Talone
  • Patent number: 11133377
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor layer made of a wide bandgap semiconductor and including a gate trench; a gate insulating film formed on the gate trench; and a gate electrode embedded in the gate trench to be opposed to the semiconductor layer through the gate insulating film. The semiconductor layer includes a first conductivity type source region; a second conductivity type body region; a first conductivity type drift region; a second conductivity type first breakdown voltage holding region; a source trench passing through the first conductivity type source region and the second conductivity type body region from the front surface and reaching a drain region; and a second conductivity type second breakdown voltage region selectively formed on an edge portion of the source trench where the sidewall and the bottom wall thereof intersect with each other in a parallel region of the source trench.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2021
    Assignee: ROHM CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yuki Nakano, Ryota Nakamura
  • Patent number: 11121258
    Abstract: A transistor comprising a channel region on a material is disclosed. The channel region comprises a two-dimensional material comprising opposing sidewalls and oriented perpendicular to the material. A gate dielectric is on the two-dimensional material and gates are on the gate dielectric. Semiconductor devices and systems including at least one transistor are disclosed, as well as methods of forming a semiconductor device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2021
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Witold Kula, Gurtej S. Sandhu, John A. Smythe
  • Patent number: 11107802
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a semiconductor device includes a first substrate, and a plurality of electrode layers provided above the first substrate and stacked in a first direction. The device further includes a first semiconductor layer extending in the first direction in the plurality of electrode layers, and a metal layer provided above an uppermost one of the plurality of electrode layers and extending to cross the first direction. The device further includes a second semiconductor layer including an impurity diffusion layer that is provided between the first semiconductor layer and the metal layer, electrically connects the first semiconductor layer with the metal layer, and has an impurity concentration higher than an impurity concentration of the first semiconductor layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2021
    Assignee: Toshiba Memory Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroshi Nakaki
  • Patent number: 11075299
    Abstract: Embodiments of the invention are directed to a method that includes forming a fin over a major surface of a substrate. The fin includes an active fin region having a top fin surface and a fin sidewall. The top fin surface is substantially parallel with respect to the major surface, and the fin sidewall is substantially perpendicular with respect to the major surface. A gate is formed over and around a central portion of the fin, the gate having a bottom gate region and a top gate region. The bottom gate region is substantially below the top fin surface and includes a bottom gate region sidewall that is substantially parallel with respect to the fin sidewall. The top gate region is substantially above the top fin surface and includes a top gate region sidewall that is at an angle with respect to the major surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 27, 2021
    Assignee: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Eric Miller, Gauri Karve, Marc A. Bergendahl, Fee Li Lie, Kangguo Cheng, Sean Teehan
  • Patent number: 11056497
    Abstract: A method used in forming a memory array comprises forming a conductive tier atop a substrate, with the conductive tier comprising openings therein. An insulator tier is formed atop the conductive tier and the insulator tier comprises insulator material that extends downwardly into the openings in the conductive tier. A stack comprising vertically-alternating insulative tiers and wordline tiers is formed above the insulator tier. Strings comprising channel material that extend through the insulative tiers and the wordline tiers are formed. The channel material of the strings is directly electrically coupled to conductive material in the conductive tier. Structure independent of method is disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2021
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: John D. Hopkins, Justin B. Dorhout, Damir Fazil, Nancy M. Lomeli
  • Patent number: 11037954
    Abstract: A three dimensional flash memory element with middle source-drain line and manufacturing method thereof. The three dimensional flash memory element includes a string including a channel layer extended in one direction and a plurality of electrode layers vertically layered for the channel layer; an upper wiring layer placed at the top of the string; at least one intermediate wiring layer placed between the plurality of electrode layers in the intermediate area of the string; and a lower wiring layer placed at the bottom of the string. Each of the upper wiring layer, the at least one intermediate wiring layer, and the lower wiring layer is adaptively used as any one of a drain electrode or a source electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2021
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yun Heub Song
  • Patent number: 11038027
