Additional Control Electrode Is Doped Region In Semiconductor Substrate Patents (Class 257/318)
  • Patent number: 7339230
    Abstract: Embodiments herein present a structure, method, etc. for making high density MOSFET circuits with different height contact lines. The MOSFET circuits include a contact line, a first gate layer situated proximate the contact line, and at least one subsequent gate layer situated over the first gate layer. The contact line includes a height that is less than a combined height of the first gate layer and the subsequent gate layer(s). The MOSFET circuits further include gate spacers situated proximate the gate layers and a single contact line spacer situated proximate the contact line. The gate spacers are taller and thicker than the contact line spacer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2008
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Huilong Zhu
  • Patent number: 7332789
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided. A first dielectric plug is formed in a portion of a trench that extends into a substrate of a memory device so that an upper surface of the first dielectric plug is recessed below an upper surface of the substrate. The first dielectric plug has a layer of a first dielectric material and a layer of a second dielectric material formed on the layer of the first dielectric material. A second dielectric plug of a third dielectric material is formed on the upper surface of the first dielectric plug.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2008
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Michael Violette
  • Patent number: 7312495
    Abstract: A multi-bit memory cell (200) with a control gate (220) for controlling a middle portion of a channel region (208) provides improved operation including faster programming at smaller voltages and currents. The memory cell (200) includes a source (204) and a drain (206) diffused into a substrate (202) forming a channel region (208) therebetween. A first charge storing layer (214), a second charge storing layer (216) and the control gate (220) are formed on the substrate (202) over the channel region (208) and a gate (218) is formed over the source (204), the drain (206), the first and second charge storing layers (214, 216) and the control gate (220). Dielectric material (210, 212, 224, 226, 228) separates the source (204) and the drain (206) from the gate (218), and the control gate (220) from the first charge storing layer (214), the second charge storing layer (216) and the gate (218).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2007
    Assignee: Spansion LLC
    Inventor: Wei Zheng
  • Patent number: 7294881
    Abstract: At least either above or below a memory transistor formed on an insulating substrate, a shielding layer which has an area larger than that of the semiconductor layer of the memory transistor and has either an electromagnetic wave shielding effect or a light shielding effect or both of these is provided, and by this shielding layer, electromagnetic waves or light is prevented from entering the semiconductor layer. Or, the regional area of at least one of the gate and the charge accumulation layer of the memory transistor is made larger than the semiconductor layer to prevent electromagnetic waves or light from entering the semiconductor layer by the gate or the charge accumulation layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2007
    Assignee: NEC Corporation
    Inventors: Takahiro Korenari, Kenji Sera, Hiroshi Kanou
  • Patent number: 7289362
    Abstract: An erasable and programmable non-volatile cell, comprising a first transistor having a source, a drain and a gate; a floating capacitor having a floating gate and a control gate, said floating gate being connected to said gate of said first transistor; and means to detect the state, whether erased or programmed, of the cell; is characterized in that said means to detect the state of the cell comprises a second transistor having a source, a drain and a gate, said second transistor being complementary to said first transistor and said gate of said second transistor being connected to said floating gate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2007
    Assignee: NXP B.V.
    Inventors: Jose Solo de Zaldivar, Werner Thommen
  • Patent number: 7289361
    Abstract: A semiconductor integrated circuit device is provided on a semiconductor substrate, and includes a plurality of word lines, a plurality of data lines, and a plurality of electrically programmable and erasable non-volatile memory cells respectively coupled to the plurality of word lines and to the plurality of data lines. The erasable non-volatile memory cell each includes a MIS transistor having a floating gate having a first level polycrystalline silicon layer, a source, and a drain coupled to the corresponding data line, and a control gate formed of a semiconductor region in the semiconductor substrate, the control gate being coupled to the corresponding word line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2007
    Assignee: Renesas Technology Corp.
