Abstract: The present invention provides a semiconductor memory device comprising one or more protruding semiconductor layers formed on a semiconductor substrate of a first conductivity type and a plurality of memory cells on surfaces of the protruding semiconductor layers, wherein

Abstract: A semiconductor memory comprises: a substrate; and one or more memory cells constituted of at least one island-like semiconductor layer, a charge storage layer and a control gate, the charge storage layer and the control gate being formed to entirely or partially encircle a sidewall of the island-like semiconductor layer, wherein at least one of said one or more memory cells is electrically insulated from the semiconductor substrate and has an insulating film allowing an electric charge to pass at least in a part of a region between the charge storage layer and the island-like semiconductor layer.

Abstract: A process for producing a semiconductor memory device comprises the steps of: (a) forming a floating gate on a semiconductor substrate having a dielectric film; (b) forming a side wall spacer comprising an insulating film on a side wall of the floating gate; (c) forming a groove by etching the semiconductor substrate using the side wall spacer as a mask; and (d) forming a low concentration impurity layer from one side wall to a bottom surface of the groove by an oblique ion implantation to the semiconductor substrate thus resulting, and forming a high concentration impurity layer from the other side wall to the bottom surface of the groove by in inverse oblique ion implantation.

Abstract: A semiconductor memory comprises: a first conductivity type semiconductor substrate and memory cells each constituted of an island-like semiconductor layer, a charge storage layer and a control gate, the charge storage layer and the control gate being formed to entirely or partially encircle a sidewall of the island-like semiconductor layer, wherein the memory cells are disposed in series, and the island-like semiconductor layer on which the memory cells are disposed has cross-sectional areas in a horizontal direction which vary stepwise.

Abstract: A process of manufacturing an electron microscopic sample comprising the steps of: (a) forming a mask layer for covering an object region to be analyzed of a semiconductor layer and/or a conductive layer which have/has been patterned into a desired configuration; (b) reducing a periphery region surrounded the object region to be analyzed in a depth direction by using the mask layer; (c) removing the mask layer and forming an etch stop layer over the object region to be analyzed and the periphery region; and (d) polishing the semiconductor layer and/or the conductive layer in the object region to be analyzed down to the level of the surface of etch stop layer lying on the reduced periphery region.

Abstract: A process for manufacturing a semiconductor memory device comprises the steps of: (a) forming a tunnel oxide film, a first (1st) conductive film to be a lower floating gate, a 1st insulating film and a second (2nd) insulating film in this order on a semiconductor substrate and patterning the 2nd insulating film, the 1st insulating film, the 1st conductive film and the tunnel oxide film into a desired configuration; (b) forming a third (3rd) insulating film on the entire surface of the resulting substrate; (c) reducing the 3rd insulating film until the 2nd insulating film is exposed; (d) removing the 2nd insulating film; (e) removing the 1st insulating film while further reducing the 3rd insulating film; (f) forming a 2nd conductive film to be an upper floating gate on the 1st conductive film and the 3rd insulating film; (g) flattening the 2nd conductive film until the 3rd insulating film is exposed; and (h) forming an interlayer capacitance film and a 3rd conductive film to be a control gate on the 2nd conduc

Abstract: A process for manufacturing a semiconductor device forming a plurality of protrusions with different widths so that a recess between adjacent protrusions has a predetermined width on a semiconductor substrate and thereafter forming an insulating layer for element isolation in the recess, wherein the insulating layer for element isolation is formed by the steps of: (A) filling an insulating film for forming the insulating layer for element isolation in the recess to a higher level than top surfaces of the protrusions; (B) removing the insulating film at least from a top surface of a narrow protrusion and etching back the insulating film in the recess to a level lower than the top surface of the narrow protrusion, thereby exposing the top surface and a side face of the narrow protrusion and a side face and a part of a top face next to the side face of a wide protrusion; and (C) forming a mask to cover the exposed top surfaces and side faces of the protrusions and the top surface of the insulating film in the

Abstract: A semiconductor memory comprises: a first conductivity type semiconductor substrate and one or more memory cells each constituted of an island-like semiconductor layer having a recess on a sidewall thereof, a charge storage layer formed to entirely or partially encircle a sidewall of the island-like semiconductor layer, and a control gate formed on the charge storage layer, wherein at least one charge storage layer of said one or more memory cells is partially situated within the recess formed on the sidewall of the island-like semiconductor layer.

Abstract: A method for evaluating a plane orientation dependence of a semiconductor substrate comprises: forming a hard mask on a semiconductor substrate having plane orientation (100); anisotropically etching the semiconductor substrate with use of the hard mask as a mask to obtain a surface oriented in a specific crystal orientation; and evaluating a plane orientation dependence of the semiconductor substrate by use of at least a portion of the surface oriented in a specific crystal orientation.

