Abstract: The nonvolatile semiconductor memory device has a floating gate electrode that is formed on the semiconductor region and stores carriers injected from the semiconductor region and a control gate electrode that controls the quantity of stored carriers by applying a predetermined voltage to the floating gate electrode. The source region is formed in the semiconductor region on one of side regions of the floating gate electrode and control gate electrode, while the drain region is formed on the other of the side regions thereof. The drain region creates an electric field from which the carriers injected into the floating gate electrode are subject to an external force having an element directed from the semiconductor region to the floating gate electrode.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a semiconductor integrated circuit device including a memory cell array in which non-volatile semiconductor memory devices are arranged in a matrix of a plurality of rows and columns.

Abstract: A semiconductor memory device according to the present invention includes isolations, active regions, control gate electrodes and floating gate electrodes. The isolations are formed on a semiconductor substrate. The active regions are defined on the semiconductor substrate and isolated from each other by the isolations. The control gate electrodes are formed over the semiconductor substrate. Each of the control gate electrodes crosses all of the isolations and all of the active regions with a first insulating film interposed between the control gate electrode and the semiconductor substrate. Each of the floating gate electrodes is formed for associated one of the active regions so as to cover a side face of associated one of the control gate electrodes with a second insulating film interposed between the floating gate electrode and the control gate electrodes.

Abstract: A semiconductor memory device includes a control gate electrode formed on a first main surface of a semiconductor substrate through a first insulating film, and a floating gate electrode covering a stepped region which connects the first main surface of the semiconductor substrate and a second main surface positioned at a lower level than the first main surface through a second insulating film and having a side surface capacitively coupled with one side surface of the control gate electrode through a third insulating film. The stepped region has a first stepped portion connected with the first main surface and a second stepped portion connecting the first stepped portion and the second main surface.

Abstract: A semiconductor memory device according to the present invention includes isolations, active regions, control gate electrodes and floating gate electrodes. The isolations are formed on a semiconductor substrate. The active regions are defined on the semiconductor substrate and isolated from each other by the isolations. The control gate electrodes are formed over the semiconductor substrate. Each of the control gate electrodes crosses all of the isolations and all of the active regions with a first insulating film interposed between the control gate electrode and the semiconductor substrate. Each of the floating gate electrodes is formed for associated one of the active regions so as to cover a side face of associated one of the control gate electrodes with a second insulating film interposed between the floating gate electrode and the control gate electrodes.

Abstract: A method is provided for programming data for a memory element of a twin memory cell (i). The word line WL1 is set to a programming word line selection voltage, the control gate CG[i+1] is set to a programming control gate voltage, the control gate CG[i] is set to an over-ride voltage, the bit line BL[i+1] is set to a programming bit line voltage, and the bit line BL[i] is connected to the constant current source.

Abstract: A method is provided for programming data for a memory element of a twin memory cell (i). The word line WL1 is set to a programming word line selection voltage, the control gate CG[i+1] is set to a programming control gate voltage, and the control gate CG[i] is set to an over-ride voltage. The bit line BL[i+1] is set to a programming bit line voltage, and the bit line BL[i+2] is set to Vdd, but not to 0 V.

Abstract: A nonvolatile semiconductor memory device has a protective insulating film deposited on each of the side surfaces of a control gate electrode to protect the control gate electrode during the formation of a floating gate electrode, the floating gate electrode opposed to one of the side surfaces of the control gate electrode with the protective insulating film interposed therebetween so as to be capacitively coupled to the control gate electrode, a tunnel insulating film formed between the floating gate electrode and the semiconductor substrate, a drain region formed in a region of the semiconductor substrate containing a portion underlying the floating gate electrode, and a source region formed in a region of the semiconductor substrate opposite to the drain region relative to the control gate electrode.

Abstract: A method of fabricating a semiconductor device including the following steps of: forming a first insulating layer, a first conductive layer and a stopper layer over a semiconductor layer; forming a mask insulating layer on the first conductive layer in a logic circuit region; forming a conductive layer in a formation region of word gate layers and common contact sections and forming gate electrodes; anisotropically etching the second conductive layer to form control gates in the shape of sidewalls and a conductive layer of the common contact sections, in a memory region; and patterning the third conductive layer and the first conductive layer to form word gates and word lines.

Abstract: In the prior arts a twin MONOS memory erase is achieved by applying a positive bias to the bit diffusion and a negative bias to the control gate. The other word gate and substrate terminals are grounded. But the voltage of word gate channel adjacent to the control gate can dramatically influence erase characteristics and speed, due to the short control gate channel length, which is a few times of the carrier escape length. A negative voltage application onto the word gate enhances erase speed, whereas a positive channel potential under the word gate reduces erase speed. By effective biasing of the memory array, word line or even single memory cell level erase is possible without area penalty, as compared to erase blocking by triple well or physical block separations of prior art. Near F-N channel erase without substrate bias application and program disturb protection by word line voltage are also included.

Abstract: In the present invention a nonvolatile memory array architecture can be realized by a fabrication process more compatible to an MOS logic fabrication process as compared with previous nonvolatile memory array architectures. Higher write and/or read speed is possible because of a lower bit line resistance. A high hard bit density near 4F2 is possible when a self-align contact technology and a border less contact technology are used. Connection regions are formed throughout the memory array comprising four cells that are connected to one bit line. The connection regions can be formed in the same processing step with opposite conductivity regions for economy of processing. A plurality of memory cells are two dimensionally disposed in two different directions with connection regions, conductive bit lines extending in the first direction, conductive word lines extending in the second direction, and conductive control lines.

