Vertical memories and methods of making the same are discussed generally herein. In one embodiment, a vertical memory can include a vertical pillar extending to a source, an etch stop tier over the source, and a stack of alternating dielectric tiers and conductive tiers over the etch stop tier. The etch stop tier can comprise a blocking dielectric adjacent to the pillar. In another embodiment, the etch stop tier can comprise a blocking dielectric adjacent to the pillar, and a plurality of dielectric films horizontally extending from the blocking dielectric into the etch stop tier.

Examples of the present disclosure provide devices and methods for processing a memory cell. A method embodiment includes removing a key-hole shaped column from a material, to define a profile for the memory cell. The method also includes partially filling the key-hole shaped column with a first number of materials. The method further includes filling the remaining portion of the key-hole shaped column with a second number of materials.

A semiconductor device may include gate structures spaced apart above a top surface of a substrate. The gate structures may include a horizontal electrode extending in a first direction parallel with the top surface of a substrate. An isolation insulating layer may be disposed between the gate structures. A plurality of cell pillars may penetrate the horizontal electrode and connect to the substrate. The plurality of cell pillars may include a minimum spacing defined by a shortest distance between any two of the plurality of cell pillars. The thickness of the horizontal electrode may be greater than the minimum spacing of the cell pillars.

A method of forming a three-dimensional memory device includes forming a stack of alternating first and second material layers over a substrate, forming a memory opening through the stack, forming a memory film and a semiconductor channel in the memory opening, and forming backside recesses by removing the second material layers selective to the first material layers and the memory film, where an outer sidewall of the memory film is physically exposed within each backside recess. The method also includes forming at least one set of surfaces selected from silicon deposition inhibiting surfaces on the first material layers and silicon deposition promoting surfaces over the memory film in the back side recesses, selectively growing a silicon-containing semiconductor portion laterally within each backside recess, forming at least one blocking dielectric within the backside recesses, and forming conductive material layers by depositing a conductive material within the backside recesses.

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 terminal structure includes: a first trench extending along a depth direction from an upper surface of a semiconductor substrate; a plurality of second trenches, each of which extends along the depth direction from a bottom surface of the first trench and which are arranged at intervals in a direction away from an element portion; a plurality of first floating regions having a floating potential, each of which is exposed at the bottom surface of the first trench, is disposed between the second trenches, and forms a PN-junction with a surrounding region thereof; and a plurality of second floating regions having a floating potential, each of which is exposed at a bottom surface of the second trench and forms a PN-junction with a surrounding region thereof. The plurality of second floating regions is arranged to be separated from each other in the direction away from the element portion.

A semiconductor memory device according to one embodiment, includes a plurality of first interconnects extending in a first direction and arrayed along a second direction crossing the first direction, a plurality of semiconductor pillars arrayed in a row along the first direction in each of spaces among the first interconnects and extending in a third direction crossing the first direction and the second direction, a first electrode disposed between one of the semiconductor pillars and one of the first interconnects, a first insulating film disposed between the first electrode and one of the first interconnects, a first insulating member disposed between the semiconductor pillars in the first direction and extending in the third direction and opposed the first interconnects not via the first insulating film.

A semiconductor memory device includes string select lines extending in a first direction, vertical pillars connected to the string select lines, sub-interconnections on the string select lines, bitlines connected to the vertical pillars through the sub-interconnections, and upper contact plugs connecting the sub-interconnections to the bitlines. The string select lines include odd and even string select lines alternately arranged in a second direction. The sub-interconnections each connect a pair of vertical pillars respectively connected to one of the odd string select lines and one of the even string select lines that are adjacent to each other. Each of the upper contact plugs is between one of the sub-interconnections and one of the bitlines. Each of the upper contact plugs is arranged more adjacent to one string select line of the adjacent string select lines to which the pair of vertical pillars connected by the sub-interconnections are connected.

A vertical channel structure including a substrate, a plurality of stacked structures, a charge storage structure, a channel structure and a dielectric structure is provided. The stacked structures are disposed on the substrate. An opening is located between the stacked structures. The charge storage structure is disposed on a sidewall of the opening. The channel structure is disposed on the charge storage structure and on the substrate at a bottom portion of the opening. The dielectric structure includes first and second dielectric layers. The first dielectric layer is disposed on the channel structure. The second dielectric layer is disposed on the first dielectric layer and seals the opening to form a void in the dielectric structure. A top portion of the second dielectric layer is higher than a top portion of the first dielectric layer. The dielectric structure exposes an upper portion of the channel structure.