According to one embodiment, a method for producing a semiconductor device includes forming a first film on a substrate. A second film is formed on the first film. A recess is formed in the second film. First processing by which a third film is formed on the second film to form a side face of the recess with the second film and second processing by which the first film exposed in the recess is processed by using the second and third films, are executed one or more times. In relation to an N-th (N is an integer greater than or equal to 1) first processing, before the third film is formed on the second film, a surface inclined with respect to the side face of the recess is formed above the side face of the recess.

A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device includes: forming a memory cell on a substrate; forming a conductive pad region to electrically couple to the memory cell; depositing a dielectric layer over the conductive pad region; forming a first passivation layer over the dielectric layer; etching the first passivation layer through the dielectric layer, thereby exposing a first area of the conductive pad region; forming a second passivation layer over the first passivation layer and the exposed first area of the conductive pad region; and etching the second passivation layer to expose a second area of the conductive pad region.

A memory device includes a first state transistor and a second state transistor having a common control gate. A first selection transistor is buried in the semiconductor body and coupled to the first state transistor so that current paths of the first selection transistor and first state transistor are coupled in series. A second selection transistor is buried in the semiconductor body and coupled to the second state transistor so that current paths of the second selection transistor and second state transistor are coupled in series. The first and second selection transistors have a common buried selection gate. A dielectric region is located between the common control gate and the semiconductor body. A first bit line is coupled to the first state transistor and a second bit line is coupled to the second state transistor.

A semiconductor device is obtained in which a first insulating film for a gate insulating film of a memory element is formed over a semiconductor substrate in a memory region, a second insulating film for a gate insulating film of a lower-breakdown-voltage MISFET is formed over the semiconductor substrate in a lower-breakdown-voltage MISFET formation region, and a third insulating film for a gate insulating film of a higher-breakdown-voltage MISFET is formed over the semiconductor substrate in a higher-breakdown-voltage MISFET formation region. Subsequently, a film for gate electrodes is formed and then patterned to form the respective gate electrodes of the memory element, the lower-breakdown-voltage MISFET, and the higher-breakdown-voltage MISFET. The step of forming the second insulating film is performed after the step of forming the first insulating film. The step of forming the third insulating film is performed before the step of forming the first insulating film.

A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device to provide a Metal Insulator Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor (MISFET) in a first region of a semiconductor substrate includes forming a first gate insulating film on the semiconductor substrate in the first region, forming a first gate electrode containing silicon on the first gate insulating film, forming first impurity regions inside the semiconductor substrate so as to sandwich the first gate electrode in the first region, the first impurity regions configuring a part of a first source region and a part of a first drain region, forming a first silicide layer on the first impurity region, forming a first insulating film on the semiconductor substrate so as to cover the first gate electrode and the first silicide layer, polishing the first insulating film so as to expose the first gate electrode, and forming a second silicide layer on the first gate electrode.

A vertical memory device structure can include a vertical channel structure that vertically penetrates through an upper structure and a lower structure of a stack structure in a cell array region of the device. The vertical channel structure can have a side wall with a stepped profile at a level in the vertical channel structure where the upper structure meets the lower structure. A vertical dummy structure can vertically penetrate through a staircase structure that is defined by the upper structure and the lower structure in a connection region of the device, and the vertical dummy structure can have a side wall with a planar profile at the level where the upper structure meets the lower structure.

Semiconductor devices including non-volatile memory transistors and methods of fabricating the same to improve performance thereof are provided. In one embodiment, the memory transistor comprises an oxide-nitride-oxide (ONO) stack on a surface of a semiconductor substrate, and a high work function gate electrode formed over a surface of the ONO stack. Preferably, the gate electrode comprises a doped polysilicon layer, and the ONO stack comprises multi-layer charge storing layer including at least a substantially trap free bottom oxynitride layer and a charge trapping top oxynitride layer. More preferably, the device also includes a metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) logic transistor formed on the same substrate, the logic transistor including a gate oxide and a high work function gate electrode. In certain embodiments, the dopant is a P+ dopant and the memory transistor comprises N-type (NMOS) silicon-oxide-nitride-oxide-silicon (SONOS) transistor while the logic transistor a P-type (PMOS) transistor. Other embodiments are also disclosed.

Each memory cell is of the type with charge trapping in a dielectric interface and includes a state transistor selectable by a vertical selection transistor buried in a substrate and comprising a buried selection gate. The columns of memory cells include pairs of twin memory cells. The two selection transistors of a pair of twin memory cells have a common selection gate and the two state transistors of a pair of twin memory cells have a common control gate. The device also includes, for each pair of twin memory cells, a dielectric region situated between the control gate and the substrate and overlapping the common selection gate so as to form on either side of the selection gate the two charge-trapping dielectric interfaces respectively dedicated to the two twin memory cells.

Described herein is an apparatus comprising a plurality of silicon-containing layers wherein the silicon-containing layers are selected from a silicon oxide and a silicon nitride layer or film. Also described herein are methods for forming the apparatus to be used, for example, as 3D vertical NAND flash memory stacks. In one particular aspect or the apparatus, the silicon oxide layer comprises slightly compressive stress and good thermal stability. In this or other aspects of the apparatus, the silicon nitride layer comprises slightly tensile stress and less than 300 MPa stress change after up to about 800 C. thermal treatment. In this or other aspects of the apparatus, the silicon nitride layer etches much faster than the silicon oxide layer in hot H.sub.3PO.sub.4, showing good etch selectivity.

A method of controlling the thickness of gate oxides in an integrated CMOS process which includes performing a two-step gate oxidation process to concurrently oxidize and therefore consume at least a first portion of the cap layer of the NV gate stack to form a blocking oxide and form a gate oxide of at least one metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) transistor in the second region, wherein the gate oxide of the at least one MOS transistor is formed during both a first oxidation step and a second oxidation step of the gate oxidation process.