Disclosed are three-dimensional semiconductor memory devices, methods of fabricating the same, and electronic systems including the same. The device includes a substrate including a cell array region and an extension region, stack structures extending in a first direction and including gate electrodes stacked on the substrate, vertical structures penetrating the stack structures on the cell array region, a mold structure on a portion of the extension region, a first support structure extending in the first direction between the stack structures, second support structures penetrating the stack structures on the extension region and spaced apart in a second direction from the first support structure, and a third support structure surrounding the mold structure in a plan view. Respective top surfaces of ones of the second support structures and a top surface of the third support structure is higher than a top surface of ones of the vertical structures.

A memory opening or a line trench is formed through an alternating stack of insulating layers and sacrificial material layers. A memory opening fill structure or a memory stack assembly is formed, which includes a vertical stack of discrete intermediate metallic electrodes formed on sidewalls of the sacrificial material layers, a gate dielectric layer, and a vertical semiconductor channel. Backside recesses are formed by removing the sacrificial material layers selective to the insulating layers, and a combination of a ferroelectric dielectric layer and an electrically conductive layer within each of the backside recesses. The electrically conductive layer is laterally spaced from a respective one of the discrete intermediate metallic electrodes by the ferroelectric dielectric layer. Ferroelectric-metal-insulator memory elements are formed around the vertical semiconductor channel.

A MOSFET device and method of making, the device including a floating gate layer formed within a trench in a substrate, a tunnel dielectric layer located on sidewalls and a bottom of the trench, a control gate dielectric layer located on a top surface of the floating gate layer, a control gate layer located on a top surface of the control gate dielectric layer and sidewall spacers located on sidewalls of the control gate dielectric layer and the control gate layer.

A memory structure and its manufacturing method are provided. The memory structure includes a substrate, a tunnel dielectric layer on the substrate and a floating gate on the tunnel dielectric layer. The substrate has a source region and a drain region, and the source region and the drain region are formed on two opposite sides of the floating gate. The memory structure also includes an inter-gate dielectric layer on the floating gate and a control gate on the inter-gate dielectric layer. The memory structure further includes a doping region buried in the floating gate, wherein a sidewall of the doping region is exposed at a sidewall of the floating gate. Also, the doping region and the inter-gate dielectric layer are separated from each other.

A method of manufacturing a memory structure including the following steps is provided. A first pad layer is formed on a substrate. Isolation structures are formed in the first pad layer and the substrate. At least one shape modification treatment is performed on the isolation structures. Each shape modification treatment includes the following steps. A first etching process is performed on the first pad layer to reduce a height of the first pad layer and to form first openings exposing sidewalls of the isolation structures. After the first etching process is performed, a second etching process is performed on the isolation structures to modify shapes of the sidewalls of the isolation structures exposed by the first openings. The first pad layer is removed to form a second opening between two adjacent isolation structures.

The present disclosure provides a stack capacitor, a flash memory device, and a manufacturing method thereof. The stack capacitor of the flash memory device has a a memory transistor structure which at least comprises a substrate, and a tunneling oxide layer, a floating gate layer, an interlayer dielectric layer and a control gate layer which are sequentially stacked on the substrate, the interlayer dielectric layer of the stack capacitor comprises a first oxide layer and a nitride layer; the stack capacitor further comprises a first contact leading out of the control gate layer and a second contact leading out of the floating gate layer. The capacitance per unit area of the stack capacitor provided by the disclosure is effectively improved, and the size of the transistor device is reduced. The manufacturing method according to the disclosure does not add any additional photomask than a conventional process flow.

Disclosed is a three-dimensional semiconductor memory device comprising a substrate including a cell region and a connection region, a plurality of inter-electrode dielectric layers and a plurality of electrode layers alternately stacked on the substrate, wherein ends of the plurality of electrode layers form a stepwise shape on the connection region, a planarized dielectric layer on the connection region and covering the ends of the plurality of electrode layers, and a first abnormal dummy vertical pattern on the connection region and penetrating the planarized dielectric layer in a first direction perpendicular to a top surface of the substrate. At least one of the plurality of electrode layers is positioned between the first abnormal dummy vertical pattern and the substrate and is insulated from the first abnormal dummy vertical pattern.

Disclosed is a semiconductor memory device comprising a second substrate on a first substrate and including a lower semiconductor layer and an upper semiconductor layer on the lower semiconductor layer, an electrode structure on the upper semiconductor layer and including a plurality of stacked electrodes, a vertical channel structure that penetrates the electrode structure and is connected to the second substrate, an interlayer dielectric layer that covers the electrode structure, and a cutting structure that penetrates the interlayer dielectric layer and the upper semiconductor layer. The upper semiconductor layer has a first sidewall defined by the cutting structure. The lower semiconductor layer has a second sidewall adjacent to the first sidewall. The first sidewall and the second sidewall are horizontally offset from each other.

A semiconductor device includes a non-volatile memory. The non-volatile memory includes a first dielectric layer disposed on a substrate, a floating gate disposed on the dielectric layer, a control gate. A second dielectric layer is disposed between the floating gate and the control gate, having one of a silicon nitride layer, a silicon oxide layer and multilayers thereof. A third dielectric layer is disposed between the second dielectric layer and the control gate, and includes a dielectric material having a dielectric constant higher than silicon nitride.

A method for forming a memory device includes providing an initial semiconductor structure, including a base substrate; a first sacrificial layer formed on the base substrate; a stack structure, disposed on the first sacrificial layer; a plurality of channels, formed through the stack structure and the first sacrificial layer; and a gate-line trench, formed through the stack structure and exposing the first sacrificial layer. The method also includes forming at least one protective layer on the sidewalls of the gate-line trench; removing the first sacrificial layer to expose a portion of each of the plurality of channels and the surfaces of the base substrate, using the at least one protective layer as an etch mask; and forming an epitaxial layer on the exposed surfaces of the base substrate and the plurality of channels.