Low power flash memory cell and method
Flash memory cells are provided with a high-k material interposed between a floating polysilicon gate and a control gate. A tunnel oxide is interposed between the floating polysilicon gate and a substrate. Methods of forming flash memory cells are also provided comprising forming a first polysilicon layer over a substrate. Forming a trench through the first polysilicon layer and into the substrate, and filling the trench with an oxide layer. Depositing a second polysilicon layer over the oxide, such that the bottom of the second polysilicon layer within the trench is above the bottom of the first polysilicon layer, and the top of the second polysilicon layer within the trench is below the top of the first polysilicon layer. The resulting structure may then be planarized using a CMP process. A high-k dielectric layer may then be deposited over the first polysilicon layer. A third polysilicon layer may then be deposited over the high-k dielectric layer and patterned using photoresist to form a flash memory gate structure. During patterning, exposed second polysilicon layer is etched. An etch stop is detected at the completion of removal of the second polysilicon layer. A thin layer of the first polysilicon layer remains, to be carefully removed using a subsequent selective etch process. The high-k dielectric layer may be patterned to allow for formation of non-memory transistors in conjunction with the process of forming the flash memory cells.
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This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/112,014, filed on Mar. 29, 2002, entitled Method of Making Self-Aligned Shallow Trench Isolation, which is incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONA flash memory cell may be formed on a substrate using a double polysilicon structure, with inter-poly oxide interposed between a floating polysilicon gate and a control polysilicon gate. A tunnel oxide is interposed between the floating polysilicon gate and the substrate.
The programming voltage of a flash memory cell is determined by the field required to generate tunnel current through the tunnel oxide, which is interposed between the floating polysilicon gate and the substrate, for example bulk silicon. The thinner the tunnel oxide and the inter-poly oxide the lower the programming voltage will be. As the oxide layers are thinned, the leakage current increases and the charge retention time is reduced. The required charge retention time sets the lower limit of the thickness of both the tunnel oxide and the inter-poly oxide.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONBy replacing the inter-poly oxide, which has been silicon dioxide, with a material having a high-k dielectric constant and low leakage current, the programming voltage can be reduced.
The programming voltage (VG) is applied to the control gate, to produce a voltage at the floating gate (VFG). The voltage at the floating gate is given by:
where, C is capacitance, t is thickness and ε is the dielectric constant of the insulator. The subscripts T and P denote that the parameter relates to the tunnel oxide or the inter-poly oxide, respectively. The floating gate voltage increases with increasing tunnel oxide thickness (tT), decreasing inter-poly oxide thickness (tP), and increasing inter-poly oxide dielectric constant (εP). Increasing the dielectric constant and decreasing the thickness of the inter-poly oxide is one preferred method of increasing the floating gate voltage, which corresponds to decreasing the programming voltage. Although increasing the tunnel oxide thickness would also increase the floating gate voltage, this option is not preferred, because the tunnel current decreases exponentially with increasing thickness of the tunnel oxide. To maintain desirable tunnel current, the tunnel oxide is preferably maintained as thin as possible. Therefore, one of the preferred methods of reducing the programming voltage is to replace the inter-poly silicon dioxide with a high-k dielectric material.
Accordingly, a flash memory cell structure is provided comprising a high-k dielectric material, for example hafnium oxide or zirconium oxide, interposed between a control gate and a polysilicon floating gate. A tunnel oxide is interposed between the floating gate and a substrate.
Methods of forming flash memory cells are also provided comprising forming a first polysilicon layer over a substrate. Forming a trench through the first polysilicon layer and into the substrate, and filling the trench with an oxide layer. Depositing a second polysilicon layer over the oxide, such that the bottom of the second polysilicon layer within the trench is above the bottom of the first polysilicon layer, and the top of the second polysilicon layer within the trench is below the top of the first polysilicon layer. The resulting structure may then be planarized using a CMP process. A high-k dielectric layer may then be deposited over the first polysilicon layer. A third polysilicon layer may then be deposited over the high-k dielectric layer and patterned using photoresist to form a flash memory gate structure. During patterning, exposed second polysilicon layer is etched. An etch stop is detected at the completion of removal of the second polysilicon layer. A thin layer of the first polysilicon layer remains, to be carefully removed using a subsequent selective etch process. The high-k dielectric layer may be patterned to allow for formation of non-memory transistors in conjunction with the process of forming the flash memory cells.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
For the present method, a semiconductor substrate is provided. An n-well or a p-well may be formed if desired prior to isolating adjacent device areas. Threshold voltage adjustment may also be performed, if desired. Referring now to
TOX−ΔTOX>XSTI+ΔXSTI
The oxide may comprise a thin thermal oxide to provide a good interface between the oxide and silicon in the field followed by a deposited oxide. The deposited oxide can be formed by a variety of methods including chemical vapor deposition (CVD) methods, such as, LTO, HPCVD, PECVD, or other CVD methods. Non-CVD methods such as sputtering may also be used. Following deposition of oxide by any suitable method, the oxide may then be densified at a higher temperature, if necessary or desired.