    Inventors: Shoji Shukuri, Kazuhiro Komori, Katsuhiko Kubota, Kousuke Okuyama
  • Patent number: 7253469
    Abstract: A graded composition, high dielectric constant gate insulator is formed between a substrate and floating gate in a flash memory cell transistor. The gate insulator is comprised of amorphous germanium or a graded composition of germanium carbide and silicon carbide. If the composition of the gate insulator is closer to silicon carbide near the substrate, the electron barrier for hot electron injection will be lower. If the gate insulator is closer to the silicon carbide near the floating gate, the tunnel barrier can be lower at the floating gate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2007
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Leonard Forbes, Kie Y. Ahn
  • Patent number: 7253468
    Abstract: Flash memory and methods of fabricating the same are disclosed. An illustrated example flash memory includes a first source formed within a semiconductor substrate; an epitaxial layer formed on an upper surface of the semiconductor substrate; an opening formed within the epitaxial layer to expose the first source; a floating gate device formed inside the opening; and a select gate device formed on the epitaxial layer at a distance from the floating gate device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2007
    Assignee: Dongbu Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Jin Hyo Jung
  • Patent number: 7250652
    Abstract: A nonvolatile semiconductor memory device includes a substrate, a central structure, a second gate insulating film, a floating gate, and a control gate. The substrate has a trench. The central structure is formed so as to be embedded in the trench and protruded from the substrate. The second gate insulating film is formed on the substrate so as to be contact with the central structure. The floating gate is formed on the second gate insulating film. The control gate is formed so as to cover the floating gate through a insulating film;. The central structure includes an assistant gate and a first gate insulating film which is formed such that the assistance gate is surrounded with the first gate insulating film. The floating gate is formed in a side wall shape on the side surface of the central structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2007
    Assignee: NEC Electronics Corporation
    Inventor: Noriaki Kodama
  • Patent number: 7250339
    Abstract: A manufacturing method and a device of an EEPROM cell are provided. The method includes the following steps. First, a tunnel layer and an inter-gate dielectric layer are formed over a surface of a substrate respectively, and a doped region is formed in the substrate under the inter-gate dielectric layer and used as a control gate. Thereafter, a floating gate is formed over the inter-gate dielectric layer and the tunnel layer. Thereafter, a source region and a drain region are formed in the substrate beside two sides of the floating gate under the tunnel layer. Especially, the manufacturing method of the memory cell can be integrated with the manufacturing process of high operation voltage component and low operation voltage component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2007
    Assignee: United Microelectronics Corp.
    Inventors: Jung-Ching Chen, Spring Chen, Chuang-Hsin Chueh
  • Patent number: 7230295
    Abstract: In a memory cell (110) having multiple floating gates (160), the select gate (140) is formed before the floating gates. In some embodiments, the memory cell also has control gates (170) formed after the select gate. Substrate isolation regions (220) are formed in a semiconductor substrate (120). The substrate isolation regions protrude above the substrate. Then select gate lines (140) are formed. Then a floating gate layer (160) is deposited. The floating gate layer is etched until the substrate isolation regions are exposed. A dielectric (164) is formed over the floating gate layer, and a control gate layer (170) is deposited. The control gate layer protrudes upward over each select gate line. These the control gates and the floating gates are defined independently of photolithographic alignment. In another aspect, a nonvolatile memory cell has at least two conductive floating gates (160).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2007
    Assignee: ProMOS Technologies Inc.
    Inventor: Yi Ding
  • Patent number: 7224020
    Abstract: An integrated circuit device having non-linear active area pillars. More specifically, pillars are formed in a substrate such that sidewalls are exposed. The sidewalls of the pillars and the top surface of the pillars are covered with a gate oxide and a conductive layer to form a channel through the pillars. The pillars are patterned to form non-linear active area lines having angled segments. The conductive layer is patterned to form word lines that intersect the active area lines at the angled segments.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2007
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Hongmei Wang, Chandra Mouli, Luan Tran
  • Patent number: 7224019
    Abstract: A semiconductor device comprises a semiconductor substrate, an electrically rewritable semiconductor memory cell provided on the semiconductor substrate, the memory cell comprising an island semiconductor portion provided on the surface of the semiconductor substrate or above the semiconductor substrate, a first insulating film provided on a top surface of the island semiconductor portion, a second insulating film provided on a side surface of the island semiconductor portion and being smaller in thickness than the first insulating film, and a charge storage layer provided on the side surface of the island semiconductor portion with the second insulating film interposed therebetween and on a side surface of the first insulating film, a third insulating film provided on the charge storage layer, and a control gate electrode provided on the third insulating film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2007
