Various embodiments include apparatuses and methods of forming the same. One such apparatus can include a first dielectric material and a second dielectric material, and a conductive material between the first dielectric material and the second dielectric material. A charge storage element, such as a floating gate or charge trap, is between the first dielectric material and the second dielectric material and adjacent to the conductive material. The charge storage element has a first surface and a second surface. The first and second surfaces are substantially separated from the first dielectric material and the second dielectric material, respectively, by a first air gap and a second air gap. Additional apparatuses and methods are disclosed.

A semiconductor structure including a nonvolatile memory cell element including an active region formed in a semiconductor material, a select gate structure, a dummy control gate structure and a transfer gate structure is provided. Additionally, an electrically insulating structure extending around each of the select gate structure, the dummy control gate structure and the transfer gate structure is provided. The dummy control gate structure is removed, wherein a first recess is formed in the semiconductor structure. After removing the dummy gate structure, a charge trapping layer and a layer of a control gate electrode material are deposited over the semiconductor structure. Portions of the charge trapping layer and the layer of the control gate electrode material over the electrically insulating structure are removed. Portions of the charge trapping layer and the layer of control gate electrode material in the recess provide a control gate structure of the nonvolatile memory cell.

The improvement of the reliability of a semiconductor device having a split gate type MONOS memory is implemented. An ONO film and a second polysilicon film are sequentially formed so as to fill between a first polysilicon film and a dummy gate electrode. Then, the dummy gate electrode is removed. Then, the top surfaces of the first and second polysilicon films are polished, thereby to form a memory gate electrode formed of the second polysilicon film at the sidewall of a control gate electrode formed of the first polysilicon film via the ONO film. As a result, the memory gate electrode high in perpendicularity of the sidewall, and uniform in film thickness is formed.

Provided is a floating gate based 3-terminal analog synapse device including a silicon channel layer; a gate oxide deposited on the silicon channel layer; a charge trap layer deposited on the gate oxide, wherein charges are injected into the charge trap layer; a barrier layer deposited on the charge trap layer, and having lower electron affinity than electron affinity of a material of the charge trap layer; and a gate metal layer deposited on an upper surface of the barrier layer, wherein a gate voltage is applied to the gate metal layer.

Disclosed herein is a semiconductor device comprising a first dielectric disposed over a channel region of a transistor formed in a substrate and a gate disposed over the first dielectric. The semiconductor device further includes a second dielectric disposed vertically, substantially perpendicular to the substrate, at an edge of the gate, and a spacer disposed proximate to the second dielectric. The spacer includes a cross-section with a perimeter that includes a top curved portion and a vertical portion substantially perpendicular to the substrate. The perimeter further includes a discontinuity at an interface of the top curved portion with the vertical portion. Further, disclosed herein are methods associated with the fabrication of the aforementioned semiconductor device.

A memory device (1) comprising a semiconductor pillar (40) and at least one memory cell (50) associated with the pillar (40), wherein each of the at least one memory cells (50) comprises a charge trap (60) and a transistor (2), wherein. for each of the at least one memory cells (50): the charge trap (60) of the memory cell (50) is configured to control a threshold voltage of the transistor (2) of the memory cell (50) by a stored charge; and the transistor (2) of the memory cell (50) comprises a source pillar segment (10), a drain pillar segment (14) and a body pillar segment (12), wherein at least one p-doped pillar segment (10, 12, 14) of the transistor (2) comprises a plurality of semiconductor layers (20), wherein layers of the plurality of semiconductor layers (20) are made of AIGaN or GaN, and wherein the plurality of semiconductor layers (20) is configured such that every second layer has a lower aluminum content than the neighboring mutually opposite layers thereof.

A memory device includes a stack structure and a channel structure. The stack structure includes interleaved conductive layers and dielectric layers in a first direction. The channel structure extends through the stack structure along the first direction. The channel structure includes a blocking layer, a storage layer, a tunneling layer, and a semiconductor channel stacked along a second direction intersecting the first direction. The dielectric layers extend through the blocking layer, the storage layer, and the tunneling layer along the second direction and are in contact with the semiconductor channel.

An SONOS memory cell includes a silicon substrate. A tunnel silicon oxide layer, a silicon nitride layer and a silicon oxide layer are disposed from bottom to top on the silicon substrate. The silicon oxide layer includes two first silicon oxide layers and a second silicon oxide layer. A thickness of the silicon oxide layer is smaller than a thickness of each of the first silicon oxide layers. A control gate covers and contacts the silicon oxide layer. A first source/drain doping region and a second source/drain doping region are respectively disposed at two sides of the control gate. The silicon oxide layer has a cross section. The second silicon oxide layer is sandwiched between the two first silicon oxide layers on the cross section.

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.

An approach to use silicided bit line contacts that do not short to the underlying substrate in memory devices. The approach provides for silicide formation in the bit line contact area, using a process that benefits from being self-aligned to the oxide-nitride-oxide (ONO) nitride edges. A further benefit of the approach is that the bit line contact implant and rapid temperature anneal process can be eliminated. This approach is applicable to embedded flash, integrating high density devices and advanced logic processes.