Abstract: An fast program, ultra-high density, dual-bit, multi-level flash memory process, which can be applied to a ballistic step split gate side wall transistor, or to a ballistic planar split gate side wall transistor, which enables program operation by low voltage requirement on the floating gate during program is described. Two side wall floating gates are paired with a single word line select gate, and word lines are arranged to be perpendicular both the bit lines and control gate lines. Two adjacent memory cells on the same word line do not require an isolation region. Also, the isolation region between adjacent memory cells sharing the same bitline is defined by the minimum lithography feature, utilizing a self align fill technique. Adjacent memory cells on the same word line share bitline diffusion as well as a third poly control gate. Control gates allow program and read access to the individual floating gate.

Abstract: An fast program, ultra-high density, dual-bit, multi-level flash memory process, which can be applied to a ballistic step split gate side wall transistor, or to a ballistic planar split gate side wall transistor, which enables program operation by low voltage requirement on the floating gate during program is described. Two side wall floating gates are paired with a single word line select gate, and word lines are arranged to be perpendicular both the bit lines and control gate lines. Two adjacent memory cells on the same word line do not require an isolation region. Also, the isolation region between adjacent memory cells sharing the same bitline is defined by the minimum lithography feature, utilizing a self align fill technique. Adjacent memory cells on the same word line share bitline diffusion as well as a third poly control gate. Control gates allow program and read access to the individual floating gate.

Abstract: Presented in this invention is a fabricating method and its array organization for a high-density twin MONOS memory device integrating a twin MONOS memory cell array and CMOS logic device circuit.

Abstract: A fabrication method of the present invention includes the following steps: A step of forming gate electrodes in a logic circuit region; a step of forming first and second protective insulating layers in the logic circuit region; a step of forming a first gate insulating layer and a word gate layer in a memory region; a step of forming a second gate insulating layer on a semiconductor substrate and forming side insulating layers on both sides of the word gate layer in the memory region; a step of anisotropically etching the second conductive layer, thereby forming control gates in the shape of sidewalls and a conductive layer continuous with the control gates in regions in which common contact sections are formed; a step of removing the first and second protective insulating layers; and a step of forming impurity layers which form either a source or drain.

Abstract: In the present invention a new method for program and program verify is described. The threshold voltage of the memory cell is shifted up and then measured with minimal charging and discharging of the bit lines and control gate lines. Bit line to control gate line capacitance is also used to reduce the number of voltage references needed. Program current is reduced by use of a load device coupled to the source diffusion. The result is increased program bandwidth with lower high voltage charge pump current consumption.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a nonvolatile memory cell and/or array and a method of operating the same high integrated density nonvolatile memory cell enabling high integration density, low voltage programming and/or high speed programming, a method of programming same and a nonvolatile memory array. A p-well 101 is formed in a surface of a substrate 10 and a channel forming semiconductor region 110 is defined in a surface of the p-well 101 and separated by a first n+ region 121 and a second n+ region 122. A carrier-supplying portion (CS: carrier supply) 111 is formed coming into contact with the first n+ region 121 and a carrier-acceleration-injection portion 112 (AI: acceleration and injection) is in contact with the second n+ region 122 in the channel forming semiconductor region 110 wherein the carrier-supplying portion 111 and carrier-acceleration-injection portion 112 are in contact with each other.

Abstract: The nonvolatile semiconductor memory device of the present invention includes: a semiconductor substrate having a surface including a first surface region at a first level, a second surface region at a second level lower than the first level, and a step side region linking the first surface region and the second surface region together; a channel region formed in the first surface region of the semiconductor substrate; a source region and a drain region which are formed in the surface of the semiconductor substrate so as to interpose the channel region therebetween; a first insulating film formed on the surface of the semiconductor substrate; a floating gate formed on the first insulating film; a second insulating film formed on the floating gate; and a control gate which is capacitively coupled to the floating gate via the second insulating film.

Abstract: In a semiconductor substrate having a surface including a first surface region at a first level, a second surface region at a second level lower than the first level, and a step side region linking the first surface region and the second surface region together, a channel region has a triple structure. Thus, a high electric field is formed in a corner portion between the step side region and the second surface region and in the vicinity thereof. A high electric field is also formed in the first surface region. As a result, the efficiency, with which electrons are injected into a floating gate, is considerably increased.

Abstract: The nonvolatile semiconductor memory device of the present invention includes: a semiconductor substrate having a surface including a first surface region at a first level, a second surface region at a second level lower than the first level, and a step side region linking the first surface region and the second surface region together; a channel region formed in the first surface region of the semiconductor substrate; a source region and a drain region which are formed in the surface of the semiconductor substrate so as to interpose the channel region therebetween; a first insulating film formed on the surface of the semiconductor substrate; a floating gate formed on the first insulating film; and a control gate which is capacitively coupled to the floating gate via a second insulating film. The first insulating film includes a first gate insulating film portion formed in the first surface region, and, a second gate insulating film portion formed in the step side region and the second surface region.