Abstract: Methods of forming non-volatile memory devices include the steps of forming a semiconductor substrate having first and second floating gate electrodes thereon and an electrically insulating region extending between the first and second floating gate electrodes. A step is then performed to etch back the electrically insulating region to expose upper corners of the first and second floating gate electrodes. Another etching step is then performed. This etching step includes exposing upper surfaces and the exposed upper corners of the first and second floating gate electrodes to an etchant that rounds the exposed upper corners of the first and second floating gate electrodes. The step of etching back the electrically insulating region includes etching back the electrically insulating region to expose sidewalls of the first and second floating gate electrodes having heights ranging from about 30 ? to about 200 ?.

Abstract: A semiconductor device comprises a semiconductor substrate, a first circuit formed on the substrate, and a second circuit connected to the first circuit as an input/output portion thereof and powered by a voltage higher than that for the first circuit, the first circuit including a first and a second field-effect transistor, the first drain region of the first transistor accompanying a first load capacitance, the second drain region of the second transistor accompanying a second load capacitance smaller than the first load capacitance, and the first gate insulation film of the first transistor having an average relative dielectric constant higher than that of the second gate insulation film of the second transistor, thereby realizing a high operation speed.

Abstract: A memory cell has a floating gate electrode, a first inter-gate insulating film arranged on the floating gate electrode, and a control gate electrode arranged on the first inter-gate insulating film. An FET has a lower gate electrode, a second inter-gate insulating film having an opening and arranged on the lower gate electrode, a block film having a function to block diffusion of metal atoms and formed on at least the opening, and an upper gate electrode connected electrically to the lower gate electrode via the block film and arranged on the second inter-gate insulating film. The control gate electrode and the upper gate electrode have a Full-silicide structure.

Abstract: A field effect transistor having a T- or ?-shaped fine gate electrode of which a head portion is wider than a foot portion, and a method for manufacturing the field effect transistor, are provided. A void is formed between the head portion of the gate electrode and a semiconductor substrate using an insulating layer having a multi-layer structure with different etch rates. Since parasitic capacitance between the gate electrode and the semiconductor substrate is reduced by the void, the head portion of the gate electrode can be made large so that gate resistance can be reduced. In addition, since the height of the gate electrode can be adjusted by adjusting the thickness of the insulating layer, device performance as well as process uniformity and repeatability can be improved.

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.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a gate electrode structure for preventing abnormal oxidation of a refractory metal due to an oxidation process, includes forming an insulating film on a surface of a semiconductor substrate; forming an impurity diffused polysilicon film on the insulating film; forming an impurity diffusion preventing film on the impurity diffused polysilicon film; forming a refractory metal silicide film on the impurity diffusion preventing film; forming a first nitride film on the refractory metal silicide film; patterning the first nitride film, the refractory metal silicide film and the impurity diffusion preventing film on a gate electrode; forming a first spacer constituted by a second nitride film on side surfaces of the first gate electrode; performing anisotropic etching on the impurity diffused polysilicon film with the first and second nitride films as a mask; and performing an oxidation process.

Abstract: A CMOS gate stack that increases the inversion capacitance compared to a conventional CMOS gate stack has been described. Using a poly-SiGe gate, instead of the conventional poly-Si gate near the gate dielectric layer, increases the amount of implanted dopant that can be activated. This increase overcomes the polysilicon depletion problem that limits the inversion capacitance in the conventional CMOS gate stack. To integrate the poly-SiGe layer into the gate stack, a thin ?-Si layer is deposited between the gate dielectric layer and the poly-SiGe layer. To ensure proper salicide formation, a poly-Si layer is capped over the poly-SiGe layer. In order to obtain a fined-grained poly-Si over poly-SiGe, a second ?-Si layer is deposited between the poly-Si layer and the poly-SiGe layer.

Abstract: The present invention is generally directed to a method of manufacturing sidewall spacers on a memory device, and a memory device comprising such sidewall spacers. In one illustrative embodiment, the method includes forming sidewall spacers on a memory device comprised of a memory array and at least one peripheral circuit by forming a first sidewall spacer adjacent a word line structure in the memory array, the first sidewall spacer having a first thickness and forming a second sidewall spacer adjacent a transistor structure in the peripheral circuit, the second sidewall spacer having a second thickness that is greater than the first thickness, wherein the first and second sidewall spacers comprise material from a single layer of spacer material.

Abstract: A protruding spacer that protrudes above the top surface of a gate electrode structure provides enhanced resistance to exposure of the gate electrode during the etch process used to form self-aligned contacts. The protruding spacer may be formed using an amorphous carbon sacrificial layer as the top layer of the patterned gate electrode structure. Dielectric spacers are formed alongside the gate electrode structure, including alongside the sacrificial amorphous carbon layer. The dielectric spacers extend substantially to the top of the amorphous carbon layer. The amorphous carbon layer is then removed such that the remaining gate structure includes dielectric spacers that have a protruding section that protrudes above the top surface of the remaining gate structure. A nitride layer may be formed over the gate structure. Such a structure prevents exposure of the gate electrode during the formation of self-aligned contacts, and shorting, once the contact openings are filled.

Abstract: An information memory device capable of reading and writing of information by mechanical operation of a floating gate layer, in which a gate insulation film has a cavity (6), and a floating gate layer (5) having two stable deflection states in the cavity (6), the state stabilized by deflecting toward the channel side of transistor, and the state stabilized by deflecting toward the gate (7) side, writing and reading of information can be made by changing the stable deflection state of the floating gate layer (5) by Coulomb interactive force between the electrons (or positive holes 8) accumulated in the floating gate layer (5) and external electric field, and by reading the channel current change based on the state of the floating gate layer (5).

Abstract: A method of forming a semiconductor device includes forming an insulating layer on a semiconductor substrate. The insulating layer has a trench therein with opposing sidewalls and a bottom surface. A first conductive layer is formed on the sidewalls and on the bottom surface of the trench to define a gap region. A portion of the first conductive layer is removed to thereby increase a width of the gap region. The first conductive layer may be removed from the sidewalls and the bottom surface of the trench such that an upper width of the gap region is greater than or equal to a lower width of the gap region. A second conductive layer is formed in the gap region after removing the portion of the first conductive layer to fill the gap region.

Abstract: A method for making a semiconductor device is described. That method comprises forming a dielectric layer on a substrate, forming a trench within the dielectric layer, and forming a high-k gate dielectric layer within the trench. After forming a first metal layer on the high-k gate dielectric layer, a second metal layer is formed on the first metal layer. At least part of the second metal layer is removed from above the dielectric layer using a polishing step, and additional material is removed from above the dielectric layer using an etch step.

Abstract: A new method is provided for the creation of sub-micron gate electrode structures. A high-k dielectric is used for the gate dielectric, providing increased inversion carrier density without having to resort to aggressive scaling of the thickness of the gate dielectric while at the same time preventing excessive gate leakage current from occurring. Further, air-gap spacers are formed over a stacked gate structure. The gate structure consists of pre-doped polysilicon of polysilicon-germanium, thus maintaining superior control over channel inversion carriers. The vertical field between the gate structure and the channel region of the gate is maximized by the high-k gate dielectric, capacitive coupling between the source/drain regions of the structure and the gate electrode is minimized by the gate spacers that contain an air gap.