    Abstract: Some embodiments include an integrated assembly having a polycrystalline first semiconductor material, and having a second semiconductor material directly adjacent to the polycrystalline first semiconductor material. The second semiconductor material is of a different composition than the polycrystalline first semiconductor material. A conductivity-enhancing dopant is within the second semiconductor material. The conductivity-enhancing dopant is a neutral-type dopant relative to the polycrystalline first semiconductor material. An electrical gate is adjacent to a region of the polycrystalline first semiconductor material and is configured to induce an electric field within said region of the polycrystalline first semiconductor material. The gate is not adjacent to the second semiconductor material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2021
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Kamal M. Karda, Deepak Chandra Pandey, Haitao Liu, Richard J. Hill, Guangyu Huang, Yunfei Gao, Ramanathan Gandhi, Scott E. Sills
  • Patent number: 10998378
    Abstract: A MOS transistor with two vertical gates is formed within a substrate zone of a semiconductor substrate doped with a first type of conductivity and separated from a remaining portion of the substrate by two first parallel trenches extending in a first direction. An isolated gate region rests on each flank of the substrate zone and on a portion of the bottom of the corresponding trench to form the two vertical gates. At least one gate connection region electrically connects the two vertical gates. A first buried region located under the substrate zone is doped with a second type of conductivity to form a first conduction electrode of the MOS transistor. A second region doped with the second type of conductivity is located at the surface of the substrate zone to form a second conduction electrode of the MOS transistor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2021
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics (Rousset) SAS
    Inventors: Philippe Boivin, Jean-Jacques Fagot
  • Patent number: 10964714
    Abstract: A three-dimensional semiconductor memory device includes a substrate, an electrode structure including gate electrodes sequentially stacked on the substrate, a source structure between the electrode structure and the substrate, vertical semiconductor patterns passing through the electrode structure and the source structure, a data storage pattern between each of the vertical semiconductor patterns and the electrode structure, and a common source pattern between the source structure and the substrate. The common source pattern has a lower resistivity than the source structure and is connected to the vertical semiconductor patterns through the source structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2021
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Geunwon Lim, SangJun Hong, Seokcheon Baek
  • Patent number: 10964695
    Abstract: Semiconductor structures are provided. Each of the transistors includes a first source/drain region over a semiconductor fin extending in a first direction, a second source/drain region over the semiconductor fin, a channel region in the semiconductor fin and between the first and second source/drain regions, and a metal gate electrode formed on the channel region and extending in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. In a first transistor of the transistors, a first source/drain region is formed between the metal gate electrode of the first transistor and the metal gate electrode of a second transistor of the transistors, A second source/drain region is formed between the metal gate electrode of the first transistor and the dielectric-base dummy gate extending in the second direction. A first contact of the first source/drain region is narrower than a second contact of the second source/drain region along the first direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2021
    Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Jhon-Jhy Liaw
  • Patent number: 10964602
    Abstract: A method of fabricating a vertical fin field effect transistor with a merged top source/drain, including, forming a source/drain layer at the surface of a substrate, forming a plurality of vertical fins on the source/drain layer; forming protective spacers on each of the plurality of vertical fins, forming a sacrificial plug between two protective spacers, forming a filler layer on the protective spacers not in contact with the sacrificial plug, and selectively removing the sacrificial plug to form an isolation region trench between the two protective spacers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2021
    Assignee: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kangguo Cheng, Xin Miao, Wenyu Xu, Chen Zhang
  • Patent number: 10957549
    Abstract: A method of forming a semiconductor device comprises patterning a mask material adjacent to an array of transistors, forming an electrically conductive material between adjacent portions of the patterned mask material, forming an additional mask material over the patterned mask material to form a mask structure, the additional mask material having an arcuate cross-sectional shape, removing a portion of the additional mask material to reduce a spacing between adjacent portions of the additional mask material, and forming capacitor structures in openings between the mask structure. Additional methods of forming a semiconductor device, and related semiconductor devices and related systems are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2021
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Guangjun Yang
  • Patent number: 10957793
