A method for fabricating a vertical semiconductor device may include forming a lower-level stack including a source sacrificial layer over a semiconductor substrate; forming an upper-level stack including dielectric layers and sacrificial layers over the lower-level stack; forming a vertical channel structure including a channel layer that penetrates the upper-level stack and the lower-level stack; forming a slit that penetrates the upper-level stack while exposing the source sacrificial layer; forming a lateral recess that extends from the slit by removing the source sacrificial layer; forming a first contact layer which is coupled to a portion of the channel layer while filling the lateral recess; selectively forming a second contact layer over an exposed surface of the first contact layer; and selectively forming a chemical barrier layer over the second contact layer.

A semiconductor device includes a memory cell array including a plurality of memory blocks, each of the plurality of memory blocks including select transistors and memory cells; pass transistors configured to provide select signals to select lines connected to a selected memory block; and ground transistors configured to supply a first voltage to select lines connected to unselected memory blocks. The ground transistors include at least one common gate structure, at least one common active region, and individual active regions, and each of the common gate structure and the common active region are shared by two or more ground transistors, among the ground transistors. The common gate structure is between the common active region and the individual active regions, and includes a first region extending in a first direction and a second region extending in a second direction, intersecting the first direction.

A method used in forming a memory array comprising strings of memory cells comprises forming a lower portion of a stack that will comprise vertically-alternating conductive tiers and insulative tiers. The stack comprises laterally-spaced memory-block regions. The lower portion comprises multiple lower of the conductive tiers and multiple lower of the insulative tiers. The lower insulative tiers comprise insulative material. The lower conductive tiers comprise sacrificial material that is of different composition from that of the insulative material. The sacrificial material is replaced with conducting material. After the replacing of the sacrificial material, the vertically-alternating conductive tiers and insulative tiers of an upper portion of the stack are formed above the lower portion. The upper portion comprises multiple upper of the conductive tiers and multiple upper of the insulative tiers. The upper insulative tiers comprise insulating material. The upper conductive tiers comprise sacrifice material that is of different composition from that of the conducting material, the insulating material, and the insulative material. The sacrifice material is replaced with conductive material. Other embodiments, including structure independent of method, are disclosed.

A semiconductor device includes a stacked structure including conductive layers and insulating layers alternately stacked with each other, and a channel layer passing through the stacked structure, wherein the channel layer is a single layer, the single layer including a first GIDL region, a cell region, and a second GIDL region, and the first GIDL region has a greater thickness than each of the cell region and the second GIDL region.

Embodiments of 3D memory devices and methods for forming the same are disclosed. In an example, a 3D memory device includes a substrate, a peripheral circuit on the substrate, a memory stack including interleaved conductive layers and dielectric layers above the peripheral circuit, a P-type doped semiconductor layer above the memory stack, a plurality of channel structures each extending vertically through the memory stack into the P-type doped semiconductor layer, and a source contact above the memory stack and in contact with the P-type doped semiconductor layer. An upper end of each of the plurality of channel structures is flush with or below a top surface of the P-type doped semiconductor layer.

A semiconductor device includes gate electrodes stacked to be spaced apart from each other on a substrate in a first direction, extending in a second direction, and including pad regions bent in a third direction, sacrificial insulating layers extending from the gate electrodes to be stacked alternately with the interlayer insulating layers, separation regions penetrating through the gate electrodes, extending in the second direction, and spaced apart from each other to be parallel to each other, and a through-wiring region spaced apart from the separation regions to overlap the pad regions between the separation regions adjacent to each other and including contact plugs penetrating through the pad regions. The through-wiring region includes slit regions, and each of the slit regions is disposed to penetrate through the sacrificial insulating layers on one side of a respective pad region.

A semiconductor device includes gate electrodes stacked to be spaced apart from each other on a substrate in a first direction, extending in a second direction, and including pad regions bent in a third direction, sacrificial insulating layers extending from the gate electrodes to be stacked alternately with the interlayer insulating layers, separation regions penetrating through the gate electrodes, extending in the second direction, and spaced apart from each other to be parallel to each other, and a through-wiring region spaced apart from the separation regions to overlap the pad regions between the separation regions adjacent to each other and including contact plugs penetrating through the pad regions. The through-wiring region includes slit regions, and each of the slit regions is disposed to penetrate through the sacrificial insulating layers on one side of a respective pad region.

A memory device and a method for manufacturing the memory device are provided. The memory device includes a substrate, a plurality of first gate structures, a first dielectric layer, a second dielectric layer, a third dielectric layer and a contact plug. The first gate structures are formed on an array region of the substrate. The first dielectric layer is formed on top surfaces and sidewalls of the first gate structures. The second dielectric layer is formed on the first dielectric layer and in direct contact with the first dielectric layer. The second dielectric layer and the first dielectric layer are made of the same material. The third dielectric layer is formed between the first gate structures and defines a plurality of contact holes exposing the substrate. The contact plug fills the contact holes.

A semiconductor device includes: a first gate stack including a plurality of first gate electrodes; a second gate stack arranged on the first gate stack and including a plurality of second gate electrodes; and a plurality of channel structures arranged in a plurality of channel holes penetrating the first gate stack and the second gate stack. Each of the channel holes includes a first channel hole portion penetrating the first gate stack and a second channel hole portion penetrating the second gate stack, and a ratio of a second width in the second direction to a first width in the first direction of an upper end of the first channel hole portion is less than a ratio of a fourth width in the second direction to a third width in the first direction of an upper end of the second channel hole portion.

A semiconductor storage device includes: a stacked body having a plurality of insulating layers and a plurality of gate electrode layers alternately stacked in a first direction, the plurality of gate electrode layers including a first gate electrode layer and a second gate electrode layer, the second gate electrode layer adjacent to the first gate electrode layer in the first direction, and the plurality of insulating layers including a first insulating layer located between the first gate electrode layer and the second gate electrode layer; a semiconductor layer extending in the first direction; a first charge storage layer disposed between the semiconductor layer and the first gate electrode layer, the first charge storage layer including silicon and nitrogen; a second charge storage layer disposed between the semiconductor layer and the second gate electrode layer, the second charge storage layer sandwiching the first insulating layer with the first charge storage layer.