A memory array comprising strings of memory cells comprises laterally-spaced memory blocks individually comprising a vertical stack comprising alternating insulative tiers and conductive tiers above a conductor tier. The conductor tier is directly above a lower tier that comprises conductive lines that are horizontally elongated. An insulator tier is vertically between the conductor tier and the lower tier. Strings of memory cells comprise channel-material strings that extend through the insulative tiers and the conductive tiers. The channel-material strings directly electrically couple to the conductor material of the conductor tier. A through-array-via (TAV) region comprises TAVs that individually directly electrically couple to one of the conductive lines. Insulator walls are in the TAV region. The insulator walls extend vertically through the conductor tier and the insulator tier to the lower tier and are horizontally elongated. Methods are also disclosed.

A semiconductor memory device includes a first insulating layer, a first conductive layer, a first pillar, a second pillar, and a second insulating layer. The first conductive layer contains tungsten. The first conductive layer includes a first sub conductive layer and a second sub conductive layer. The first pillar and the second pillar pass through the first insulating layer and the first conductive layer. The second insulating layer divides the first insulating layer and the first conductive layer. The first sub conductive layer is in contact with the second sub conductive layer and is provided between the second sub conductive layer and the first insulating layer. A fluorine concentration in the first sub conductive layer is lower than that in the second sub conductive layer.

Field-effect transistors, and integrated circuit devices containing such field-effect transistors, might include a semiconductor material having a first conductivity type, a first source/drain region having a second conductivity type, a second source/drain region having the second conductivity type, a first contact connected to the first source/drain region, a conductor overlying an active area of the semiconductor material and having an annular portion surrounding the first contact and a spur portion extending from an outer perimeter of the annular portion of the conductor, a second contact connected to the second source/drain region outside the annular portion of the conductor, a dielectric between the conductor and the active area, and a third contact overlying the active area and connected to the spur portion of the conductor.

Semiconductor devices may include a first stack structure including interlayer insulating layers and gate electrodes alternately stacked in a first direction perpendicular to an upper surface of a substrate on a first region of the substrate and including a first lower stack structure and a first upper stack structure, a second stack structure including the interlayer insulating layers and sacrificial insulating layers alternately stacked in the first direction on a second region of the substrate and including a second lower stack structure and a second upper stack structure, a channel structure penetrating the first upper stack structure and the first lower stack structure, extending in the first direction, and including a channel layer, and an align key structure penetrating the second lower stack structure and extending in the first direction. The second upper stack structure may include a first align key region on the align key structure.

A variety of applications can include apparatus having a memory device with an array of vertical strings of memory cells for the memory device with data lines coupled to the vertical strings, where the data lines have been formed by a metal liner deposition process. In the metal liner deposition, a metal can be formed on a patterned dielectric region. The metal liner deposition process allows for construction of the height of the data lines to be well controlled with selection of a thickness for the dielectric region used in forming the metal liner. Use of a metal liner deposition provides a controlled mechanism to reduce data line capacitance by being able to select liner thickness in forming the data lines. The use of the dielectric region with the metal liner deposition can allow the fabrication of the data lines to avoid pitch double or pitch quad processes.

A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor structure that includes a substrate having a first region and a second region, gate electrodes stacked and spaced apart from each other in a first direction, extend at different lengths in a second direction on the second region, and include pad regions, interlayer insulating layers alternately stacked with the gate electrodes, channel structures penetrating the gate electrodes, extending in the first direction, and each including a channel layer, contact plugs penetrating the pad regions and extending in the first direction on the second region, and contact insulating layers between the gate electrodes and between ones of the contact plugs below the pad regions. The pad regions and the contact insulating layers protrude from the interlayer insulating layers toward the contact plugs in a horizontal direction.

Embodiments of three-dimensional (3D) memory devices having through array contacts (TACs) and methods for forming the same are disclosed. In an example, a 3D memory device includes a substrate, a memory stack on the substrate comprising a plurality of conductor/dielectric layer pairs, a channel structure extending vertically through the conductor/dielectric layer pairs in the memory stack, a TAC extending vertically through the conductor/dielectric layer pairs in the memory stack, and a dummy channel structure filled with a dielectric layer and extending vertically through the conductor/dielectric layer pairs in the memory stack.

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.

Embodiments of erasing methods for a three-dimensional (3D) memory device are disclosed. The 3D memory device includes multiple decks vertically stacked over a substrate, wherein each deck includes a plurality of memory cells. The erasing method includes checking states of the plurality of memory cells of an erase-inhibit deck and preparing the erase-inhibit deck according to the states of the plurality of memory cells. The erasing method also includes applying an erase voltage at an array common source, applying a hold-release voltage on unselected word lines of the erase-inhibit deck, and applying a low voltage on selected word lines of a target deck.

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.