According to embodiments, a semiconductor memory device includes a plurality of control gate electrodes laminated on a substrate. A first semiconductor layer has one end connected to the substrate, has a longitudinal direction in a direction intersecting with the substrate, and is opposed to the plurality of control gate electrodes. An electric charge accumulating layer is positioned between this control gate electrode and the first semiconductor layer. A first contact has one end connected to the substrate and another end connected to a source line. A second contact has one end connected to the substrate and another end connected to a wiring other than the source line. The first contact includes a first silicide layer arranged on the substrate. The second contact includes a second silicide layer arranged on the substrate. The first silicide layer has a higher temperature resistance than the second silicide layer.

When a MISFET is formed by using a gate last process and replacing dummy gate electrodes with metal gate electrodes, both of respective cap insulating films and an interlayer insulating film over a control gate electrode and the dummy gate electrodes are polished to prevent excessive polishing of the upper surface of the interlayer insulating film and the occurrence of dishing. In the gate last process, the interlayer insulating film is formed to cover the control gate electrode and the dummy gate electrodes as well as the cap insulating films located thereover. After the upper surface of the interlayer insulating is polished to expose the cap insulating films from the interlayer insulating films, etching is performed to selectively remove the cap insulating films. Subsequently, the upper surfaces of the interlayer insulating films are polished.

A semiconductor memory device according to an embodiment comprises: a semiconductor substrate; a stacked body having a plurality of first insulating layers and conductive layers stacked alternately on the semiconductor substrate; a columnar semiconductor layer contacting the semiconductor substrate in the stacked body being provided extending in a stacking direction of the stacked body and including a first portion and a second portion which is provided above the first portion; a memory layer provided on a side surface of the columnar semiconductor layer facing the stacked conductive layers and extending along the columnar semiconductor layer; and a second insulating layer provided between one of the first insulating layer and the conductive layers of the stacked body. The columnar semiconductor layer has a boundary of the first portion and the second portion, the boundary being close to the second insulating layer; and an average value of an outer diameter of the memory layer facing a side surface of the second insulating layer is larger than that of of the memory layer facing a side surface of a lowermost layer of the first insulating layers in the second portion.

To reduce a manufacturing cost of a semiconductor device in which a high breakdown voltage transistor and a trench capacitive element in which a part of an upper electrode is embedded in a trench formed in a main surface of a semiconductor substrate are mixed together.

After an insulating film is formed over a main surface of a semiconductor substrate so as to cover a trench formed in the main surface of the semiconductor substrate, the insulating film is processed to form an upper electrode of a capacitive element, a gate insulating film which insulates the semiconductor substrate to be a lower electrode, and a gate insulting film of a high breakdown voltage transistor.

A method of forming a semiconductor device using a substrate includes forming a first select gate over the substrate, a charge storage layer over the first select gate, over the second select gate, and over the substrate in a region between the first select gate and the second select gate, wherein the charge storage layer is conformal, and a control gate layer over the charge storage layer, wherein the control gate layer is conformal. The method further includes performing a first implant that penetrates through the control gate layer in a middle portion of the region between the first select gate and the second select gate to the substrate to form a doped region in the substrate in a first portion of the region between the first select gate and the second select gate that does not reach the first select gate and does not reach the second select gate.

A memory device is described. Generally, the device includes a string of memory transistors, a source select transistor coupled to a first end of the string of memory transistor and a drain select transistor coupled to a second end of the string of memory transistor. Each memory transistor includes a gate electrode formed adjacent to a charge trapping layer and there is neither a source nor a drain junction between adjacent pairs of memory transistors or between the memory transistors and source select transistor or drain select transistor. In one embodiment, the memory transistors are spaced apart from adjacent memory transistors and the source select transistor and drain select transistor, such that channels are formed therebetween based on a gate fringing effect associated with the memory transistors. Other embodiments are also described.

A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device having a memory cell for a split-gate MONOS memory with a halo region, which prevents miswriting in the memory cell and worsening of short channel characteristics. In the method, a first diffusion layer of a drain region and a second diffusion layer of a source region in the memory cell for the MONOS memory are formed in different ion implantation steps. The steps are carried out so that the first diffusion layer has a smaller formation depth than the second diffusion layer. After the formation of the layers, the impurities inside the first and second diffusion layers are diffused by heat treatment to form a first diffusion region and a second diffusion region.

An integrated circuit comprises a memory array including diffusion bit lines having composite impurity profiles in a substrate. A plurality of word lines overlies channel regions in the substrate between the diffusion bit lines, with data storage structures such as floating gate structures or dielectric charge trapping structures, at the cross-points. The composite impurity diffusion bit lines provide source/drain terminals on opposing sides of the channel regions that have high conductivity, good depth and steep doping profiles, even with channel region critical dimensions below 50 nanometers.

A semiconductor device includes gate electrodes and interlayer insulating layers alternately stacked on a substrate, a channel layer penetrating through the gate electrodes and the interlayer insulating layers, and a gate dielectric layer disposed on an external surface of the channel layer between the gate electrodes and the channel layer. In addition, the channel layer includes a first region extended in a direction perpendicular to a top surface of the substrate and a second region connected to the first region in a lower portion of the first region and including a plane inclined with respect to the top surface of the substrate.

The present invention provides a non-volatile memory structure, which includes a substrate, a gate dielectric layer disposed on the substrate, two charge trapping layers, disposed on two sides of the gate dielectric layer respectively and disposed on the substrate, a gate conductive layer disposed on the gate dielectric layer and on the charge trapping layers, wherein a sidewall of the gate conductive layer is aligned with a sidewall of one of the two charge trapping layers, and at least one vertical oxide layer, disposed beside the sidewall of the gate conductive layer.