A memory array comprises laterally-spaced memory blocks individually comprising a vertical stack comprising alternating insulative tiers and conductive tiers. Channel-material strings of memory cells extend through the insulative tiers and the conductive tiers. Dummy pillars extend through the insulative tiers and the conductive tiers. A lowest of the conductive tiers comprises conducting material and dummy-region material that is aside and of different composition from that of the conducting material. The channel-material strings extend through the conducting material of the lowest conductive tier. The dummy pillars extend through the dummy-region material of the lowest conductive tier. Other embodiments, including method, are disclosed.

Apparatus and methods are described to reduce program disturb for a memory string with a partial select gate drain, which is partially cut by a shallow trench. The memory string with a partial select gate drain is linked with a neighboring full select gate drain that during its programming can cause a program disturb in the memory string with a partial select gate drain. The bias voltage applied to the selected full select gate drain can be controlled from a high state for low memory program states to a lower state for the high memory program states. The high data states may cause program disturb. The reduction in the bias voltage can match a reduction in the bias voltage applied to the bit lines to reduce the program disturb while providing adequate signal to program the high states on the memory string of the full select gate drain.

A three-dimensional semiconductor memory device is disclosed. The device may include a substrate including a cell array region and a connection region provided at an end portion of the cell array region, an electrode structure extending from the cell array region to the connection region, the electrode structure including electrodes sequentially stacked on the substrate, an upper insulating layer provided on the electrode structure, a first horizontal insulating layer provided in the upper insulating layer and extending along the electrodes, and first contact plugs provided on the connection region to penetrate the upper insulating layer and the first horizontal insulating layer. The first horizontal insulating layer may include a material having a better etch-resistive property than the upper insulating layer.

A semiconductor memory includes metallic lines on a substrate and including an uppermost metallic line, a semiconductor conduction line on the uppermost metallic line, a vertical structure penetrating the semiconductor conduction line and metallic lines, and including a vertical structure that includes an upper channel film, a first lower channel film, and an upper connection channel film connecting the upper channel film and the first lower channel film between a bottom of the semiconductor conduction line and a bottom of the uppermost metallic line, and a first cutting line through the metallic lines and the semiconductor conduction line, and including a first upper cutting line through the semiconductor conduction line, and a first lower cutting line through the plurality of metallic lines, a width of the first upper cutting line being greater than a width of an extension line of a sidewall of the first lower cutting line.

An integrated circuit device includes: a lower memory stack including a plurality of lower word lines located on a substrate, an upper memory stack located on the lower memory stack and including a plurality of upper word lines, at least one first lower interconnection layer extending in a horizontal direction at a first vertical level between the lower memory stack and the upper memory stack, and configured to be electrically connected to at least one lower word line selected from the plurality of lower word lines, a separate insulating film covering at least one first lower interconnection layer, and at least one first upper interconnection layer extending in the horizontal direction at a second vertical level higher than the upper memory stack, and configured to be electrically connected to at least one upper word line selected from the upper word lines.

A memory structure including a substrate, a first dielectric layer, a second dielectric layer, a charge storage layer, an oxide layer, and a conductive layer is provided. The first dielectric layer is disposed on the substrate. The second dielectric layer is disposed on the first dielectric layer. The charge storage layer is disposed between the first dielectric layer and the second dielectric layer. The oxide layer is located at two ends of the charge storage layer and is disposed between the first dielectric layer and the second dielectric layer. The conductive layer is disposed on the second dielectric layer.

A semiconductor memory device comprises a semiconductor, a first insulator, a second insulator, a first conductor, a third insulator, a fourth insulator, and a fifth insulator. The first insulator is on the semiconductor. The second insulator is on the first insulator. The third insulator is on the first conductor. The fourth insulator is between the second insulator and the first conductor. The fifth insulator is provided between the second insulator and the third insulator. The fifth insulator is having an oxygen concentration different from an oxygen concentration of the fourth insulator.

A semiconductor device includes a cell region and a peripheral circuit region. The cell region includes gate electrode layers stacked on a substrate, channel structures extending in a first direction, extending through the gate electrode layers, and connected to the substrate, and bit lines extending in a second direction and connected to the channel structures above the gate electrode layers. The peripheral circuit region includes page buffers connected to the bit lines. Each page buffer includes a first and second elements adjacent to each other in the second direction and sharing a common active region between a first gate structure of the first element and a second gate structure of the second element in the second direction. Boundaries of the common active region include an oblique boundary extending in an oblique direction forming an angle between 0 and 90 degrees with the second direction.

A peripheral circuit structure may include peripheral circuits and peripheral circuit lines on a semiconductor substrate, a semiconductor layer including cell array and connection regions on the peripheral circuit structure, a stack including electrodes stacked on the semiconductor layer having a stepwise structure on the connection region, and a planarization insulating layer covering the stack, vertical structures on the cell array region penetrating the stack, including a data storage pattern, a dam group including insulating dams on the connection region penetrating the stack, penetration plugs penetrating the insulating dams and connected to respective peripheral circuit lines, the dam group including a first insulating dam farthest from the cell array region, the first insulating dam including first and second sidewall portions spaced apart, a difference between upper and lower thicknesses of the second sidewall portion of the first insulating dam is larger than that of the first sidewall portion.

A memory die includes an alternating stack of insulating layers and electrically conductive layers through which memory opening fill structures vertically extend. The memory die includes at least three memory array regions interlaced with at least two contact regions, or at least three contact regions interlaced with at least two memory array regions in the same memory plane. A logic die including at least two word line driver regions can be bonded to the memory die. The interlacing of the contact regions and the memory array regions can reduce lateral offset of boundaries of the word line driver regions from boundaries of the contact regions.