An alternating stack of insulating layers and sacrificial material layers is formed over a substrate, and memory stack structures are formed through the alternating stack. A backside trench is formed through the alternating stack, and backside recesses are formed by removing the sacrificial material layers. An undoped aluminum oxide backside blocking dielectric layer is formed in the backside recesses and on sidewalls the backside trench. A portion of the undoped aluminum oxide backside blocking dielectric layer located at an upper end of the backside trench is converted into a carbon-doped aluminum oxide layer. An electrically conductive material is deposited in the backside recesses and at peripheral regions of the backside trench. The electrically conductive material at the peripheral regions of the backside trench is removed by an etch process, with the carbon-doped aluminum oxide layer providing etch resistivity during the etch process.

A three-dimensional memory device may include an alternating stack of insulating layers and spacer material layers formed over a carrier substrate. The spacer material layers are formed as, or are subsequently replaced with, electrically conductive layers. Memory stack structures are formed through the alternating stack. Each memory stack structure includes a respective vertical semiconductor channel and a respective memory film. Drain regions and bit lines can be formed over the memory stack structures to provide a memory die. The memory die can be bonded to a logic die containing peripheral circuitry for supporting operations of memory cells within the memory die. A distal end of each of the vertical semiconductor channels is physically exposed by removing the carrier substrate. A source layer is formed directly on the distal end each of the vertical semiconductor channels. A bonding pad can be formed on the source layer.

According to principles as discussed herein, an EEPROM cell is provided and then, after testing the code, using the exact same architecture, transistors, memory cells, and layout, the EEPROM cell is converted to a read-only memory (ROM) cell. This conversion is done on the very same integrated circuit die using the same layout, design, and timing with only a single change in an upper level mask in the memory array. In one embodiment, the mask change is the via mask connecting metal 1 to poly. This allows the flexibility to store the programming code as non-volatile memory code, and then after it has been tested, at time selected by the customer, some or all of that code from a code that can be written to a read-only code that is stored in a ROM cell that is composed the same transistors and having the same layout.

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 device levels is planarized by chemical mechanical polishing.

A memory structure and a manufacturing method thereof are provided. In the memory structure, a first dielectric layer is disposed on a substrate; a pair of gate stack structures is disposed on the first dielectric layer and each gate stack structure includes a word line, an erase gate and a second dielectric layer; a third dielectric layer is disposed on the surfaces of the gate stack structures; a pair of floating gates is disposed between the gate stack structures and located respectively on sidewalls of the gate stack structures, and top surfaces of the floating gates are lower than those of the erase gates; a fourth dielectric layer covers the first and third dielectric layers and the floating gates; a control gate is disposed on the fourth dielectric layer between the floating gates; and a doped region is disposed in the substrate beside the gate stack structures.

A three-dimensional memory device includes a vertical semiconductor channel surrounding a vertical dielectric core. Laterally extending dielectric pegs structurally support the vertical semiconductor channel and the vertical dielectric core. The vertical semiconductor channel may be a single crystalline semiconductor channel.

A method used in forming a memory array comprises forming a substrate comprising a conductive tier, a first insulator tier above the conductive tier, a sacrificial material tier above the first insulator tier, and a second insulator tier above the sacrificial material tier. A stack comprising vertically-alternating insulative tiers and wordline tiers is formed above the second insulator tier. Channel material is formed through the insulative tiers and the wordline tier. Horizontally-elongated trenches are formed through the stack to the sacrificial material tier. Sacrificial material is etched through the horizontally-elongated trenches selectively relative to material of the first insulator tier and selectively relative to material of the second insulator tier. A laterally-outer sidewall of the channel material is exposed in the sacrificial material tier. A conductive structure is formed directly against the laterally-outer sidewall of the channel material in the sacrificial material tier. The conductive structure extends through the first insulator tier and directly electrically couples the channel material to the conductive tier. Structure embodiments are disclosed.

A random bit cell includes a random bit cell. The random bit cell includes a volatile memory unit, a first non-volatile memory unit, a second non-volatile memory unit, a first select transistor, and a second select transistor. The first non-volatile memory unit is coupled to a first data terminal of the volatile memory unit, and the second non-volatile memory unit is coupled to a second data terminal of the volatile memory unit. The first select transistor has a first terminal coupled to the first data terminal of the volatile memory unit, a second terminal coupled to a first bit line, and a control terminal coupled to a word line. The second select transistor has a first terminal coupled to the second data terminal of the volatile memory unit, a second terminal coupled to a second bit line, and a control terminal coupled to a word line.

Memory stack structures extending through an alternating stack of insulating layers and electrically conductive layers is formed over a substrate. Each memory stack structure includes a memory film and a vertical semiconductor channel. A sacrificial polycrystalline metal layer may be formed on each memory film, and a carbon precursor may be decomposed on a physically exposed surface of the sacrificial polycrystalline metal layer to generate adsorbed carbon atoms. A subset of the adsorbed carbon atoms diffuses through grain boundaries in the polycrystalline e metal layer to an interface with the memory film. The carbon atoms at the interface may be coalesced into at least one graphene layer by an anneal process. The at least one graphene layer functions as a vertical semiconductor channel, which provides a higher mobility than silicon. A metallic drain region may be formed at an upper end of each vertical semiconductor channel.

For erasing four-terminal semiconductor Non-Volatile Memory (NVM) devices, we apply a high positive voltage bias to the control gate with source, substrate and drain electrodes tied to the ground voltage for moving out stored charges in the charge storage material to the control gate. For improving erasing efficiency and NVM device endurance life by lowering applied voltage biases and reducing the applied voltage time durations, we engineer the lateral impurity profile of the control gate near dielectric interface such that tunneling occurs on the small lateral region of the control gate near the dielectric interface. We also apply the non-uniform thickness of coupling dielectric between the control gate and the storage material for the NVM device such that the tunneling for the erase operation occurs within the small thin dielectric areas, where the electrical field in thin dielectric is the strongest for tunneling erase operation.