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Katsuhiko Hieda, Daisuke Hagishima
  • Patent number: 7218555
    Abstract: The integration period of an imaging cell, or the time that an imaging cell is exposed to light energy, is substantially increased by utilizing a single-poly, electrically-programmable, read-only-memory (EPROM) structure to capture the light energy. Photogenerated electrons are formed in the channel region of the EPROM structure from the light energy. The photogenerated electrons are then accelerated into having ionizing collisions which, in turn, leads to electrons being injected onto the floating gate of the EPROM structure at a rate that is proportionate to the number of photons captured by the channel region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2007
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Peter J. Hopper, Philipp Lindorfer, Vladislav Vashchenko, Robert Drury
  • Patent number: 7211866
    Abstract: An integrated non-volatile memory circuit is formed by first growing a thin dielectric layer on a semiconductor substrate surface, followed by depositing a layer of conductive material such as doped polysilicon on this dielectric layer, the conductive material then being separated into rows and columns of individual floating gates. Cell source and drain diffusions in the substrate are continuously-elongated across the rows. Field dielectric deposited between the rows of floating gates provides electrical isolation between the rows. Shallow trenches may be included between rows without interrupting the conductivity of the diffusions along their lengths. A deep dielectric filled trench is formed in the substrate between the array and peripheral circuits as electrical isolation. Various techniques are included that increase the field coupling area between the floating gates and a control gate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2007
    Assignee: Sandisk Corporation
    Inventors: Jack H. Yuan, Eliyahou Harari, Yupin K. Fong, George Samachisa
  • Patent number: 7212437
    Abstract: This invention provides a semiconductor memory device and a corresponding method of operation. The semiconductor memory device comprises a semiconductor substrate having a first conductivity; a plurality of gate structures for storing charge in a non-volatile manner regularly arranged in above the surface of the semiconductor substrate and electrically isolated therefrom; a plurality of wordlines, each of the gate structures being connected to one of the wordlines and a group of the gate structures being connected to a common wordline; and a plurality of active regions, each of the active regions being individually connectable to at least one of the gate structures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2007
    Inventors: Massimo Atti, Christoph Deml
  • Patent number: 7211867
    Abstract: A memory cell which is formed on a fully depleted SOI or other semiconductor thin film and which operates at low voltage without needing a conventional large capacitor is provided as well as a memory cell array. The semiconductor thin film is sandwiched between first and second semiconductor regions which face each other across the semiconductor thin film and which have a first conductivity type. A third semiconductor region having the opposite conductivity type is provided in an extended portion of the semiconductor thin film. From the third semiconductor region, carriers of the opposite conductivity type are supplied to and accumulated in the semiconductor thin film portion to change the gate threshold voltage of a first conductivity type channel that is induced by a first conductive gate voltage in the semiconductor thin film between the first and second semiconductor regions through an insulating film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2007
    Assignees: Seiko Instruments Inc., Yutaka Hayashi
    Inventors: Yutaka Hayashi, Hisashi Hasegawa, Yoshifumi Yoshida, Jun Osanai
  • Patent number: 7208794
    Abstract: Semiconductor memory having memory cells, each including first and second conductively-doped contact regions and a channel region arranged between the latter, formed in a web-like rib made of semiconductor material and arranged one behind the other in this sequence in the longitudinal direction of the rib. The rib has an essentially rectangular shape with an upper side of the rib and rib side faces lying opposite. A memory layer is configured for programming the memory cell, arranged on the upper side of the rib spaced apart by a first insulator layer, and projects in the normal direction of the one rib side face over one of the rib side faces so that the one rib side face and the upper side of the rib form an edge for injecting charge carriers from the channel region into the memory layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2007
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventors: Franz Hofmann, Erhard Landgraf, Richard Johannes Luyken, Wolfgang Roesner, Michael Specht
  • Patent number: 7202524
    Abstract: A nonvolatile memory device is provided which includes a floating gate having a lower portion formed in a trench defined in a surface of a substrate and an upper portion protruding above the surface of the substrate from the lower portion. A gate insulating layer is formed along an inner wall of the trench and interposed between the trench and the lower portion of the floating gate. A source region is formed in the substrate adjacent a first sidewall of the trench. A control gate having a first portion is formed over the surface of the substrate adjacent a second sidewall of the trench, and a second portion is formed over the upper portion of the floating gate and extending from the first portion. The first sidewall of the trench is opposite the second sidewall of the trench.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2007
