The present disclosure may provide a semiconductor device having a stable structure and a low manufacturing degree of the difficulty. The device may include conductive layers and insulating layers which are alternately stacked; a plurality of pillars passing through the conductive layers and the insulating layers; and a plurality of deposition inhibiting patterns, each deposition inhibiting pattern being formed along a portion of an interface between a side-wall of each of the pillars and each of the conductive layers and along a portion of an interface between each of the insulating layers and each of the conductive layers.

A memory cell includes a transistor including a memory film extending along a word line; a channel layer extending along the memory film, wherein the memory film is between the channel layer and the word line; a source line extending along the memory film, wherein the memory film is between the source line and the word line; a first contact layer on the source line, wherein the first contact layer contacts the channel layer and the memory film; a bit line extending along the memory film, wherein the memory film is between the bit line and the word line; a second contact layer on the bit line, wherein the second contact layer contacts the channel layer and the memory film; and an isolation region between the source line and the bit line.

A semiconductor device according to one embodiment includes: a semiconductor substrate; a peripheral circuit provided on the semiconductor substrate; and a stacked body provided above the peripheral circuit, which has a memory cell array. The peripheral circuit includes: a metal film including silicon; a silicide film stacked on the metal film; and a barrier metal film stacked on the silicide film.

A semiconductor memory device includes a substrate, a stack structure disposed on the substrate, a plurality of dielectric isolation segments extending through the stack structure, and a plurality of memory cell structures. The stack structure includes a plurality of dielectric layers and a plurality of conductive layers alternatingly stacked in a Z direction substantially perpendicular to the substrate. The memory cell structures are disposed in the stack structure, and are separated from one another by the dielectric isolation segments. Each of the memory cell structures includes a pair of conductive segments each penetrating the stack structure in the Z direction, a dielectric separation segment separating the conductive segments, a conductive channel segment enclosing side surfaces of the conductive segments and the dielectric separation segment, and a memory segment enclosing side surface of the conductive channel segment and being connected between the stack structure and the conductive segment.

A 3D semiconductor device, the device including: a first level including a first single crystal layer, the first level including a plurality of first transistors and at least one metal layer, where the at least one metal layer overlays the first single crystal layer, and where the at least one metal layer includes interconnects between the plurality of first transistors, the interconnects between the plurality of first transistors include forming first control circuits; a second level overlaying the at least one metal layer, the second level including a plurality of second transistors; a third level overlaying the second level, the third level including a plurality of third transistors, where the second level includes a plurality of first memory cells, the first memory cells each including at least one of the plurality of second transistors, where the third level includes a plurality of second memory cells, the second memory cells each including at least one of the plurality of third transistors, where at least one of the plurality of second memory cells is at least partially atop of the first control circuits, where the first control circuits are adapted to control data written to at least one of the plurality of second memory cells; and where the plurality of second transistors are horizontally oriented transistors.

A staggered memory cell architecture staggers memory cells on opposite sides of a shared bit line preserves memory cell density, while increasing the distance between such memory cells, thereby reducing the possibility of a disturb. In one implementation, the memory cells along a first side of a shared bit line are connected to a set of global word lines provided underneath the memory structure, while the memory cells on the other side of the shared bit line—which are staggered relative to the memory cells on the first side—are connected to global word lines above the memory structure.

Some embodiments include a memory cell having a conductive gate, and having a charge-blocking region adjacent the conductive gate. The charge-blocking region includes silicon oxynitride and silicon dioxide. A charge-storage region is adjacent the charge-blocking region. Tunneling material is adjacent the charge-storage region. Channel material is adjacent the tunneling material. The tunneling material is between the channel material and the charge-storage region. Some embodiments include memory arrays. Some embodiments include methods of forming assemblies (e.g., memory arrays).

A medical observation apparatus including: an arm including a plurality of links connected to each other via a joint, the arm having at least three or more degrees of freedom implemented by a rotation operation about a rotation axis; an imaging device supported by the arm; and an arm controller that controls an operation of the arm. When a posture of the arm is in a predetermined state, and when a predetermined input for moving the arm about a rotation axis orthogonal to a second axis that is a second rotation axis from a side of the arm on which the imaging device is supported and a third axis that is a third rotation axis from the side of the arm on which the imaging device is supported is detected, the arm controller makes one of the links corresponding to the third axis rotate about the third axis.

Methods of etching film stacks to form gaps of uniform width are described. A film stack is etched through a hardmask. A conformal liner is deposited in the gap. The bottom of the liner is removed. The film stack is selectively etched relative to the liner. The liner is removed. The method may be repeated to a predetermined depth.

A process includes (a) providing a semiconductor substrate having a planar surface; (b) forming a plurality of thin-film layers above the planar surface of the semiconductor substrate, one on top of another, including among the thin-film layers first and second isolation layers, wherein a significantly greater concentration of a first dopant specie is provided in the first isolation layer than in the second isolation layer; (c) etching along a direction substantially orthogonal to the planar surface through the thin-films to create a trench having sidewalls that expose the thin-film layers; (d) depositing conformally a semiconductor material on the sidewalls of the trench; (e) annealing the first isolation layer at a predetermined temperature and a predetermined duration such that the first isolation layer act as a source of the first dopant specie which dopes a portion of the semiconductor material adjacent the first isolation layer; and (f) selectively etching the semiconductor material to remove the doped portion of the semiconductor material without removing the remainder of the semiconductor material.