As shown in
Tp2+ΔTp2+TOX+ΔTOX<XSTI−ΔXSTI+Tp1−ΔTp1
To satisfy this condition and still have a meaningful thickness of poly 2, there is a maximum desired oxide thickness. The maximum oxide layer 30 thickness should satisfy the condition:
TOX+ΔTOX<XSTI−ΔXSTI+Tp1−ΔTp1−Tp2−ΔTp2
This should result in the top level of the oxide within the trench being above the bottom level of poly 1, and the top level of poly 2 within the trench being below the top level of poly 1.
After poly 2 is deposited, a sacrificial oxide layer, not shown, is deposited overlying the device structure 10. The sacrificial oxide layer may be, for example, undensified TEOS. In one embodiment the sacrificial oxide layer is one and a half times thicker than the maximum thickness of poly 1. In another embodiment, the sacrificial oxide layer should have a thickness such that the combined thickness of the tunnel oxide layer 12, poly 1, the oxide layer 30, poly 2, and the sacrificial oxide layer is approximately two times the total step height of the active area features, which corresponds to the actual physical relief of the top surfaces.
Next, as shown in
Tp2+ΔTp2+TOX+ΔTOX<XSTI−ΔXSTI+Tp1−ΔTp1
the oxide on poly 1 is completely removed before the CMP stop at the field poly 2.
As shown in
Although it is possible to make flash memory cells without non-memory transistors, in one embodiment the flash memory cells will be fabricated on a substrate that also comprises non-memory transistors. When flash memory cells and non-memory transistors are fabricated together it would be preferred to make the process steps as compatible as possible. If non-memory transistors are fabricated with the flash memory cells, a layer of photoresist is applied and patterned to protect the high-k material overlying the flash memory cells. The high-k material may then be etched from the areas overlying the non-memory transistors. The photoresist is then stripped. The third polysilicon layer 60, in this embodiment, is deposited over the remaining high-k dielectric material 58 in the regions where the flash memory cells will be formed, and is deposited over the poly 1 layer 16 in the non-memory transistor regions, as shown in
In an alternative embodiment involving forming non-memory transistors together with flash memory cells, a layer of sacrificial polysilicon, not shown, is deposited over the high-k material prior applying and patterning the photoresist. The sacrificial polysilicon will be removed from areas overlying non-memory transistors prior to, or in conjunction with, the removal of the high-k material from those areas. This sacrificial polysilicon layer may protect the high-k material during patterning processes, including photoresist strip. When the third polysilicon layer 60 is then deposited it will overly the remaining sacrificial polysilicon over areas with high-k material. Together the sacrificial polysilicon and the polysilicon 60 may form the control gate of the flash memory cell.
Referring now to
The photoresist is then stripped leaving the flash memory gate structure 72 that comprises the remaining portions of poly 1, high-k material, and poly 3 over each active area, as shown in
After formation of the gate structure, ion implantation may be used to form source and drain regions that are self-aligned to the gate structure. Poly 1, poly 2, and poly 3 are also converted to n+ or p+ polysilicon as is common in conventional processes. The flash memory gate structure may alternatively be doped prior to the gate electrode etch, and prior to the source and drain ion implant. The polysilicon gate may also be salicided. Several methods of polysilicon gate doping, silicide or self aligned processes, including salicide processes, may be applied to the present process. The flash memory gate structure 72 following doping is shown in
Although exemplary embodiments, including possible variations have been described, the present invention shall not be limited to these examples, but rather the scope of the present invention is to be determined by the following claims.
Claims
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9. A flash memory cell structure comprising a tunnel oxide overlying a substrate, a floating polysilicon gate overlying the tunnel oxide, a high-k dielectric layer overlying the floating polysilicon gate, and a control gate overlying the high-k dielectric layer.
10. The flash memory cell structure of claim 9, wherein the high-k dielectric layer is hafnium oxide or zirconium oxide.
11. The flash memory cell structure of claim 9, further comprising a source region and a drain region separated from each other by the gate stack comprising the tunnel oxide, the floating polysilicon gate, the high-k dielectric layer and the control gate.
12. The flash memory cell structure of claim 9, further comprising non-memory transistors formed on the substrate.
13. The flash memory cell structure of claim 9, wherein the control gate has a silicide upper surface formed by a salicide process.
14. The flash memory cell strcuture of claim 9, wherein the control gate is doped polysilicon.
15. The flash memory cell structure of claim 9, wherein the control gate is n+ doped polysilicon.
16. The flash memory cell structure of claim 9, wherein the control gate is p+ doped polysilicon.