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Ki-chul Kim, Young-cheon Jeong, Hyok-ki Kwon
  • Patent number: 7199424
    Abstract: An memory device, and method of making same, that includes source and drain regions defining a channel region therebetween. A select gate is formed over and insulated from a first portion of the channel region. A conductive floating gate is disposed over and insulated from the source region and a second portion of the channel region. A notch is formed in the floating gate bottom surface having an edge that is either aligned with an edge of the source region or is disposed over the source region. A conductive control gate is disposed adjacent to the floating gate. By having the source region terminate under the thicker insulation region provided by the notch, the breakdown voltage of the source junction is increased. Alternately, the lower portion of the floating gate is formed entirely over the source region, for producing fringing fields to control the adjacent portion of the channel region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2007
    Assignee: Integrated Memory Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Ching-Shi Jenq, Ting P. Yen
  • Patent number: 7190022
    Abstract: An integrated circuit has a high voltage area, a logic area and a memory array for forming a system on a chip that includes linear, logic and memory devices. The memory array has floating gate transistors disposed in a triple well structure with a raised drain bit line 13 substantially vertically aligned with a buried source bit line 14. The memory array separates the columns with deep trenches 46 that may also be formed into charge pump capacitors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2007
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventors: Danny Shum, Georg Tempel, Ronald Kakoschke
  • Patent number: 7176519
    Abstract: A memory cell, memory cell arrangement, and method for producing a memory cell arrangement is described where electric charge carriers can be introduced from a trench structure, which delivers charge carriers, into a charge storage area by applying a predefined electrical potential to the cell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2007
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventor: Franz Schuler
  • Patent number: 7170137
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate having a first conductivity type. A pair of source/drain areas having a second conductivity type is formed on a surface of the semiconductor substrate. A gate insulating film is provided on a channel area between the source/drain areas. A gate electrode having the first conductivity type is provided on the gate insulating film. The gate electrode has a first portion located above a channel area and second portions located above the source/drain area. The concentration of majority carriers in the second portion is lower than that in the first portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2007
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Hitomi Yasutake, Hideaki Aochi
  • Patent number: 7166887
    Abstract: A memory device comprises a semiconductor substrate of a first conductive type, a memory transistor, a select transistor, a floating junction region, a common source region, and a bit line junction region. The memory transistor positions on the semiconductor substrate and comprises a gate insulating film formed on the semiconductor substrate and a memory transistor gate formed on the gate insulating film. The gate insulating film includes a tunnel insulating film. The select transistor positions on the semiconductor substrate and is separated from the memory transistor gate. The select transistor comprises a gate insulating film formed on the semiconductor substrate and a select transistor gate formed on the gate insulating film. A floating junction region is formed of a second conductive type on the semiconductor substrate below the tunnel insulating film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2007
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Weon-Ho Park, Hyun-Khe Yoo
  • Patent number: 7144775
    Abstract: The present invention is an electronic memory cell and a method for the cell's fabrication comprising a first transistor configured to be coupled to a bit line. The first transistor has an essentially zero voltage drop when activated and is configured to control an operation of the memory cell. A second transistor is configured to operate as a memory transistor and is coupled to the first transistor. The second transistor is further configured to be programmable with a voltage about equal to a voltage on the bit line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2006
    Assignee: Atmel Corporation
    Inventors: Muhammad I. Chaudhry, Damian A. Carver
  • Patent number: 7126185
    Abstract: A charge trap insulator memory device comprises a plurality of memory cells connected serially, a first switching device, and a second switching device. In the plurality of memory cells, data applied through a bit line depending on potentials applied to a top word line and a bottom word line are stored in a charge trap insulator or the data stored in the charge trap insulator are outputted to the bit line. The first switching element selectively connects the plurality of memory cells to the bit line in response to a first selecting signal. The second switching element selectively connects the plurality of memory cells to a sensing line in response to a second selecting signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2006
    Assignee: Hynix Semiconductor Inc.
