A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate, multiple memory cells on the semiconductor substrate arranged along a first dimension and along a second dimension that is orthogonal to the first dimension, in which each memory cell of the multiple memory cells includes a channel region in the semiconductor substrate, a tunnel dielectric layer on the channel region, and a first electrode layer on the tunnel dielectric layer. Along the first dimension, the channel region of each memory cell of the multiple memory cells is separated from the channel region of an adjacent memory cell of the multiple memory cells by a corresponding first air gap, each first air gap extending from below an upper surface of the semiconductor substrate up to an inter-electrode dielectric layer.

A memory structure and a manufacturing method thereof are provided. The memory structure includes a bottom oxide layer, a first conductive layer on the bottom oxide layer, a first insulation recess, a plurality of insulating layers on the first conductive layer, a plurality of second conductive layers, a second insulation recess, a channel layer on a sidewall of the second insulation recess, and a memory layer located between the channel layer and the second conductive layers. The first insulation recess has a first width and penetrates through the first conductive layer. The second conductive layers and the insulating layers are interlacedly stacked, and the second conductive layers are electrically isolated from the first conductive layer. The second insulation recess located on the first insulation recess has a second width larger than the first width and penetrates through the insulating layers and the second conductive layers.

The thinning of a semiconductor substrate of an integrated circuit from a back face is detected using the measurement of a physical quantity representative of the resistance between the ends of two electrically-conducting contacts situated at an interface between an insulating region and an underlying substrate region. The two electrically-conducting contacts extend through the insulating region to reach the underlying substrate region.

A method can be used for writing in a memory location of the electrically-erasable and programmable memory type. The memory location includes a first memory cell with a first transistor having a first gate dielectric underlying a first floating gate and a second memory cell with a second transistor having a second gate dielectric underlying a second floating gate that is connected to the first floating gate. In a first writing phase, an identical tunnel effect is implemented through the first gate dielectric and the second gate dielectric. In a second writing phase, a voltage across the first gate dielectric but not the second gate dielectric is increased.

Discrete silicon nitride portions can be formed at each level of electrically conductive layers in an alternating stack of insulating layers and the electrically conductive layers. The discrete silicon nitride portions can be employed as charge trapping material portions, each of which is laterally contacted by a tunneling dielectric portion on the front side, and by a blocking dielectric portion on the back side. The tunneling dielectric portions may be formed as discrete material portions or portions within a tunneling dielectric layer. The blocking dielectric portions may be formed as discrete material portions or portions within a blocking dielectric layer. The discrete silicon nitride portions can be formed by depositing a charge trapping material layer and selectively removing portions of the charge trapping material layer at levels of the insulating layers. Various schemes may be employed to singulate the charge trapping material layer.

Disclosed is a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, including: forming a stacked structure including first material layers and second material layers alternately stacked on each other; forming a pillar passing through the stacked structure, the pillar including a protruding portion protruding above an uppermost surface of the stacked structure; forming a conductive layer surrounding the protruding portion of the pillar; and forming a conductive pattern in contact with the protruding portion of the pillar by oxidizing a surface of the conductive layer.

A semiconductor device includes sub-block stack structures respectively including source layers, where the sub-block stack structures are disposed to be spaced apart from each other along a first direction, a memory block stack structure including word lines stacked over the sub-block stack structures, the word lines being coupled to memory cells, the memory block stack structure extending along the first direction to overlap the sub-block stack structures, and channel layers respectively coupled to the source layers by penetrating the memory block stack structure.

A semiconductor memory device includes a plurality of first electrode layers stacked; a second electrode layer provided on the first electrode layers; a third electrode layer arranged with the second electrode layers on the first electrode layers; a first insulating layer including a first layer provided between the second electrode layer and the third electrode layer, a second layer provided between the second electrode layer and the first layer, and a third layer provided between the third electrode layer and the first layer; a plurality of semiconductor layers extending through the first electrode layers in a stacked direction thereof, and disposed in an arrayed arrangement; and a charge storage portion positioned between one of the first electrode layers and one of the semiconductor layers.

Disclosed is a semiconductor device, including: a first pipe gate; a second pipe gate on the first pipe gate; a stacked structure on the second pipe gate; a first channel layer including a first pipe channel layer positioned within the first pipe gate and first cell channel layers connected to the first pipe channel layer; a second channel layer including a second pipe channel layer positioned within the second pipe gate, and second cell channel layers connected to the second pipe channel layer; and a slit insulating layer passing through the stacked structure and positioned between the adjacent second cell channel layers, wherein the second pipe channel layer has a body portion and a protrusion portion extending below the body portion at a position below the slit insulating layer.

A method of verifying a layout of a vertical memory device includes classifying a plurality of channel holes included in the layout of the vertical memory device into a plurality of types based on at least one of a distance between each channel hole and an isolation region adjacent thereto, shapes of the plurality of channel holes in the layout, and coordinates of the plurality of channel holes in the layout. Types of channel holes connected to each of a plurality of bit lines included in the layout are identified, and a determination is made whether loads of the plurality of bit lines are equalized, based on the identified types of the channel holes for each bit line.