Patents by Inventor Kar Wui Thong

Kar Wui Thong 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).

  • Publication number: 20240147713
    Abstract: A method of forming a microelectronic device including a first stack structure comprising alternating levels of insulative structures and other insulative structures, forming strings of memory cells through the first stack structure, forming a second stack structure over the first stack structure, based at least partially on observed amount of pillar bending within the first stack structure, forming a first tailored reticle specific to the observed amount of pillar bending, utilizing the first tailored reticle to form openings extending through the second stack structure and over some of the strings of memory cells, wherein centers of the openings over the strings of memory cells are at least substantially aligned with the centers of uppermost surfaces of the strings of memory cells in a direction of the observed pillar bending, and forming upper pillars extending through the second stack structure and over some of the strings of memory cells.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2023
    Publication date: May 2, 2024
    Inventors: Lifang Xu, Sidhartha Gupta, Kar Wui Thong, Harsh Narendarakumar Jain
  • Patent number: 11917817
    Abstract: A microelectronic device comprises a stack structure comprising a vertically alternating sequence of conductive material and insulative material arranged in tiers. The stack structure has blocks separated from one another by first dielectric slot structures. Each of the blocks comprises two crest regions, a stadium structure interposed between the two crest regions in a first horizontal direction and comprising opposing staircase structures each having steps comprising edges of the tiers of the stack structure, and two bridge regions neighboring opposing sides of the stadium structure in a second horizontal direction orthogonal to the first horizontal direction and having upper surfaces substantially coplanar with upper surfaces of the two crest regions. At least one second dielectric slot structure is within horizontal boundaries of the stadium structure in the first horizontal direction and partially vertically extends through and segmenting each of the two bridge regions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Shuangqiang Luo, John D. Hopkins, Lifang Xu, Nancy M. Lomeli, Indra V. Chary, Kar Wui Thong, Shicong Wang
  • Patent number: 11856763
    Abstract: A method of forming a microelectronic device including a first stack structure comprising alternating levels of insulative structures and other insulative structures, forming strings of memory cells through the first stack structure, forming a second stack structure over the first stack structure, based at least partially on observed amount of pillar bending within the first stack structure, forming a first tailored reticle specific to the observed amount of pillar bending, utilizing the first tailored reticle to form openings extending through the second stack structure and over some of the strings of memory cells, wherein centers of the openings over the strings of memory cells are at least substantially aligned with the centers of uppermost surfaces of the strings of memory cells in a direction of the observed pillar bending, and forming upper pillars extending through the second stack structure and over some of the strings of memory cells.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Lifang Xu, Sidhartha Gupta, Kar Wui Thong, Harsh Narendrakumar Jain
  • Publication number: 20230380159
    Abstract: A memory array comprises strings of memory cells. The memory array comprises laterally-spaced memory blocks that individually comprise a vertical stack comprising alternating insulative tiers and conductive tiers directly above a conductor tier. Channel-material strings of memory cells extend through the insulative tiers and the conductive tiers. The channel material of the channel-material strings directly electrically couples to conductor material of the conductor tier. Individual ones of the channel-material strings in a vertical cross-section comprise an external jog surface that is above the conductor tier and an internal jog surface that is in the conductor tier. Other aspects, including methods, are disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 18, 2022
    Publication date: November 23, 2023
    Applicant: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Damir Fazil, John D. Hopkins, Indra V. Chary, Tom John, Joel D. Peterson, Kar Wui Thong, Zhaohui Ma
  • Publication number: 20230326793
    Abstract: Some embodiments include apparatuses and methods of forming the apparatuses.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 23, 2023
    Publication date: October 12, 2023
    Inventors: Kar Wui Thong, Harsh Narendrakumar Jain, John Hopkins
  • Publication number: 20230207389
    Abstract: A microelectronic device comprises a stack structure comprising alternating conductive structures and insulative structures arranged in tiers, each of the tiers individually comprising a conductive structure and an insulative structure, strings of memory cells vertically extending through the stack structure, the strings of memory cells comprising a channel material vertically extending through the stack structure, another stack structure vertically overlying the stack structure and comprising alternating levels of other conductive structures and other insulative structures, the other stack structure comprising pillars vertically overlying the strings of memory cells, each pillar comprising an other channel material in electrical communication with the channel material of the strings of memory cells, and conductive contact structures vertically overlying the other stack structure, each conductive contact structure comprising an electrically conductive contact at least partially extending into the pillars and
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 21, 2023
    Publication date: June 29, 2023
    Inventors: Yi Hu, Kar Wui Thong
  • Patent number: 11682581
    Abstract: Some embodiments include apparatuses and methods of forming the apparatuses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2023
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Kar Wui Thong, Harsh Narendrakumar Jain, John Hopkins