    Inventors: Hee Bok Kang, Jin Hong Ahn, Jae Jin Lee
  • Patent number: 7122857
    Abstract: A method is provided for forming a highly dense stacked gate flash memory cell with a structure having multi floating gates that can assume 4 states and, therefore, store 2 bits at the same time. This is accomplished by providing a semiconductor substrate having gate oxide formed thereon, and shallow trench isolation and a p-well formed therein. A layer of nitride is next formed over the substrate and an opening formed therein. Polysilicon floating gate spacers are formed in the opening. A dielectric layer is then formed over the floating gates followed by the forming of a control gate. The adjacent nitride layer is then removed leaving a multi-level structure comprising a control gate therebetween multi floating gates with the intervening dielectric layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2006
    Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Chrong Jung Lin, Shui-Hung Chen, Hsin-Ming Chen
  • Patent number: 7119393
    Abstract: A floating-gate transistor for an integrated circuit is formed on a p-type substrate. An n-type region is disposed over the p-type substrate. A p-type region is disposed over the n-type region. Spaced apart n-type source and drain regions are disposed in the p-type region forming a channel therein. A floating gate is disposed above and insulated from the channel. A control gate is disposed above and insulated from the floating gate. An isolation trench disposed in the p-type region and surrounding the source and drain regions, the isolation trench extending down into the n-type region. The substrate, the n-type region and the p-type region each biased such that the p-type region is fully depleted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2006
    Assignee: Actel Corporation
    Inventor: John McCollum
  • Patent number: 7115939
    Abstract: Vertical body transistors with adjacent horizontal gate layers are used to form a memory array in a high density flash electrically erasable and programmable read only memory (EEPROM) or a logic array in a high density field programmable logic array (FPLA). The transistor is a field-effect transistor (FET) having an electrically isolated (floating) gate that controls electrical conduction between source regions and drain regions. If a particular floating gate is charged with stored electrons, then the transistor will not turn on and will provide an indication of the stored data at this location in the memory array within the EEPROM or will act as the absence of a transistor at this location in the logic array within the FPLA.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2006
    Assignee: Micron Technology Inc.
    Inventor: Leonard Forbes
  • Patent number: 7102188
    Abstract: An EEPROM cell that combines a FET transistor and a capacitor. The transistor has a well that is shared by potentially all of the EEPROM cells in the array thereby reducing size. A gate terminal is formed over the well. Source and drain terminals are formed in the well. The well is isolated from the gate terminal using a dielectric layer. A first terminal of the capacitor is connected to the gate terminal using a dielectric layer. A first terminal of the capacitor is connected to the gate terminal, and may be oppositely doped from the gate terminal to improve retention. The second terminal is formed by a second well that is underneath the first terminal and isolated from the first terminal. The capacitance may be increased without area increase by forming a metal layer over the first terminal and separated from the first terminal by a thick dielectric layer, and connected to the second well via a conductive via.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2006
    Assignee: AMI Semiconductor, Inc.
    Inventors: Thierry Coffi Hervé Yao, Greg Scott, Pierre André Claude Gassot, Philip John Cacharelis
  • Patent number: 7102191
    Abstract: A memory cell transistor includes a high dielectric constant tunnel insulator, a metal floating gate, and a high dielectric constant inter-gate insulator comprising a metal oxide formed over a substrate. The tunnel insulator and inter-gate insulator have dielectric constants that are greater than silicon dioxide. Each memory cell has a plurality of doped source/drain regions in a substrate. A pair of transistors in a row are separated by an oxide isolation region comprising a low dielectric constant oxide material. A control gate is formed over the inter-gate insulator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2004
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2006
    Assignee: Micron Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Leonard Forbes
  • Patent number: 7099192
    Abstract: A nonvolatile memory and a method of operating the same are proposed. The nonvolatile memory has single-gate memory cells, wherein a structure of a transistor and a capacitor is embedded in a semiconductor substrate. The transistor comprises a first conducting gate stacked on the surface of a dielectric with doped regions formed at two sides thereof as a source and a drain. The capacitor comprises a doped region, a dielectric stacked thereon, and a second conducting gate. The conducting gates of the capacitor and the transistor are electrically connected together to form a single floating gate of the memory cell. The semiconductor substrate is p-type or n-type. Besides, a back-bias program write-in and related erase and readout operation ways are proposed for the single-gate memory cells.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2006
    Assignee: Yield Microelectronics Corp.
