A method for manufacturing a cured product pattern of a curable composition includes the steps of, in sequence, depositing a droplet of the curable composition onto a substrate; bringing a mold having an uneven pattern formed in a surface thereof into contact with the curable composition; curing the curable composition; and releasing a cured product of the curable composition from the mold. The mold has a recess having a bottom surface and a stair structure arranged to form an opening surface that becomes wider from the bottom surface toward the surface of the mold. In the contact step, the curable composition comes into contact with the stair portion after a top of the droplet comes into contact with the bottom surface.

A semiconductor device includes: circuit devices on a first substrate; a lower interconnection structure electrically connected to the circuit devices; a lower bonding structure connected to the lower interconnection structure; an upper bonding structure on the lower bonding structure; an upper interconnection structure connected to the upper bonding structure; a second substrate on the upper interconnection structure; gate electrodes between the upper interconnection structure and the second substrate; channel structures penetrating the gate electrodes and each including a channel layer; via patterns on the second substrate; a source contact plug spaced apart from the second substrate on an external side of the second substrate and having an upper surface higher than the second substrate and a lower surface lower than a lowermost gate electrode; and a source connection pattern contacting upper surfaces of each of the via patterns and the upper surface of the source contact plug.

Disclosed are semiconductor devices and electronic systems including the same. The semiconductor device may include a stack structure extending in a first direction and including gate electrodes vertically stacked on a substrate, selection structures horizontally spaced apart on the stack structure, an upper isolation structure between the selection structure and extending in the first direction on the stack structure, and vertical structures penetrating the stack structure and the selection structures. The vertical structures include first vertical structures arranged along the first direction and penetrating portions of the upper isolation structure. Each selection structure includes a selection gate electrode and a horizontal dielectric pattern that surrounds top, bottom, and sidewall surfaces of the selection gate electrode. Each selection gate electrode includes a line part extending in the first direction, and an electrode part vertically protruding from the line part and surrounding at least a portion of each first vertical structure.

Semiconductor devices are provided. The semiconductor devices may include a peripheral circuit structure, a memory cell block arranged on the peripheral circuit structure and including strings, each of which includes a lower select transistor, memory cell transistors, and an upper select transistor connected in series and stacked in a vertical direction, and bit lines on the memory cell block. The bit lines may include a first bit line electrically connected to first to third strings of the strings. The lower select transistors of the first to third strings include first to third lower select gate electrodes, respectively. The second lower select gate electrode may be arranged at a different vertical level from the first lower select gate electrode, and the third lower select gate electrode may be arranged at the same vertical level as the first lower select gate electrode.

A three-dimensional memory device includes vertical layer stacks that are laterally spaced apart by backside trenches that laterally extend along a first horizontal direction, where each of the vertical layer stacks includes a respective alternating stack of insulating layers and electrically conductive layers, memory openings vertically extending through the alternating stacks, memory opening fill structures located in the memory openings and including a respective vertical stack of memory elements and a respective vertical semiconductor channel, and backside trench fill structures located within a respective one of the backside trenches. Each of the backside trench fill structures includes a plurality of dielectric bridge structures laterally spaced apart along the first horizontal direction and dielectric fin portions located at levels of a plurality of the electrically conductive layers. The dielectric fin portions laterally protrude outward relative to sidewalls of the insulating layers within the respective neighboring pair of alternating stacks.

Disclosed are three-dimensional semiconductor memory devices, methods of manufacturing the same, and electronic systems including the same. The device includes a peripheral circuit structure on a substrate, and a cell array structure including a stack structure that includes gate electrodes on the peripheral circuit structure, a first source conductive pattern on the stack structure, and vertical channel structures in vertical channel holes that penetrate the stack structure and the first source conductive pattern. The vertical channel structure includes a data storage pattern on a sidewall of the vertical channel hole, a vertical semiconductor pattern on the data storage pattern, and a second source conductive pattern on the vertical semiconductor pattern and surrounded by the data storage pattern. A thickness of the data storage pattern between the first source conductive pattern and the second source conductive pattern is greater than it is between the stack structure and the vertical semiconductor pattern.

A locator of a surgical port of a surgical robot system, the surgical robot system comprising an instrument attached to a robot arm, the instrument having an instrument shaft able to pass through the surgical port to a surgical site, the locator comprising: an interface configured to couple to the surgical port; a mechanism configured to permit relative linear and/or rotational motion of the interface and the instrument shaft; and a controller comprising a processor operable to estimate the position of a part of the robot arm, the controller configured to control the mechanism in dependence on the estimated position of the part of the robot arm such that as the robot arm retracts the instrument from the patient, the locator moves the port away from the robot arm and provides a reaction force to keep the port in place.

An apparatus, a method and a system. The apparatus comprises a memory array including word lines defining a staircase structure, and a staircase etch stop layer including: a sandwich etch stop layer disposed on a top region the staircase and including a first etch stop layer and a third etch stop layer of a first material, and a second etch stop layer sandwiched between the first etch stop layer and the third etch stop layer and made of a second material having etch properties different from the first material; a precut etch stop layer disposed at a region of the staircase structure below the top region and including the second etch stop layer and the third etch stop layer and not the first etch stop layer; and contact structures extending through a dielectric layer and the staircase etch stop layer and landing on the word lines at the staircase structure.

An apparatus, a method and a system. The apparatus comprises a memory array including word lines defining a staircase structure, and a staircase etch stop layer including: a sandwich etch stop layer disposed on a top region the staircase and including a first etch stop layer and a third etch stop layer of a first material, and a second etch stop layer sandwiched between the first etch stop layer and the third etch stop layer and made of a second material having etch properties different from the first material; a precut etch stop layer disposed at a region of the staircase structure below the top region and including the second etch stop layer and the third etch stop layer and not the first etch stop layer; and contact structures extending through a dielectric layer and the staircase etch stop layer and landing on the word lines at the staircase structure.

Aspects of the disclosure provide a memory system, a semiconductor device and fabrication method for the semiconductor device. The semiconductor device includes a memory stack with gate layers and insulating layers, and the gate layers and the insulating layers are stacked alternatingly. The semiconductor device also includes a first channel structure formed in a first channel hole in the memory stack. The first channel structure includes a channel plug in connection with a channel layer of the first channel structure. The semiconductor device also includes an isolation stack including a landing liner layer and an isolation layer. A first portion of the landing liner layer is laid on the channel plug. The semiconductor device includes a first contact structure formed in the isolation stack. The first contact structure is connected to the channel plug via an opening in the first portion of the landing liner layer.