An electrode having an embedded charge contains a substrate, a first electronic charge trap defined at the interface of a first insulating layer and a second insulating layer; and a first conductive layer disposed on the first electronic charge trap; wherein the first conductive layer contains a conductive material configured to permit an external electric field to penetrate the electrode from the first electronic charge trap; and wherein the first insulating layer is not the same as the second insulating layer.

A semiconductor device includes a plurality of nonvolatile memory cells (1). Each of the nonvolatile memory cells comprises a MOS type first transistor section (3) used for information storage, and a MOS type second transistor section (4) which selects the first transistor section. The second transistor section has a bit line electrode (16) connected to a bit line, and a control gate electrode (18) connected to a control gate control line. The first transistor section has a source line electrode (10) connected to a source line, a memory gate electrode (14) connected to a memory gate control line, and a charge storage region (11) disposed directly below the memory gate electrode. A gate withstand voltage of the second transistor section is lower than that of the first transistor section. Assuming that the thickness of a gate insulating film of the second transistor section is defined as tc and the thickness of a gate insulating film of the first transistor section is defined as tm, they have a relationship of tc<tm.

A semiconductor device includes a vertical stack of gate electrodes. The gate electrodes extend in different lengths to provide contact regions. The gate electrodes have a conductive region and an insulating region. Contact plugs fills contact holes that pass through the stack of gate electrodes in the contact regions. The contact plugs are connected to the gate electrodes. The contact plugs pass through a conductive region of one gate electrode and are electrically connected to the one gate electrode and pass through the insulating region of other gate electrodes in the contact region. The insulating region is disposed outside of the contact holes in a region in which the gate electrodes intersect the contact plugs.

According to one embodiment, a semiconductor memory device includes a semiconductor layer, a first electrode, first and second oxide layers, and a storage layer. The first oxide layer is provided between the semiconductor layer and the first electrode. The second oxide layer is provided between the first oxide layer and the first electrode. The storage layer is provided between the first and second oxide layers. The storage layer includes a first region including silicon nitride, a second region provided between the first region and the second oxide layer and including silicon nitride, and a third region provided between the first and second regions. The third region includes a plurality of first metal atoms. A first density of bond of the first metal atoms in the third region is lower than a second density of bond of the first metal atom and a nitrogen atom in the third region.

According to one embodiment, a non-volatile semiconductor memory device includes: a tunnel insulation film provided on a semiconductor substrate; a floating gate electrode provided on the tunnel insulation film; an inter-electrode insulation film provided on the floating gate electrode; and a control gate electrode provided on the inter-electrode insulation film. The inter-electrode insulation film includes: a lower insulation film provided on the floating gate electrode side; and an upper insulation film provided on the control gate electrode side. The lower insulation film includes: N (N is an integer of 2 or larger) electric charge accumulation layers; and boundary insulation films provided between the electric charge accumulation layers.

According to one embodiment, a semiconductor device includes a substrate and a semiconductor layer. The device further includes a first electrode layer that is provided on a side surface of the semiconductor layer with a first insulating film interposed therebetween. The device further includes a charge storage layer provided on a side surface of the first electrode layer with the second insulating film interposed therebetween.

Embodiments of a memory finger structure and architecture for a three-dimensional memory device and fabrication method thereof are disclosed. The method includes forming an alternating layer stack, forming a plurality of slit structures, forming a plurality of conductor/dielectric layer pairs, forming a first column of vertical memory strings, forming a second column of vertical memory strings, and forming a plurality of bitlines. The plurality of slit structures each extend vertically through the alternating layer stack and laterally along a wordline direction to divide the alternating layer stack into at least one memory finger. The vertical memory strings in the first column are displaced relative to each other along the wordline direction. The vertical memory strings in the second column are displaced relative to each other along the wordline direction. Each bitline is connected to an individual vertical memory string in the first and second columns.

A vertical NAND flash memory device and a method of manufacturing the same are provided. The vertical NAND flash memory device includes a charge trap layer arranged on an inner wall of a channel hole vertically formed on a substrate. The charge trap layer includes nanostructures distributed in a base. The nanostructures may include a material having a trap density of about 1×10.sup.19 cm.sup.−3 to about 10×10.sup.19 cm.sup.−3, and the base may include a material having a conduction band offset (CBO) of about 0.5 eV to about 3.5 eV with respect to the material included in the nanostructures.

A three-dimensional memory device includes an alternating stack of word lines and at least one insulating layers or air gaps located over a substrate, a memory opening fill structure extending through the alternating stack. The memory opening fill structure includes a memory film and a vertical semiconductor channel contacting an inner sidewall of the memory film. The word lines are thicker than the insulating layers or air gaps.

A three-dimensional semiconductor device is provided. The three-dimensional device may include substrate; a common electrode layer on the substrate; a word line stack disposed on the common electrode layer, the word line stack having interlayer insulating layers and word lines structures alternately stacked and; and a vertical channel pillar penetrating the word line stack, the vertical channel pillar being electrically connected to the common electrode layer. Each of the word line structures includes a body portion having a first vertical width and an extension portion having a second vertical width greater than the first vertical width. The extension portion abuts the vertical channel pillar.