    Inventors: Lee Zhung Wang, Daniel Huang, Hsin Chang Lin, Roget Chang
  • Patent number: 7091550
    Abstract: A non-volatile memory device and method of manufacturing the same is provided. A substrate is provided and then a trench is formed in the substrate. Thereafter, a bottom oxide layer, a charge-trapping layer and a top oxide layer are sequentially formed over the substrate and the surface of the trench. A conductive layer is formed over the top oxide layer filling the trench. The conductive layer is patterned to form a gate over the trench. The top oxide layer, the charge-trapping layer and the bottom oxide layer outside the gate are removed. A source/drain doping process is carried out. Because the non-volatile memory device is manufactured within the trench, storage efficiency of the device is improved through an increase in the coupling ratio. Furthermore, more charges can be stored by increasing the depth of the trench.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2006
    Assignee: Powerchip Semiconductor Corp.
    Inventors: Hann-Jye Hsu, Ko-Hsing Chang
  • Patent number: 7091566
    Abstract: A field effect transistor (FET), integrated circuit (IC) chip including the FETs and a method of forming the FETS. Each FET includes a device gate along one side of a semiconductor (e.g., silicon) fin and a back bias gate along an opposite of the fin. Back bias gate dielectric differs from the device gate dielectric either in its material and/or thickness. Device thresholds can be adjusted by adjusting back bias gate voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2006
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corp.
    Inventors: Huilong Zhu, Jochen Beintner, Bruce B. Doris, Ying Zhang
  • Patent number: 7087950
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a flash memory cell comprising a silicon substrate having an active region comprising a channel region and source-/drain-regions, the active region comprising a projecting portion, which projecting portion at least comprising said channel region; a tunneling dielectric layer formed on the surface of said active region; a floating gate formed on the surface of said tunneling dielectric layer for storing electric charges; an inter-gates coupling dielectric layer formed on the surface of said floating gate, and a control gate formed on the surface of said inter-gates coupling dielectric layer, wherein said floating gate is formed to have a groove-like shape for at least partly encompassing said projecting portion of said active region. This invention further relates to a flash memory device comprising such flash memory cells, as well as a manufacturing method thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2006
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventors: Josef Willer, Frank Lau
  • Patent number: 7078761
    Abstract: A single-poly two-transistor PMOS memory cell for multiple-time programming applications includes a PMOS floating gate transistor sharing a drain/source P+ diffusion region with a PMOS select gate transistor all formed within a first n-well. A control plate for the floating gate transistor is formed in a second n-well. A single-poly two-transitor PMOS memory cell for one-time programming applications includes a PMOS floating gate transistor having a source formed as a p+ diffusion region in a single n-well. The source is adapted to also serve as control plate for the floating gate transistor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2006
    Assignee: Chingis Technology Corporation
    Inventors: Alex Wang, Shang-De Ted Chang, Han-Chih Lin, Tzeng-Huei Shiau, I-Sheng Liu, Hsien-Wen Liu
  • Patent number: 7057231
    Abstract: A floating gate (110) of a nonvolatile memory cell is formed in a trench (114) in a semiconductor substrate (220). A dielectric (128) covers the surface of the trench. The wordline (140) has a portion overlying the trench. The cell's floating gate transistor has a first source/drain region (226), a channel region (224), and a second source/drain region (130). The dielectric (128) is stronger against leakage near at least a portion of the first source/drain region (122) than near at least a portion of the channel region. The stronger portion (128.1) of the additional dielectric improves data retention without increasing the programming and erase times if the programming and erase operations do not rely on a current through the stronger portion. Additional dielectric (210) has a portion located below the top surface of the substrate between the trench and a top part of the second source/drain region (130). The second source/drain region has a part located below the additional dielectric and meeting the trench.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2006
    Assignee: ProMOS Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Yi Ding, Vei-Han Chan
  • Patent number: 7057230
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a plurality of nonvolatile memory cells (1). Each of the nonvolatile memory cells comprises a MOS type first transistor section (3) used for information storage, and a MOS type second transistor section (4) which selects the first transistor section. The second transistor section has a bit line electrode (16) connected to a bit line, and a control gate electrode (18) connected to a control gate control line. The first transistor section has a source line electrode (10) connected to a source line, a memory gate electrode (14) connected to a memory gate control line, and a charge storage region (11) disposed directly below the memory gate electrode. A gate withstand voltage of the second transistor section is lower than that of the first transistor section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2006
