A non-volatile memory device and its manufacturing method are provided. The non-volatile memory device includes a substrate and a plurality of first gate structures and a plurality of second gate structures formed on the substrate. The substrate includes a center region and two border regions located on opposite sides of the center region. The center region and two border regions are located in an array region. The first gate structures are located in the center region, and the second gate structures are located in one of the border regions. Each of the first gate structures has a first width, and each of the second gate structures has a second width less than the first width. There is a first spacing between the first gate structures, and there is a second spacing which is greater than the first spacing between the second gate structures.

A alternating stack of insulating layers and sacrificial material layers is formed over a substrate. An array of memory opening fill structures and an array of support pillar structures are formed through the alternating stack. Backside trenches are formed through the alternating stack by performing an anisotropic etch process. The anisotropic etch process etches peripheral portions of a subset of the array of support pillar structures. The sacrificial material layers are replaced with electrically conductive layer by forming backside recesses while the support pillar structures provide mechanical support to the insulating layers.

Provided is a memory device including a substrate, a stack structure on the substrate, a contact, and a supporting pillar. The stacked structure includes a plurality of conductive layers and a plurality of insulating layers stacked alternately on each other. The contact is connected to one of the plurality of conductive layers of the stack structure. The supporting pillar penetrates the stack structure and is disposed around the contact. The supporting pillar includes a body portion and a plurality of extension portions. The body portion is arranged around a first side of the contact. The plurality of extension portions are located on two sides of the body portion. A length of each of the extension portions is greater than a width of the contact, and one of the extension portions is disposed around a second side of the contact.

A microelectronic device comprises a stack structure comprising a vertically alternating sequence of conductive structures and insulative structures arranged in tiers, a staircase structure within the stack structure having steps comprising horizontal edges of the tiers, a first insulative material vertically overlying the staircase structure, conductive contact structures comprising a conductive material extending through the first insulative material and in contact with the steps of the staircase structure, and a second insulative material extending in a first horizontal direction between horizontally neighboring conductive contact structures and exhibiting one or more different properties than the first insulative material. Related microelectronic devices, electronic systems, and methods are also described.

A semiconductor memory device and method of making the same are disclosed. The semiconductor memory device includes a substrate that includes a memory region and a peripheral region, a transistor including a metal gate located in the peripheral region, a composite dielectric film structure located over the metal gate of the transistor, the composite dielectric film structure including a first dielectric layer and a second dielectric layer over the first dielectric layer, where the second dielectric layer has a greater density than a density of the first dielectric layer, and at least one memory cell located in the memory region. The composite dielectric film structure provides enhanced protection of the metal gate against etching damage and thereby improves device performance.

A microelectronic device comprises a stack structure comprising vertically alternating conductive structures and insulating structures arranged in tiers, the tiers individually comprising one of the conductive structures and one of the insulating structures, a staircase structure within the stack structure and having steps comprising edges of at least some of the tiers, conductive contact structures on the steps of the staircase structure, support pillar structures laterally offset in at least a first direction from the conductive contact structures and extending through the stack structure, and bridge structures comprising an electrically insulating material extending vertically through at least a portion of the stack structure and between at least some adjacent support pillar structures of the support pillar structures. Related memory devices, electronic systems, and methods are also described.

A semiconductor memory device includes a memory cell connected between a bit line and a source line, a sense amplifier having a first transistor provided between at least two transistors of the sense amplifier and the bit line, and a controller which executes a read operation to read data stored by the memory cell. In the read operation, the controller applies a first voltage to the first transistor and a second voltage to the source line during a first time period, applies a third voltage to the first transistor and a fourth voltage to the source line during a second time period after the first time period, and applies the first voltage to the first transistor and a fifth voltage to the source line during a third time period after the second time period.

A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device is provided. The method includes the following. A substrate is provided. A stacked structure is formed on the substrate. The stacked structure includes first material layers and gate layers that are alternatively stacked. The stacked structure includes a giant block (GB) region and a stair-step region. A third material layer is formed on an upper surface of the GB region and an upper surface of the stair-step region. A fourth material layer filling the stair-step region and covering the GB region is formed. At least one contact structure is located in the stair-step region. Each of the at least one contact structure penetrates the third material layer and is connected with a respective one of the gate layers.

Some embodiments include apparatuses and methods of forming the apparatuses. One of the apparatuses includes a first deck located over a substrate, and a second deck located over the first deck, and pillars extending through the first and second decks. The first deck includes first memory cells, first control gates associated with the first memory cells, and first conductive paths coupled to the first control gates. The second conductive paths include second conductive pads located on a first level of the apparatus over the substrate. The second deck includes second memory cells, second control gates associated with the second memory cells, and second conductive paths coupled to the second control gates. The second conductive paths include second conductive pads located on a second level of the apparatus. The first and second conductive pads having lengths in a direction perpendicular to a direction from the first deck to the second deck.

A non-volatile memory device includes a substrate, a stack structure that includes a first gate layer that extends in a horizontal direction and a second gate layer that extends in the horizontal direction and is disposed apart from the first gate layer in a vertical direction, a plurality of first channel structures that penetrate in the vertical direction through a first channel region of the stack structure, a plurality of second channel structures that penetrate in the vertical direction through a second channel region of the stack structure, a first anti-fuse structure and a second anti-fuse structure that each penetrate in the vertical direction through an anti-fuse region of the stack structure, a first anti-fuse transistor that is electrically connected to the first gate layer through the first anti-fuse structure, and a second anti-fuse transistor that is electrically connected to the second gate layer through the second anti-fuse structure.