Abstract: A method of manufacturing an integrated circuit is provided with a semiconductor substrate having a core region and a periphery region. A charge-trapping dielectric layer is deposited in the core region, and a gate dielectric layer is deposited in the periphery region. Bitlines are formed in the semiconductor substrate in the core region and not in the periphery region. A wordline-gate layer is formed and implanted with dopant in the core region and not in the periphery region. A wordline and gate are formed. Source/drain junctions are implanted with dopant in the semiconductor substrate around the gate, and the gate is implanted with a gate doping implantation in the periphery region and not in the core region.

Abstract: A process for fabrication of a semiconductor device including an ONO structure as a component of a flash memory device, comprising forming the ONO structure by providing a semiconductor substrate having a silicon surface; forming a first oxide layer on the silicon surface; depositing a silicon nitride layer on the first oxide layer; and forming a top oxide layer on the silicon nitride layer, wherein the top oxide layer is formed by an in-situ steam generation oxidation of a surface of the silicon nitride layer. The semiconductor device may be, e.g., a SONOS two-bit EEPROM device or a floating gate FLASH memory device including an ONO structure.

Abstract: A method of protecting a charge trapping dielectric flash memory cell from UV-induced charging, including fabricating a charge trapping dielectric flash memory cell in a semiconductor device; depositing over the charge trapping dielectric flash memory cell at least one UV-protective layer; forming at least one layer over the at least one UV-protective layer; and etching the at least one layer to form an opening therein with an etchant species selective to stop on a layer below the at least one UV-protective layer, wherein the UV-protective layer comprises a substantially UV-opaque material.

Abstract: Process for reducing charge leakage in a SONOS flash memory device, including in one embodiment, forming a bottom oxide layer of an ONO structure on the semiconductor substrate to form an oxide/silicon interface having a first oxygen content adjacent the oxide/silicon interface; treating the bottom oxide layer to increase the first oxygen content to a second oxygen content adjacent the oxide/silicon interface; and depositing a nitride charge-storage layer on the bottom oxide layer. In another embodiment, process for reducing charge leakage in a SONOS flash memory device, including forming a bottom oxide layer of an ONO structure on a surface of the semiconductor substrate having an oxide/silicon interface with a super-stoichiometric oxygen content adjacent the oxide/silicon interface; and depositing a nitride charge-storage layer on the bottom oxide layer.

Abstract: The invention is a semiconductor device and a method of manufacturing the semiconductor device. The semiconductor device includes buried bitlines in a semiconductor substrate. Additionally, doped regions are formed adjacent the buried bitlines. The doped regions adjacent the buried bitlines inhibit a leakage current between the buried bitlines.

Abstract: A method and system of making a mask with a transparent substrate thereon is provided. A first resolution enhancement structure is formed on the first portion of the transparent substrate. A second resolution enhancement structure is formed on a second portion of the transparent substrate, with the second resolution enhancement structure different from the first resolution enhancement structure.

Abstract: A method of protecting a charge trapping dielectric flash memory cell from UV-induced charging, including fabricating a charge trapping dielectric flash memory cell in a semiconductor device; depositing and planarizing an interlevel dielectric layer over the charge trapping dielectric flash memory cell and depositing over the planarized interlevel dielectric layer at least one UV-protective layer, the UV-protective layer including a substantially UV-opaque material.

Abstract: A SONOS flash memory device, including a semiconductor substrate; an ONO structure formed on the semiconductor substrate, the ONO structure including a bottom oxide layer, a dielectric charge storage layer and a top oxide layer, the bottom oxide layer having a super-stoichiometric oxygen content and an oxygen vacancy content of about 1010/cm2 or less, wherein the bottom oxide layer exhibits a reduced charge leakage relative to a bottom oxide layer having a stoichiometric or sub-stoichiometric oxygen content and a greater number of oxygen vacancies. In one embodiment, the bottom oxide layer has an oxygen vacancy content of substantially zero.

Abstract: Process for fabricating a charge trapping dielectric flash memory device including steps of providing a semiconductor substrate; forming on the semiconductor substrate a bottom oxide layer; depositing on the bottom oxide layer a nitride layer, the deposited nitride layer having a first hydrogen content; and applying a treatment to reduce the first hydrogen content to a second hydrogen content.

Abstract: Process for fabricating a semiconductor device including steps of providing a semiconductor substrate having formed thereon a semiconductor device; depositing over the semiconductor device a spacer layer, the spacer layer having a first hydrogen content; and applying a treatment to reduce the first hydrogen content to a second hydrogen content. The invention is particularly useful when applied to flash memory devices such as a charge trapping dielectric flash memory device.

Abstract: The invention includes an apparatus and a method of manufacturing such apparatus using a damascene process. The method includes the step of patterning a layer disposed over a substrate to include a line and space pattern. The line and space pattern in the layer includes at least one space comprising a width dimension of a feature to be formed. The feature may be, e.g., a wordline(s)/gate electrode(s). Additionally, the sidewalls of the feature, e.g., the wordline(s)/gate electrode(s) include relatively smooth surfaces.