  • Patent number: 11631615
    Abstract: A microelectronic device comprises a stack structure comprising alternating conductive structures and insulative structures arranged in tiers, each of the tiers individually comprising a conductive structure and an insulative structure, strings of memory cells vertically extending through the stack structure, the strings of memory cells comprising a channel material vertically extending through the stack structure, another stack structure vertically overlying the stack structure and comprising alternating levels of other conductive structures and other insulative structures, the other stack structure comprising pillars vertically overlying the strings of memory cells, each pillar comprising an other channel material in electrical communication with the channel material of the strings of memory cells, and conductive contact structures vertically overlying the other stack structure, each conductive contact structure comprising an electrically conductive contact at least partially extending into the pillars and
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2023
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Yi Hu, Kar Wui Thong
  • Publication number: 20230052468
    Abstract: A memory array comprising strings of memory cells comprises laterally-spaced memory blocks individually comprising a vertical stack comprising alternating insulative tiers and conductive tiers above a conductor tier. Strings of memory cells comprise channel-material strings that extend through the insulative tiers and the conductive tiers. The channel-material strings directly electrically couple with conductor material of the conductor tier by conducting material that is in a lowest of the conductive tiers and that is directly against multiple of the channel-material strings. The channel-material strings in the laterally-spaced memory blocks comprise part of a memory plane. A wall in the lowest conductive tier is aside the conducting material. The wall is in a region that is edge-of-plane relative to the memory plane. The edge-of-plane region comprises a TAV region. The wall is horizontally-elongated relative to an edge of the TAV region that is in the edge-of-plane region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 11, 2021
    Publication date: February 16, 2023
    Applicant: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: M. Jared Barclay, John D. Hopkins, Richard J. Hill, Indra V. Chary, Kar Wui Thong
  • Publication number: 20220302148
    Abstract: A method of forming a microelectronic device including a first stack structure comprising alternating levels of insulative structures and other insulative structures, forming strings of memory cells through the first stack structure, forming a second stack structure over the first stack structure, based at least partially on observed amount of pillar bending within the first stack structure, forming a first tailored reticle specific to the observed amount of pillar bending, utilizing the first tailored reticle to form openings extending through the second stack structure and over some of the strings of memory cells, wherein centers of the openings over the strings of memory cells are at least substantially aligned with the centers of uppermost surfaces of the strings of memory cells in a direction of the observed pillar bending, and forming upper pillars extending through the second stack structure and over some of the strings of memory cells.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 18, 2021
    Publication date: September 22, 2022
    Inventors: Lifang Xu, Sidhartha Gupta, Kar Wui Thong, Harsh Narendrakumar Jain
  • Publication number: 20220199637
    Abstract: A microelectronic device comprises a stack structure comprising a vertically alternating sequence of conductive material and insulative material arranged in tiers. The stack structure has blocks separated from one another by first dielectric slot structures. Each of the blocks comprises two crest regions, a stadium structure interposed between the two crest regions in a first horizontal direction and comprising opposing staircase structures each having steps comprising edges of the tiers of the stack structure, and two bridge regions neighboring opposing sides of the stadium structure in a second horizontal direction orthogonal to the first horizontal direction and having upper surfaces substantially coplanar with upper surfaces of the two crest regions. At least one second dielectric slot structure is within horizontal boundaries of the stadium structure in the first horizontal direction and partially vertically extends through and segmenting each of the two bridge regions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 17, 2020
    Publication date: June 23, 2022
    Inventors: Shuangqiang Luo, John D. Hopkins, Lifang Xu, Nancy M. Lomeli, Indra V. Chary, Kar Wui Thong, Shicong Wang
  • Publication number: 20220199467
    Abstract: Some embodiments include apparatuses and methods of forming the apparatuses.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2020
    Publication date: June 23, 2022
    Inventors: Kar Wui Thong, Harsh Narendrakumar Jain, John Hopkins
  • Publication number: 20210358806
    Abstract: A microelectronic device comprises a stack structure comprising alternating conductive structures and insulative structures arranged in tiers, each of the tiers individually comprising a conductive structure and an insulative structure, strings of memory cells vertically extending through the stack structure, the strings of memory cells comprising a channel material vertically extending through the stack structure, another stack structure vertically overlying the stack structure and comprising alternating levels of other conductive structures and other insulative structures, the other stack structure comprising pillars vertically overlying the strings of memory cells, each pillar comprising an other channel material in electrical communication with the channel material of the strings of memory cells, and conductive contact structures vertically overlying the other stack structure, each conductive contact structure comprising an electrically conductive contact at least partially extending into the pillars and
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 18, 2020
    Publication date: November 18, 2021
    Inventors: Yi Hu, Kar Wui Thong