Abstract: A process for manufacturing a semiconductor memory device comprises the steps of: (a) forming a tunnel oxide film, a first (1st) conductive film to be a lower floating gate, a 1st insulating film and a second (2nd) insulating film in this order on a semiconductor substrate and patterning the 2nd insulating film, the 1st insulating film, the 1st conductive film and the tunnel oxide film into a desired configuration; (b) forming a third (3rd) insulating film on the entire surface of the resulting substrate; (c) reducing the 3rd insulating film until the 2nd insulating film is exposed; (d) removing the 2nd insulating film; (e) removing the 1st insulating film while further reducing the 3rd insulating film; (f) forming a 2nd conductive film to be an upper floating gate on the 1st conductive film and the 3rd insulating film; (g) flattening the 2nd conductive film until the 3rd insulating film is exposed; and (h) forming an interlayer capacitance film and a 3rd conductive film to be a control gate on the 2nd conduc

Abstract: A semiconductor memory comprises: a substrate; and one or more memory cells constituted of at least one island-like semiconductor layer, a charge storage layer and a control gate, the charge storage layer and the control gate being formed to entirely or partially encircle a sidewall of the island-like semiconductor layer, wherein at least one of said one or more memory cells is electrically insulated from the semiconductor substrate and has an insulating film allowing an electric charge to pass at least in a part of a region between the charge storage layer and the island-like semiconductor layer.

Abstract: A process of manufacturing an electron microscopic sample comprising the steps of: (a) forming a mask layer for covering an object region to be analyzed of a semiconductor layer and/or a conductive layer which have/has been patterned into a desired configuration; (b) reducing a periphery region surrounded the object region to be analyzed in a depth direction by using the mask layer; (c) removing the mask layer and forming an etch stop layer over the object region to be analyzed and the periphery region; and (d) polishing the semiconductor layer and/or the conductive layer in the object region to be analyzed down to the level of the surface of etch stop layer lying on the reduced periphery region.

Abstract: A semiconductor device including a plurality of floating gates where each floating gate includes a lower floating gate whose sidewalls are substantially vertical to the semiconductor substrate and an upper floating gate having opposing sidewall portions that gradually widen in a convex manner towards the top of the floating gate. The device further includes an interlayer insulating film, and a control gate formed on the insulating film. An insulating film (10) is provided between and contacting adjacent floating gates, and has vertically aligned lower sidewall portions which contact the lower floating gates and curved upper sidewall portions which contact the upper floating gates and gradually narrow toward the top of the insulating film.

Abstract: The present invention provides a process for fabricating semiconductor device comprising the steps of: forming an etching-stop layer on a semiconductor substrate; patterning the etching-stop layer so that the etching-stop layer remains in a region to be an active region and is removed from a region to be a device isolation region, followed by forming a trench in the region to be the device isolation region; depositing on the semiconductor substrate an insulating film having a thickness greater than or equal to the depth of the trench; forming a resist pattern having an opening above the etching-stop layer above the active region adjacent to a device isolation region whose width is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, followed by etching the insulating film using the resist pattern as a mask; and polishing the insulating film existing on the resulting semiconductor substrate for flattening after removing the resist pattern.

Abstract: A semiconductor memory comprises: a fist conductivity type semiconductor substrate and one or more memory cells constituted of an island-like semiconductor layer, a charge storage layer and a control gate, the charge storage layer and the control gate being formed to entirely or partially encircle a sidewall of the island-like semiconductor layer, wherein at least one of said one or more memory cells is electrically insulated from the semiconductor substrate.

Abstract: A process for producing a semiconductor memory device comprises the steps of: (a) forming a floating gate on a semiconductor substrate having a dielectric film; (b) forming a side wall spacer comprising an insulating film on a side wall of the floating gate; (c) forming a groove by etching the semiconductor substrate using the side wall spacer as a mask; and (d) forming a low concentration impurity layer from one side wall to a bottom surface of the groove by an oblique ion implantation to the semiconductor substrate thus resulting, and forming a high concentration impurity layer from the other side wall to the bottom surface of the groove by in inverse oblique ion implantation.

Abstract: The present invention provides a process for fabricating a semiconductor device comprising the steps of: forming an etching-stop layer on a semiconductor substrate; patterning the etching-stop layer so that the etching-stop layer remains in a region to be an active region and is removed from a region to be a device isolation region, followed by forming a trench in the region to be the device isolation region; depositing on the semiconductor substrate an insulating film having a thickness greater than or equal to the depth of the trench; forming a resist pattern having an opening above the etching-stop layer above the active region adjacent to a device isolation region whose width is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, followed by etching the insulating film using the resist pattern as a mask; and polishing the insulating film existing on the resulting semiconductor substrate for flattening after removing the resist pattern.

Abstract: A process for manufacturing a semiconductor device forming a plurality of protrusions with different widths so that a recess between adjacent protrusions has a predetermined width on a semiconductor substrate and thereafter forming an insulating layer for element isolation in the recess, wherein the insulating layer for element isolation is formed by the steps of:

Abstract: A process for manufacturing a non-volatile semiconductor memory device by forming a tunnel dielectric film, a floating gate electrode, an interlayer capacitive film and a control gate electrode successively on a semiconductor substrate includes introducing nitrogen atoms into at least one of an interface between the floating gate electrode and the interlayer capacitive film and an interface between the interlayer capacitive film and the control gate electrode.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a semiconductor memory device, including the steps of: forming a plurality of stripes comprising a first floating gate material film and a ion implantation protective film, covering one longitudinal side wall of the stripes with a resist pattern; removing a given width of the other side wall of the first floating gate material film by an isotropic etching in use of the resist pattern as a mask; forming an impurity region of low concentration by implanting impurity ions of a second conductivity type into the semiconductor substrate of the first conductivity type in use of the ion implantation protective film as a mask in a tilted direction after removing the resist pattern; and forming asymmetrical impurity regions on both sides of the stripe like first floating gate material film as viewed in the cross section along the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the stripes.