A method of forming a three-dimensional memory device, includes forming a lower stack structure of insulating and first sacrificial material layers over a substrate, forming first memory openings through the lower stack structure and filling the first memory openings with a sacrificial fill material, replacing the first sacrificial material layers with first electrically conductive layers, forming an upper stack structure of insulating and second sacrificial material layers over the lower stack structure after replacing the first sacrificial material layers, forming second memory openings through the upper stack structure in areas overlying the first memory openings, replacing the second sacrificial material layers with second electrically conductive layers, removing the sacrificial fill material from the first memory openings underneath the second memory openings to form inter-stack memory openings after replacing the second sacrificial material layers, and forming memory stack structures within the inter-stack memory openings.

A semiconductor memory cell includes a floating body region configured to be charged to a level indicative of a state of the memory cell. The floating body region is surrounded on all sides by gate region and may include a nanosheet FET, a multi-bridge-channel (MBC) FET, a nanoribbon FET or a nanowire FET. The floating body region is configured to have at least first and second stable states.

A vertical type semiconductor device includes a substrate that has a plurality of trenches, a support pattern that fills the plurality of trenches and protrudes from a top surface of the substrate, a semiconductor layer disposed on the substrate that fills a space between the support patterns, a stacked structure disposed on the support pattern and the semiconductor layer that includes a plurality of insulation layers and a plurality of first conducive patterns that are alternately and repeatedly stacked, and a plurality of channel structures that penetrate through the structure and the semiconductor layer and that extend into the support pattern. Each channel structure includes a channel layer. At least a portion of the channel layer makes contact with the semiconductor layer.

According to one embodiment, a nonvolatile semiconductor memory device includes a plurality of U-shaped memory strings, each of the plurality of U-shaped memory strings including a first columnar body, a second columnar body, and a conductive connection body. The conductive connection body connects the first columnar body and the second columnar body. A plurality of first memory cells are connected in series in the first columnar body and are composed of a plurality of first conductive layers, a first inter-gate insulating film, a plurality of first floating electrodes, a first tunnel insulating film, and a first memory channel layer. The plurality of first floating electrodes are separated from the plurality of first conductive layers by the first inter-gate insulating film. A plurality of second memory cells are connected in series in the second columnar body, similarly to the plurality of first memory cells.

An object is to provide a semiconductor device with large memory capacity. The semiconductor device includes first to seventh insulators, a first conductor, and a first semiconductor. The first conductor is positioned on a first top surface of the first insulator and a first bottom surface of the second insulator. The third insulator is positioned in a region including a side surface and a second top surface of the first insulator, a side surface of the first conductor, and a second bottom surface and a side surface of the second insulator. The fourth insulator, the fifth insulator, and the first semiconductor are sequentially stacked on the third insulator. The sixth insulator is in contact with the fifth insulator in a region overlapping the first conductor. The seventh insulator is positioned in a region including the first semiconductor and the sixth insulator.

Some embodiments include apparatuses and methods of forming the apparatuses. One of the apparatuses includes a memory cell including a first transistor, a second transistor, and a dielectric structure formed in a trench. The first transistor includes a first channel region, and a charge storage structure separated from the first channel region. The second transistor includes a second channel region formed over the charge storage structure. The dielectric structure includes a first dielectric portion formed on a first sidewall of the trench, and a second dielectric portion formed on a second sidewall of the trench. The charge storage structure is between and adjacent the first and second dielectric portions.

A semiconductor device includes a first source layer; at least one of a second source layer, the second source layer formed substantially in the first source layer; a plurality of conductive layers stacked substantially over the first source layer; channel layers that pass through the plurality of conductive layers and couple to the second source layer; and at least one of a third source layer, the third source layer formed substantially in the second source layer, wherein the third source layer passes through the second source layer and is coupled to the first source layer.

Memory openings and support openings are formed through an alternating stack of insulating layers and spacer material layers over a semiconductor substrate. Deposition of a semiconductor material in the support openings during formation of epitaxial channel portions in the memory openings is prevented by Portions of the semiconductor substrate that underlie the support openings are converted into impurity-doped semiconductor material portions. During selective growth of epitaxial channel portions from the semiconductor substrate within the memory openings, growth of a semiconductor material in the support openings is suppressed due to the impurity species in the impurity-doped semiconductor material portions. Memory stack structures and support pillar structures are subsequently formed over the epitaxial channel portions and in the support openings, respectively. The support pillar structures are formed with an outermost dielectric layer to prevent a leakage path to electrically conductive layers to be subsequently formed.

A 3-D semiconductor device comprising a plurality of memory cells and a plurality of selection transistors, each of said plurality of memory cells comprises: a channel layer, distributed along a direction perpendicular to the substrate surface; a plurality of inter-layer insulating layers and a plurality of gate stack structures, alternately laminating along the sidewall of the channel layer; a plurality of floating gates, located between the plurality of inter-layer insulating layers and the sidewall of the channel layer; a plurality of drains, located at the top of the channel layer; and a plurality of sources, located in the said substrate between two adjacent memory cells of the said plurality of memory cells.

There is provided a monolithic three dimensional array of charge storage devices which includes a plurality of device levels, wherein at least one surface between two successive levels is planarized by chemical mechanical polishing.