A semiconductor memory device includes a first semiconductor layer; a stacked body including a plurality of electrode layers stacked in a first direction; a metal layer provided in the first direction between the first semiconductor layer and the stacked body; a second semiconductor layer extending in the first direction through the stacked body and the metal layer, and being electrically connected to the first semiconductor layer.

Memory cells having isolated charge sites and methods of fabricating memory cells having isolated charge sites are described. In an example, a nonvolatile charge trap memory device includes a substrate having a channel region, a source region and a drain region. A gate stack is disposed above the substrate, over the channel region. The gate stack includes a tunnel dielectric layer disposed above the channel region, a first charge-trapping region and a second charge-trapping region. The regions are disposed above the tunnel dielectric layer and separated by a distance. The gate stack also includes an isolating dielectric layer disposed above the tunnel dielectric layer and between the first charge-trapping region and the second charge-trapping region. A gate dielectric layer is disposed above the first charge-trapping region, the second charge-trapping region and the isolating dielectric layer. A gate electrode is disposed above the gate dielectric layer.

A semiconductor device and method of manufacturing the same are provided. In one embodiment, method includes forming a first oxide layer over a substrate, forming a silicon-rich, oxygen-rich, oxynitride layer on the first oxide layer, forming a silicon-rich, nitrogen-rich, and oxygen-lean nitride layer over the oxynitride layer, and forming a second oxide layer on the nitride layer. Generally, the nitride layer includes a majority of charge traps distributed in the oxynitride layer and the nitride layer. Optionally, the method further includes forming a middle oxide layer between the oxynitride layer and the nitride layer. Other embodiments are also described.

A semiconductor device includes a polysilicon substrate, a first oxide layer formed on the polysilicon substrate, an oxygen-rich nitride layer formed on the first oxide layer, a second oxide layer formed on the oxygen-rich nitride layer, and an oxygen-poor nitride layer formed on the second oxide layer.

A method of controlling the thickness of gate oxides in an integrated CMOS process which includes performing a two-step gate oxidation process to concurrently oxidize and therefore consume at least a first portion of the cap layer of the NV gate stack to form a blocking oxide and form a gate oxide of at least one metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) transistor in the second region, wherein the gate oxide of the at least one MOS transistor is formed during both a first oxidation step and a second oxidation step of the gate oxidation process.

The present disclosure provides a method for manufacturing a semiconductor structure. The method includes: providing a substrate includes a first region and a second region; forming a first polycrystalline silicon layer on the substrate, wherein the first polycrystalline silicon layer covers the first region and the second region; forming a stacked structure on the first polycrystalline silicon layer; forming a protective layer on the stacked structure; forming a patterned photoresist layer on the protective layer, wherein the patterned photoresist layer exposes the protective layer in the second region; removing the protective layer and the stacked structure in the second region to expose the first polycrystalline silicon layer in the second region; removing the patterned photoresist layer; and forming a second polycrystalline silicon layer on the protective layer in the first region and the first polycrystalline silicon layer in the second region.

A three-dimensional semiconductor memory device including a stack structure including gate structures and first dielectric patterns alternately stacked, a vertical channel penetrating the stack structure, and a charge storage layer extending from between the vertical channel and the first gate structures to between the vertical channel and the first dielectric patterns. The gate structures include first gate structures having a top surface and a bottom surface facing each other and having different width. The charge storage layer includes first segments between the vertical channel and the first gate structures, and second segments between the vertical channel and the first dielectric patterns. A thickness of the first segments is greater than a thickness of the second segments. One of the width of the top surface and the width of bottom surface of each first gate structure is the same as that of a first dielectric pattern on the first gate structure.

A non-volatile memory device includes gate electrodes stacked on a substrate, a semiconductor pattern penetrating the gate electrodes and connected to the substrate, and a charge storage layer between the semiconductor pattern and the gate electrodes. The charge storage layer includes a first charge storage layer between the semiconductor pattern and the gate electrodes, a second charge storage layer between the first charge storage layer and the semiconductor pattern, and a third charge storage layer between the first charge storage layer and the gate electrodes. An energy band gap of the first charge storage layer is smaller than those of the second and third charge storage layers. The first charge storage layer is thicker than the second and third charge storage layers.

A semiconductor manufacturing method includes forming a first film on an upper surface of a substrate. The semiconductor manufacturing method includes forming concave portions extending from an upper surface of the first film to below the upper surface of the substrate. The method includes forming a second film from bottom surfaces of the concave portions to a first position in the concave portions between the upper surface of the first film and the upper surface of the substrate. The method includes forming a third film in the concave portions to cover side walls of the concave portions and an upper surface of the second film. The method includes grinding the third film to expose the second film. The method includes removing the second film. The method includes forming a fourth film from the bottom surfaces of the concave portions to at least a lower surface of the third film.

According to an embodiment, a semiconductor memory device comprises: a stacked body including control gate electrodes stacked upwardly of a substrate; a semiconductor layer facing the control gate electrodes; and a gate insulating layer provided between the control gate electrode and the semiconductor layer. The stacked body comprises: a first metal layer configuring the control gate electrode; a first barrier metal layer contacting an upper surface of this first metal layer; a first silicon nitride layer contacting an upper surface of this first barrier metal layer; a first inter-layer insulating layer contacting an upper surface of this first silicon nitride layer; a second barrier metal layer contacting a lower surface of the first metal layer; a second silicon nitride layer contacting a lower surface of this second barrier metal layer; and a second inter-layer insulating layer contacting a lower surface of this second silicon nitride layer.