    Assignees: Renesas Technology Corp., Hitachi ULSI Systems Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Toshihiro Tanaka, Yukiko Umemoto, Mitsuru Hiraki, Yutaka Shinagawa, Masamichi Fujito, Kazufumi Suzukawa, Hiroyuki Tanikawa, Takashi Yamaki, Yoshiaki Kamigaki, Shinichi Minami, Kozo Katayama, Nozomu Matsuzaki
  • Patent number: 7053440
    Abstract: A non-volatile semiconductor memory device comprising: a first conductive type well formed within a semiconductor substrate; and a memory cell having a gate insulating film, a floating gate, an insulating film, a control gate and a pair of source/drain region, the gate insulating film, the floating gate, the insulating film, the control gate being layered in this order above the first conductive type well, the pair of source/drain regions being made up of second conductive type diffusion layers and formed within the first conductive type well, wherein the source region is electrically connected to the first conductive type well.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2006
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kenji Hakozaki, Kenichi Tanaka
  • Patent number: 7045849
    Abstract: A flash EEPROM or other type of memory cell array having adjacent charge storage elements is formed with a gas filled void between them in order to reduce the level of capacitive coupling between storage elements, thus reducing cross-coupling between charge storage elements and resulting errors occurring in the data read from the array.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2006
    Assignee: SanDisk Corporation
    Inventors: Jian Chen, Masaaki Higashitani
  • Patent number: 7042044
    Abstract: A semiconductor device having an electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM) comprises a contactless array of EEPROM memory cells disposed in rows and columns and constructed over a silicon-on-insulator wafer. Each EEPROM memory cell comprises a drain region, a source region, a gate region, and a body region. The semiconductor device further comprises a plurality of gate lines each connecting the gate regions of a row of EEPROM memory cells, a plurality of body lines each connecting the body regions of a column of EEPROM memory cells, a plurality of source lines each connecting the source regions of a column of EEPROM memory cells, and a plurality of drain lines each connecting the drain regions of a column of EEPROM memory cells. The source lines and the drain lines are buried lines, and the source regions and the drain regions of a column of EEPROM memory cells are insulated from the source regions and the drain regions of the adjacent columns of EEPROM memory cells.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2006
    Inventor: Koucheng Wu
  • Patent number: 7038269
    Abstract: A semiconductor device of this invention is a single-layer gate nonvolatile semiconductor memory in which a floating gate having a predetermined shape is formed on a semiconductor substrate. This floating gate opposes a diffusion layer serving as a control gate via a gate oxide film and is capacitively coupled with the diffusion layer by using the gate oxide film as a dielectric film. The diffusion layer immediately below the dielectric film is insulated from the semiconductor substrate by an insulating film such as a silicon oxide film. A pair of diffusion layers are formed in surface regions of the semiconductor substrate on the two sides of the floating gate extending on a tunnel oxide film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2006
    Assignee: Pegre Semiconductors, LLC.
    Inventor: Yoshihiro Kumazaki
  • Patent number: 7026687
    Abstract: A proposed non-volatile semiconductor memory and a method of manufacturing the same are directed to performing stable and highly reliable operations. First, grooves are formed in a p-type silicon semiconductor substrate, and impurity diffusion layers are formed on the bottom surfaces of the grooves. A gate insulating film is then formed on the p-type silicon semiconductor substrate. This gate insulating film has a three-layer structure in which a first insulating film made of a silicon oxide film, a charge capturing film made of a silicon nitride film, and a second insulating film made of a silicon oxide film, are laminated in this order. A gate electrode is then formed on the gate insulating film. A convexity formed by the grooves serves as the channel region of the non-volatile semiconductor memory. Even if the device size is reduced, an effective channel length can be secured in this non-volatile semiconductor memory. Thus, excellent stability and reliability can be achieved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2006
    Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
    Inventors: Satoshi Shinozaki, Mitsuteru Iijima, Hideo Kurihara
  • Patent number: 7019354
    Abstract: Electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM) cells and methods of fabricating the same are provided. An EEPROM cell includes an isolation layer formed at a semiconductor substrate to define an active region. A source region, a buried N+ region and a drain region are serially disposed at the active region. A memory gate is disposed to cross-over the buried N+ region. A first channel region is formed between the source region and the buried N+ region. A tunnel region is located between the buried N+ region and the memory gate and self-aligned with the buried N+ region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2006
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Young-Ho Kim, Ho-Bong Shin
  • Patent number: 7019356
