A semiconductor device includes a peripheral circuit region including a first substrate and circuit elements on the first substrate; and a memory cell region including a second substrate on an upper portion of the first substrate, gate electrodes spaced apart from each other and vertically stacked on the second substrate, channel structures extending vertically through the gate electrodes to the second substrate, first separation regions penetrating through the gate electrodes between the channel structures and extending in one direction, and a second separation region extending vertically to penetrate through the second substrate from above and having a bent portion due to a change in width.

Semiconductor devices laterally surrounded by at least one dielectric material portion are formed over a substrate. At least one edge seal ring structure is formed around the semiconductor devices and the at least one dielectric material portion. One or more of the at least one edge seal ring structure has a horizontal cross-sectional profile that includes laterally-extending regions that extend laterally with a uniform width between an inner sidewall and an outer sidewall, and notch regions connecting neighboring pairs of the laterally-extending regions and having a greater width than the uniform width. Cavities in the laterally-extending regions are connected to cavities in the notch regions to allow outgassing from the material of the at least one edge seal ring structure.

Methods and apparatus for fabricating memory devices are provided. In one aspect, an intermediate stack of dielectric layers are formed on a first stack of dielectric layers in a first tier. The intermediate stack of dielectric layers is then partially or fully etched and have a landing pad layer deposited thereon. In response to planarizing the landing pad layer to expose a top surface of the intermediate stack of dielectric layers, a second stack of dielectric layers are deposited above the planarized landing pad layer. A staircase is formed by etching through the second stack, the intermediate stack, and the first stack of dielectric layers in the staircase region of the memory device. The staircase is located adjacent to one end of the center landing pad, where steps of the staircase are formed within the thickness of the center landing pad.

A three-dimensional memory device can include at least one alternating stack of insulating layers and electrically conductive layers located over a semiconductor material layer, memory stack structures vertically extending through the at least one alternating stack, and a vertical stack of dielectric plates interlaced with laterally extending portions of the insulating layers of the at least one alternating stack. A conductive via structure can vertically extend through each dielectric plate and the insulating layers, and can contact an underlying metal interconnect structure. Additionally or alternatively, support pillar structures can vertically extend through the vertical stack of dielectric plates and into an opening through the semiconductor material layer, and can contact lower-level dielectric material layers embedding the underlying metal interconnect structure to enhance structural support to the three-dimensional memory device during manufacture.

A three-dimensional semiconductor memory device includes a first substrate, a peripheral circuit structure on the first substrate, a cell array structure on the peripheral circuit structure, the cell array structure including a stack structure having alternating interlayer dielectric layers and gate electrodes, a first insulating layer covering the stack structure, and a second substrate on the stack structure and the first insulating layer, the stack structure being between a bottom surface of the second substrate and the peripheral circuit structure, a second insulating layer on the cell array structure, a first penetration contact penetrating the first insulating layer, the second substrate, and the second insulating layer, and a second penetration contact penetrating the first insulating layer and the second insulating layer, the second penetration contact being spaced apart from the second substrate, and the first and second penetration contacts having widths decreasing with increasing distance from the first substrate.

A semiconductor device includes a substrate including a cell array region and a contact region; a plurality of gate electrodes arranged on the substrate in a first direction perpendicular to an upper surface of the substrate, the plurality of gate electrodes being extending in the cell array region and the contact region; a plurality of channel structures penetrating the plurality of gate electrodes in the first direction in the cell array region; a plurality of dummy channel structures penetrating the plurality of gate electrodes in the first direction in the contact region; a plurality of cell gate contacts extending in the first direction and each electrically connected to a respective one of the plurality of gate electrodes in the contact region; and a plurality of dummy contacts extending in the first direction on the plurality of dummy channel structures.

Systems, apparatuses, and methods may provide for technology that gap-fills stairwells for memory devices. The memory device is manufactured by forming a liner film on a trench of a stairwell layer of the memory device; depositing a doped silicon dioxide film on the liner film, wherein doping of the doped silicon dioxide film is performed during the deposition; and performing a pressurized and steamed anneal on the doped silicon dioxide film deposited on the liner film to form a reflowed doped silicon dioxide film.

Systems, apparatuses, and methods may provide for technology for forming a gate polysilicon for 3D-NAND complementary metal-oxide semiconductor under array (CuA) on a substrate with a barrier and spacer structure. For example, the technology includes forming a titanium nitride (TiN) barrier adjacent the gate polysilicon and forming a silicon nitride (SiN) spacer around the polysilicon gate and the titanium nitride barrier.

A semiconductor device including a peripheral circuit structure on a substrate, a horizontal layer on the peripheral circuit structure, an electrode structure including electrodes on the horizontal layer, the electrodes including pads arranged in a stepwise shape, a planarization insulating layer covering the pads, a contact plug penetrating the planarization insulating layer and coupled to one of the pads, a penetration via penetrating the planarization insulating layer and coupled to the peripheral circuit structure, and a vertical conductive structure between the electrode structure and the penetration via may be provided. The vertical conductive structure may have a bottom surface located at a level that is higher than a top surface of the horizontal layer and is lower than a bottom end of the contact plug.

A three-dimensional memory device includes an alternating stack of insulating layers and electrically conductive layers located over a substrate, memory openings vertically extending through a first region of the alternating stack, memory opening fill structures located in the memory openings, and support pillar structures vertically extending through a second region of the alternating stack. Each of the support pillar structures includes a central columnar structure and a set of fins laterally protruding from the central columnar structure at levels of a subset of the electrically conductive layers.