    Abstract: The disclosed technology generally relates to semiconductor fabrication, and more particularly to a method of forming a target layer surrounding a vertical nanostructure. In one aspect, a method includes providing a substrate having a substrate surface. The method additionally includes forming a vertical nanostructure extending outwardly from a substrate surface. The vertical nanostructure has a sidewall surface, where the sidewall surface has an upper portion and a lower portion. The method additionally includes forming a target layer at least along the sidewall surface of the vertical nanostructure and on the substrate surface. The method additionally includes forming a protection layer covering the target layer and removing an upper portion of the protection layer, thereby exposing the target layer along the upper portion of the sidewall surface of the vertical nanostructure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2021
    Assignee: IMEC vzw
    Inventors: Vasile Paraschiv, Guglielma Vecchio, Anabela Veloso
  • Patent number: 10950704
    Abstract: A vertical memory device includes a substrate including a cell array region and a staircase region surrounding the cell array region, gate electrodes on the cell array region and the staircase region, and a channel on the cell array region. The gate electrodes are isolated from each other in first and third directions and each extend in a second direction. The channel extends in the first direction through one or more gate electrodes. End portions in the second direction of first gate electrodes of the plurality of gate electrodes define first steps in the second direction and second steps in the third direction on the staircase region of the substrate, the second steps being connected to the first steps, respectively, at same levels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2021
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Seung-Jun Shin, Si-Wan Kim, Bong-Hyun Choi
  • Patent number: 10941341
    Abstract: An etching composition providing a high selection ratio enabling selective removal of a nitride film and minimization of an etching rate, a preparation method thereof, an etching composition additive prepared through a reaction of phosphoric anhydride and a silane compound represented by Formula 1 below, a method for preparing the same and an etching composition including the same are provided:
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2021
    Assignees: SK Innovation Co., Ltd., SK-Materials Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Cheol Woo Kim, Yu Na Shim, Je Ho Lee, Jae Hoon Kwak, Young Bom Kim, Jin Kyung Jo
  • Patent number: 10937869
    Abstract: The subject matter disclosed herein relates to wide band gap semiconductor power devices and, more specifically, to high-energy implantation masks used in forming silicon carbide (SiC) power devices, such as charge balanced (CB) SiC power devices. An intermediate semiconductor device structure includes a SiC substrate layer having a first conductivity type and silicon carbide (SiC) epitaxial (epi) layer having the first conductivity type disposed on the SiC substrate layer. The intermediate device structure also includes a silicon high-energy implantation mask (SiHEIM) disposed directly on a first portion of the SiC epi layer and having a thickness between 5 micrometers (?m) and 20 ?m. The SiHEIM is configured to block implantation of the first portion of the SiC epi layer during a high-energy implantation process having an implantation energy greater than 500 kiloelectron volts (keV).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2021
    Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: William Gregg Hawkins, Reza Ghandi, Christopher Bauer, Shaoxin Lu
  • Patent number: 10930670
    Abstract: A semiconductor device, and a method of manufacturing the semiconductor device, the method includes forming a first stack structure penetrated by first channel structures, forming electrode patterns surrounding second channel structures and separated from each other by first slits and second slits, the second channel structures coupled to the first channel structures, and the second slits comprising a different width from the first slits, filling each of the first slits and the second slits with an insulating material to cover sidewalls of the electrode patterns, and forming third slits passing through the insulating material in each of the second slits and extending to pass through the first stack structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2021
    Assignee: SK hynix Inc.
    Inventors: Wan Sup Shin, Ki Hong Lee, Jae Jung Lee, Young Geun Jang
  • Patent number: 10923498
    Abstract: A source-level sacrificial layer and an alternating stack of insulating layers and sacrificial material layers are formed over a substrate. Memory openings are formed through the alternating stack, and a source cavity is formed by removing the source-level sacrificial layer. A memory film is formally formed by a conformal deposition process, and a source contact layer is formed in the source cavity. Vertical semiconductor channels and drain regions are formed in remaining volumes of the memory openings on sidewalls of the source contact layer. A backside contact via structure is formed through the alternating stack and directly on a sidewall of the source contact layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2021
    Assignee: SANDISK TECHNOLOGIES LLC
    Inventors: Yoshitaka Otsu, Satoshi Shimizu, Makoto Koto
  • Patent number: 10923591
    Abstract: A method for producing an SGT employs a gate-last process that includes forming a fin-shaped semiconductor layer, a pillar-shaped semiconductor layer, a gate electrode, and a gate line by self-alignment. The gate line and the pillar-shaped semiconductor layer are formed in a direction perpendicular to a direction in which the fin-shaped semiconductor layer extends.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2021
    Assignee: UNISANTIS ELECTRONICS SINGAPORE PTE. LTD.
    Inventors: Fujio Masuoka, Hiroki Nakamura