The present disclosure relates to a semiconductor structure and a manufacturing method thereof. The semiconductor structure includes: a substrate including a peripheral region, wherein the peripheral region includes a wire lead-out area, and the substrate is arranged with a plurality of discrete bit line structures; a dielectric layer formed between the adjacent bit line structures, wherein the peripheral region is arranged with a first contact hole; a wire lead-out area with a second through hole; a filling layer filling part of a first contact hole, wherein a remaining part of the first contact hole is defined as a first through hole; a first conductive layer located in the first through hole and the second through hole; and a conductive connecting wire located over the dielectric layer and being in contact with the first conductive layer in the wire lead-out area.

A semiconductor structure includes a semiconductor substrate including a first active region and a chop region. The semiconductor structure also includes a source/drain region disposed in the first active region, an isolation structure disposed in the chop region, and a gate structure extending at least across the isolation structure in the chop region. The gate structure includes a gate electrode layer and a gate lining layer lining on the gate electrode layer. The gate lining layer includes a first portion having an upper surface that is lower than a bottom surface of the source/drain region.

Embodiments of three-dimensional (3D) memory devices with embedded dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) and methods for forming the 3D memory devices are disclosed. In an example, a method for operating a 3D memory device is disclosed. The 3D memory device includes an input/output circuit, an array of embedded DRAM cells, and an array of 3D NAND memory strings in a same chip. Data is transferred through the input/output circuit to the array of embedded DRAM cells. The data is buffered in the array of embedded DRAM cells. The data is stored in the array of 3D NAND memory strings from the array of embedded DRAM cells.

Three-dimensional (3D) memory devices with 3D phase-change memory (PCM) and methods for forming and operating the 3D memory devices are disclosed. In an example, a 3D memory device includes a first semiconductor structure including an array of NAND memory cells, and a first bonding layer including first bonding contacts. The 3D memory device also further includes a second semiconductor structure including a second bonding layer including second bonding contacts, a semiconductor layer and a peripheral circuit and an array of PCM cells between the second bonding layer and the semiconductor layer. The 3D memory device further includes a bonding interface between the first and second bonding layers. The first bonding contacts are in contact with the second bonding contacts at the bonding interface.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide power to backend memory of an IC device from the back side of the device. An example IC device with back-side power delivery for backend memory includes a frontend layer with a plurality of frontend components such as frontend transistors, a backend layer (that may include a plurality of layers) with backend memory (e.g., with one or more eDRAM arrays), and a back-side power delivery structure with a plurality of back-side interconnects electrically coupled to the backend memory, where the frontend layer is between the back-side power delivery structure and the backend layer.

A semiconductor structure includes a substrate, a contact structure disposed on the substrate, and two first gate structures disposed on the substrate and at two sides of the first contact structure. The contact structure has a T-shaped cross-sectional profile having a first portion contacting the substrate and a second portion disposed on the first portion. A top surface of the second portion of the contact structure is flush with top surfaces of the two first gate structures.

An example IC device includes a frontend layer and a backend layer with a metallization stack. The metallization stack includes a backend memory layer with a plurality of memory cells with backend transistors, and a layer with a plurality of conductive interconnects (e.g., a plurality of conductive lines) and air gaps between adjacent ones of the plurality of interconnects. Providing air gaps in upper metal layers of metallization stacks of IC devices may advantageously reduce parasitic effects in the IC devices because such effects are typically proportional to the dielectric constant of a surrounding medium. In turn, reduction in the parasitic effects may lead to improvements in performance of, or requirements placed on, the backend memory.

A memory device includes a transistor and a memory cell. The memory cell includes a bottom electrode, a top electrode, and a dielectric structure. The top electrode is electrically connected to the transistor. The dielectric structure includes a thin portion and a thick portion. The thin portion is sandwiched between the bottom electrode and the top electrode. The thick portion is thicker than the thin portion and between the bottom electrode and the top electrode.

A semiconductor device includes a transistor, a bit line and a bit-line via structure. The transistor is located in a transistor layer, and has a source contact and a drain contact. The bit line is electrically connected to one of the source contact and the drain contact. The bit-line via structure is located in the transistor layer, and electrically interconnects the bit line and a periphery device.

A microelectronic device comprises memory cell structures extending from a base material. At least one memory cell structure of the memory cell structures comprises a central portion in contact with a digit line, extending from the base material and comprising opposing arcuate surfaces, an end portion in contact with a storage node contact on a side of the central portion, and an additional end portion in contact with an additional storage node contact on an opposite side of the central portion. Related microelectronic devices, electronic systems, and methods are also described.