A vertical memory device including dual memory cells per level in each memory opening can have dielectric separator dielectric structures that protrude into a facing pair of sidewalls of the memory stack structure within the memory opening. A pair of inactive sections of a vertical semiconductor channel facing the dielectric separator dielectric structures is laterally recessed from control gate electrodes. Control of the threshold voltage of such a vertical memory device can be enhanced because of the dielectric separator dielectric structures. The fringe field from the control gate electrodes is weaker due to an increased distance between the control gate electrodes and the inactive sections of the vertical semiconductor channel. The memory stack structure can have concave sidewalls that contact the dielectric separator dielectric structures and convex sidewalls that protrude toward the control gate electrodes.

A method for producing a semiconductor device includes depositing an oxide film containing an impurity having a first conductivity type on a substrate. A nitride film and an oxide film containing an impurity having a second conductivity type different from the first conductivity type are deposited. The oxide film having the first conductivity type, the nitride film, and the oxide film having the second conductivity type are etched to form a contact hole. Epitaxial growth is performed in the contact hole to form a pillar-shaped silicon layer. The nitride film is removed and a metal is deposited to form an output terminal.

A semiconductor device includes a third first-conductivity-type semiconductor layer on a semiconductor substrate, and a first pillar-shaped semiconductor layer on the semiconductor substrate. The first pillar-shaped semiconductor layer including a first first-conductivity-type semiconductor layer, a first body region, a second first-conductivity-type semiconductor layer, a first second-conductivity-type semiconductor layer, a second body region, a second second-conductivity-type semiconductor layer, and a third second-conductivity-type semiconductor layer. A first gate insulating film is around the first body region, and a first gate is around the first gate insulating film. A second gate insulating film is around the second body region and a second gate is around the second gate insulating film. An output terminal is connected to the second first-conductivity-type semiconductor layer and the first second-conductivity-type semiconductor layer, and a first contact connects the first gate and the second gate.

A method of making a monolithic three dimensional NAND string is provided. A stack of alternating layers of a first material and a second material different from the first material is formed over a substrate. The stack is etched to form at least one opening in the stack. A charge storage material layer is formed on a sidewall of the at least one opening. A tunnel dielectric layer is formed on the charge storage material layer in the at least one opening. A semiconductor channel material is formed on the tunnel dielectric layer in the at least one opening. The first material layers are selectively removed to expose side wall of the charge storage material layer. A blocking dielectric is formed on the exposed side wall of the charge storage material layer. Control gates are formed on the blocking dielectric.

Provided is a split-gate embedded flash memory cell and method for forming the same. The flash memory cell includes split-gate transistors in which the control gate is aligned with respect to the floating gate without the use of a photolithographic patterning operation to pattern the material from which the control gates are formed. An anisotropic blanket etching operation is used to form the floating gates of the split-gate floating gate transistors alongside sidewalls of a sacrificial layer. Local oxidation of silicon (LOCOS) methods are not needed to form the inter-gate dielectric and therefore high integrity is maintained for the floating transistor gates. The floating transistor gates are formed of charge storage material such as silicon nitride, Si.sub.3N.sub.4 in some embodiments.

According to one embodiment, a nonvolatile semiconductor memory device includes first and second connectors, first and second conductive layers, a first insulating region, and a memory portion. The first connector extends in a first direction. The first conductive layer is electrically connected to the first connector, and includes a first planar region, a first overlap region, a first side surface region, and a first crossing side surface region. The second connector extends in the first direction. The second conductive layer is electrically connected to the second connector, and includes a second planar region, a second overlap region, a second side surface region, and a second crossing side surface region. The first insulating region is provided between the first and second conductive layers. The memory portion is connected to the first and second planar regions.

A manufacturing method of a semiconductor device includes generating hydrogen radicals by plasma excitation of hydrogen gas and exposing a surface of a substrate on which silicon and metal are exposed to a reducing atmosphere created with the hydrogen radicals, and generating hydrogen radicals and hydroxyl radicals by plasma excitation of a mixed gas of hydrogen gas and oxygen-containing gas and oxidizing the silicon exposed on the surface of the substrate by exposing the surface of the substrate to the hydrogen radicals and hydroxyl radicals to obtain the substrate on which the metal and oxidized silicon are formed.

An SGT is produced by forming a first insulating film around a fin-shaped semiconductor layer, forming a pillar-shaped semiconductor layer in an upper portion of the fin-shaped layer, forming a second insulating film, a polysilicon gate electrode covering the second insulating film, and a polysilicon gate line, forming a diffusion layer in an upper portion of the fin-shaped layer and a lower portion of the pillar-shaped layer, forming a metal-semiconductor compound in an upper portion of the diffusion layer in the fin-shaped layer, depositing an interlayer insulating film, exposing and etching the polysilicon gate electrode and gate line, depositing a first metal, forming a metal gate electrode and a metal gate line, and forming a third metal sidewall on an upper side wall of the pillar-shaped layer. The third metal sidewall is connected to an upper surface of the pillar-shaped layer.

A 3D memory has multiple memory layers stacked on top of a substrate. Word lines in different memory layers are connected respectively to different columns of contact pads in the substrate directly under the multiple memory layers. The connection is accomplished by creating vertical shifts above each contact pad and creating a vertical word line VIA connecting to the contact pad. For a given memory layer and its column of vertical word line VIAs, an auxiliary vertical shaft down to the memory layer is formed between each vertical word line VIA and an adjacent word line. The auxiliary vertical shaft is contiguous with the vertical shift allowing access to the vertical word line VIA. The auxiliary vertical shaft also enables excavating a lateral space between the word line and the vertical word line VIA. Filling the space with a conductive material completes a conductive path from the word line to the contact pad.

An insulating film made of the same material as that of a gate insulating film is formed so as to cover one sidewall of a control gate on a conducting film for floating gate. By selectively removing the conducting film for floating gate with the insulating film as a mask, a floating gate is formed from the conducting film for floating gate, and a portion of the gate insulating film is exposed at the floating gate. A nitrogen introduced portion is formed by introducing nitrogen into the exposed portion of the gate insulating film. Then, the insulating film is removed to expose an upper surface of a lateral protrusion of the floating gate. An erase gate is formed so as to face the upper surface and a side surface of the lateral protrusion.