    Abstract: The present invention provides for a memory device comprising a bulk substrate. A first lightly doped region is formed in the bulk substrate. A first active region is formed in the first lightly doped region. A second lightly doped region is formed in the bulk substrate. A second active region is formed in the second lightly doped region. A third active region is formed in the bulk substrate. An oxide layer is disposed outwardly from the bulk substrate and a floating gate layer is disposed outwardly from the oxide layer. In a particular aspect, a memory device is provided that is a single poly electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM) with a drain or source electrode configured to remove negative charge from the gate and erase the EEPROM, without a separate erase region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2006
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Jozef Mitros, Victor Ivanov
  • Patent number: 7009244
    Abstract: An memory device, and method of making same, that includes source and drain regions defining a channel region therebetween. A select gate is formed over and insulated from a first portion of the channel region. A conductive floating gate is disposed over and insulated from the source region and a second portion of the channel region. A notch is formed in the floating gate bottom surface having an edge that is either aligned with an edge of the source region or is disposed over the source region. A conductive control gate is disposed adjacent to the floating gate. By having the source region terminate under the thicker insulation region provided by the notch, the breakdown voltage of the source junction is increased. Alternately, the lower portion of the floating gate is formed entirely over the source region, for producing fringing fields to control the adjacent portion of the channel region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2006
    Assignee: Integrated Memory Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Ching-Shi Jenq, Ting P. Yen
  • Patent number: 6989564
    Abstract: A NOR type semiconductor storage comprising memory cells, word lines, local and main source lines of metal and bit lines is disclosed. Two adjacent cells on a column form one set and share the drain region. Two adjacent cell sets on a column share the source region. Cell columns are isolated by trench type element isolation regions. A local source line run on and is connected to the source regions of the cells on a row. The main source lines are arranged intermittently between the bit line columns and are connected to the local source lines. A height of embedded layers in the element isolation regions under the local source lines or a height of a portion of the embedded layers contacting the substrate is lower than an upper surface of the source regions under the local source lines. The local source lines are connected to the well region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2006
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventor: Eiji Sakagami
  • Patent number: 6987292
    Abstract: Various methods for forming semiconductor devices are provided that include the step of implanting dopants into the devices to achieve doping concentrations that allow complementary n- and p-channel SJT behavior with devices of substantially equal gate length and gate width. Moreover, complementary SJT devices are provided that include n- and p-channel devices that have approximately equal gate lengths and widths. SJT devices may be appropriately doped and configured such that input current and the output current both vary substantially exponentially with a gate-source voltage in the sub-threshold mode, and such that the drain current varies substantially linearly with the gate current through a substantially constant current gain that is given by a ratio of the drain current to the gate current.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2006
    Assignee: Arizona State University
    Inventor: Trevor J. Thornton
  • Patent number: 6979857
    Abstract: A split gate, vertical NROM memory cell is comprised of a plurality of oxide pillars that each has a source/drain region formed in the top of the pillar. A trench is formed between each pair of oxide pillars. A polysilicon control gate is formed in the trench between the pair of oxide pillars. A polysilicon program gate is formed between the control gate and each oxide pillar. The program gates extend along the sidewall of each oxide pillar. A gate insulator layer is formed between each program gate and the adjacent oxide pillar. Each gate insulator layer has a structure for trapping at least one charge. In one embodiment, the gate insulator structure is an oxide-nitride-oxide layer in which the charge is stored at the trench bottom end of the nitride layer. An interpoly insulator is formed between the program gates and the control gate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2005
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Leonard Forbes
  • Patent number: 6977411
    Abstract: The semiconductor device comprises a first well 14 of a first conduction type formed in a semiconductor substrate 10; a second well 16 of a second conduction type formed in the first well 14; and a transistor 40 including a control gate 18 formed of an impurity region of the first conduction type formed in the second well 16, a first impurity diffused layer 26 and a second impurity diffused layer 33 formed with a channel region 25 therebetween, and a floating gate electrode 20 formed on the channel region 25 and the control gate 18 with a gate insulation film 24 therebetween. The control gate 18 is buried in the semiconductor substrate 10, which makes it unnecessary to form the control gate 18 on the floating gate electrode 20. Thus, the memory transistor and the other transistors, etc. can be formed by the same fabricating process. Thus, the fabrication processes can be less and the semiconductor device can be inexpensive.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2005
    Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
    Inventors: Masaki Ito, Masaya Katayama, Takaaki Furuyama, Shozo Kawabata