Monolithic, three dimensional NAND strings include a semiconductor channel, at least one end portion of the semiconductor channel extending substantially perpendicular to a major surface of a substrate, a plurality of control gate electrodes having a strip shape extending substantially parallel to the major surface of the substrate, the blocking dielectric comprising a plurality of blocking dielectric segments, a plurality of discrete charge storage segments, and a tunnel dielectric located between each one of the plurality of the discrete charge storage segments and the semiconductor channel.

A memory device or electronic system may include a memory cell body extending from a substrate, a self-aligned floating gate separated from the memory cell body by a tunneling dielectric film, and a control gate separated from the self-aligned floating gate by a blocking dielectric film. The floating gate is flanked by the memory cell body and the control gate to form a memory cell, and the self-aligned floating gate is at least as thick as the control gate. Methods for building such a memory device are also disclosed.

A memory device including a silicon semiconductor substrate, spaced apart source and drain regions formed in the substrate with a channel region there between, and a conductive floating gate disposed over a first portion of the channel region and a first portion of the source region. An erase gate includes a first portion that is laterally adjacent to the floating gate and over the source region, and a second portion that extends up and over the floating gate. A conductive word line gate is disposed over a second portion of the channel region. The word line gate is disposed laterally adjacent to the floating gate and includes no portion disposed over the floating gate. The thickness of insulation separating the word line gate from the second portion of the channel region is less than that of insulation separating the floating gate from the erase gate.

Various embodiments provide a memory cell that includes a vertical selection gate, a floating gate extending above the substrate, wherein the floating gate also extends above a portion of the vertical selection gate, over a non-zero overlap distance, the memory cell comprising a doped region implanted at the intersection of a vertical channel region extending opposite the selection gate and a horizontal channel region extending opposite the floating gate.

Methods for preventing line collapse during the fabrication of NAND flash memory and other microelectronic devices that utilize closely spaced device structures with high aspect ratios are described. In some embodiments, one or more mechanical support structures may be used to provide lateral support between closely spaced device structures to prevent collapsing of the closely spaced device structures during an etching process (e.g., during a word line etch). In one example, during fabrication of a NAND flash memory, one or more mechanical support structures may be in place prior to performing a high aspect ratio word line etch or may be formed during the word line etch. In some cases, the one or more mechanical support structures may comprise portions of an inter-poly dielectric (IPD) layer that were in place prior to performing the word line etch.

A semiconductor switching device includes a first load terminal electrically connected to source zones of transistor cells. The source zones form first pn junctions with body zones. A second load terminal is electrically connected to a drain construction that forms second pn junctions with the body zones. Control structures, which include a control electrode and charge storage structures, directly adjoin the body zones. The control electrode controls a load current through the body zones. The charge storage structures insulate the control electrode from the body zones and contain a control charge adapted to induce inversion channels in the body zones in the absence of a potential difference between the control electrode and the first load electrode.

An integrated circuit (IC) including Flash memory cells with self-aligned floating gates and a method of fabrication thereof is disclosed. A floating gate (FG) layer of polysilicon is deposited and patterned to form FG structures as part of a masking block used in forming isolation trenches. A dielectric fill material fills the isolation trenches. Subsequently, the dielectric fill material is removed using a CMP process that is configured to stop on the polysilicon of the FG structures.

A semiconductor structure includes a first well region disposed within a substrate and comprising a first doping type. A conductive structure overlies the first well region. A pair of first doped regions is disposed within the first well region on opposing sides of the conductive structure. The pair of first doped regions comprise a second doping type opposite the first doping type. A pair of second doped regions is disposed within the first well region on the opposing sides of the conductive structure. The pair of second doped regions comprise the second doping type and are laterally offset from the pair of first doped regions by a non-zero distance.

A semiconductor memory device is provided. The semiconductor memory device includes a semiconductor substrate and transistor structures. The transistor structures are disposed on the semiconductor substrate. Each of the transistor structures includes a semiconductor layer, a floating gate, a control gate, a tunneling oxide layer, and an inter-gate dielectric layer. The semiconductor substrate and the semiconductor layer have the same conductivity type and different doping concentrations. The floating gate covers a sidewall of the semiconductor layer and has a curved sidewall opposite the sidewall of the semiconductor layer. The tunneling oxide layer is between the floating gate and the semiconductor substrate and between the first floating gate and the semiconductor layer. A control gate is disposed on the floating gate and an inter-gate dielectric layer is between the control gate and the floating gate and conformally covers the curved sidewall of the first floating gate.

The present disclosure generally relates to an integrated circuit (IC) including a flash memory bit structure. In an example, an IC includes a flash memory bit structure and a transistor structure. The flash memory bit structure is on a semiconductor substrate. The flash memory bit structure includes a word line structure and a first oxide layer disposed between the semiconductor substrate and the word line structure. The first oxide layer is free of nitridation. The transistor structure is on the semiconductor substrate. The transistor structure includes a gate structure and a gate oxide layer including nitridation. The gate oxide layer is over the semiconductor substrate. The gate structure is over the gate oxide layer.