Abstract: The invention is a semiconductor device and a method of forming the semiconductor device. The semiconductor device comprises a substrate; buried bitlines formed in the substrate narrower than achievable at a resolution limit of lithography; a doped region formed adjacent at least one of the buried bitlines; a charge trapping layer disposed over the substrate; and a conductive layer disposed over the charge trapping layer, wherein the doped region adjacent the least one of the buried bitlines inhibits a leakage current between the buried bitlines.

Abstract: According to one exemplary embodiment, a structure comprises a substrate. The structure further comprises at least one memory cell situated on the substrate. The at least one memory cell may be, for example, a SONOS flash memory cell. The structure further comprises an interlayer dielectric layer situated over at least one memory cell and over the substrate. The structure further comprises a first antireflective coating layer situated over the interlayer dielectric layer. According to this exemplary embodiment, the structure further comprises a second antireflective coating layer situated directly over the first anti reflective coating layer. Either the first antireflective coating layer or second antireflective coating layer must be a silicon-rich layer. The first antireflective coating layer and the second antireflective coating may form a UV radiation blocking layer having a UV transparency less than approximately 1.0 percent, for example.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a MirrorBit® Flash memory includes providing a semiconductor substrate and successively depositing a first insulating layer, a charge-trapping layer, and a second insulating layer. First and second bitlines are implanted and wordlines are formed before completing the memory. Spacers are formed between the wordlines and an inter-layer dielectric layer is formed over the wordlines. One or more of the second insulating layer, wordlines, spacers, and inter-layer dielectric layers are deuterated, replacing hydrogen bonds with deuterium, thus improving data retention and substantially reducing charge loss.

Abstract: According to one exemplary embodiment, a structure comprises a substrate. The structure further comprises at least one memory cell situated on the substrate. The at least one memory cell may be, for example, a flash memory cell, such as a SONOS flash memory cell and may include a gate situated over an ONO stack. The structure further comprises an interlayer dielectric layer situated over the at least one memory cell and over the substrate. According to this exemplary embodiment, the structure further comprises a UV radiation blocking layer situated directly over the interlayer dielectric layer, where the UV radiation blocking layer is selected from the group consisting of silicon-rich oxide and silicon-rich nitride. The UV radiation blocking layer may have a thickness of between approximately 1500.0 Angstroms and approximately 2000.0 Angstroms, for example.

Abstract: Process for fabricating a SONOS flash memory device, including in one embodiment, forming a bottom oxide layer of an ONO structure on a semiconductor substrate, wherein the bottom oxide layer has a first oxygen vacancy content; treating the bottom oxide layer to decrease the first oxygen vacancy content to a second oxygen vacancy content; and depositing a dielectric charge-storage layer on the bottom oxide layer. In another embodiment, a process for fabricating a SONOS flash memory device includes forming a bottom oxide layer of an ONO structure on the semiconductor substrate under strongly oxidizing conditions, wherein the bottom oxide layer has a super-stoichiometric oxygen content and an oxygen vacancy content reduced relative to a bottom oxide layer formed by a conventional process; and depositing a dielectric charge-storage layer on the bottom oxide layer.

Abstract: According to one exemplary embodiment, a structure comprises a substrate. The structure further comprises at least one memory cell situated on the substrate. The at least one memory cell may be, for example, a flash memory cell, such as a SONOS flash memory cell. The structure further comprises an interlayer dielectric layer situated over the at least one memory cell and over the substrate. According to this exemplary embodiment, the structure further comprises a UV radiation blocking layer which comprises silicon-rich TCS nitride. Further, an oxide cap layer is situated over the UV radiation blocking layer. The structure might further comprise an antireflective coating layer over the oxide cap layer. The interlayer dielectric may comprise BPSG and the oxide cap layer may comprise TEOS oxide.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing an integrated circuit includes a semiconductor substrate having bitlines under a charge-trapping material over a core region and a gate insulator material over a periphery region. A wordline-gate material, a hard mask, and a first photoresist are deposited and patterned over the core region while covering the periphery region. After removing the first photoresist, wordlines are formed from the wordline-gate material in the core region. An anti-reflective coating and a second photoresist are deposited and patterned over the periphery region and covering the core region. The anti-reflective coating is removable without damaging the charge-trapping material. After removing the second photoresist and the anti-reflective coating, gates are formed from the wordline-gate material in the periphery region and the integrated circuit completed.

Abstract: A manufacturing method for a MirrorBit® Flash memory includes providing a semiconductor substrate and depositing a charge-trapping dielectric layer. First and second bitlines are implanted and a wordline layer is deposited. A hard mask layer is deposited over the wordline layer. The hard mask is of a material formulated for removal without damaging the charge-trapping dielectric layer. A photoresist is deposited over the wordline layer and used to form a hard mask. The photoresist is removed. The wordline layer is processed using the hard mask to form a wordline and the hard mask is removed. A salicide is grown without short-circuiting the first and second bitlines.

Abstract: A manufacturing method for a MirrorBit® Flash memory includes providing a semiconductor substrate and depositing a charge-trapping dielectric layer. First and second bitlines are implanted and a wordline layer is deposited. A hard mask layer is deposited over the wordline layer. The hard mask is of a material formulated for removal without damaging the charge-trapping dielectric layer. A photoresist is deposited over the wordline layer and used to form a hard mask. The photoresist is removed. The wordline layer is processed using the hard mask to form a wordline and the hard mask is removed. A salicide is grown without short-circuiting the first and second bitlines.