A semiconductor device includes a single poly non-volatile memory device including a sensing and selection gate structure, an erase gate structure, and a control gate structure. The sensing and selection gate structure includes a sensing gate and a selection gate, a bit line, a word line disposed on the selection gate, and a tunneling gate line. The erase gate structure includes an erase gate, and an erase gate line disposed near the erase gate. The control gate structure includes a control gate disposed on the substrate, and a control gate line disposed near the control gate. The sensing gate, the selection gate, the erase gate and the control gate are connected by one conductive layer. The erase gate structure implements a PMOS capacitor, an NMOS transistor, or a PMOS transistor. The semiconductor device includes a single poly non-volatile memory device including a separate program area and erase area.

An integrated circuit includes a high-voltage MOS (HV) transistor and a capacitor supported by a semiconductor substrate. A gate stack of the HV transistor includes a first insulating layer over the semiconductor layer and a gate electrode formed from a first polysilicon. The capacitor includes a first electrode made of the first polysilicon and a second electrode made of a second polysilicon and at least partly resting over the first electrode. A first polysilicon layer deposited over the semiconductor substrate is patterned to form the first polysilicon of the gate electrode and first electrode, respectively. A second polysilicon layer deposited over the semiconductor substrate is patterned to form the second polysilicon of the second electrode. Silicon oxide spacers laterally border the second electrode and the gate stack of the HV transistor. Silicon nitride spacers border the silicon oxide spacers.

A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device includes forming a first vertical transistor on a semiconductor substrate, and forming a second vertical transistor stacked on the first vertical transistor. In the method, a silicide layer is formed on a first drain region of the first vertical transistor and on a second drain region of the second vertical transistor. The silicide layer electrically connects the first and second drain regions to each other.

A method of manufacturing an embedded flash memory device is provided. A pair of gate stacks are formed spaced over a semiconductor substrate, and including floating gates and control gates over the floating gates. A common gate layer is formed over the gate stacks and the semiconductor substrate, and lining sidewalls of the gate stacks. A first etch is performed into the common gate layer to recess an upper surface of the common gate layer to below upper surfaces respectively of the gate stacks, and to form an erase gate between the gate stacks. Hard masks are respectively formed over the erase gate, a word line region of the common gate layer, and a logic gate region of the common gate layer. A second etch is performed into the common gate layer with the hard masks in place to concurrently form a word line and a logic gate.

A non-volatile memory device including a cell array area including a plurality of memory cells and word lines and bit lines, which are connected to the plurality of memory cells, a core circuit area including a page buffer circuit and a row decoder circuit, the pager buffer circuit configured to temporarily store data input to and output from the plurality of memory cells, and the row decoder circuit configured to select some of the word lines corresponding to an address input thereto, and an input/output circuit area including a data input/output buffer circuit, the data input/output buffer circuit configured to at least one of transmit data to the page buffer circuit and receive data from the page buffer circuit, and the input/output circuit area including at least one asymmetrical transistor having a source region and a drain region asymmetrically disposed with respect to the gate structure may be provided.

A method for forming the gate structure of the NAND memory, comprising the steps of disposing a gate structure layer, a pattern transfer layer, a TEOS structure, and an organic dielectric Tri-Layer on a substrate sequentially; performing a patterning using a first photomask and a first photoresist layer; performing an etching process to form a control gate structure, a peripheral gate structure and a select gate structure; performing a trimming process to them; patterning sidewalls on sides of them; performing a second patterning using a second photomask as a mask and a second photoresist layer to protect the peripheral gate structure, the select gate structure, and their sidewalls; removing the control gate structure between its sidewalls; performing etching by using the sidewalls, the peripheral gate structure and the select gate structure as masks to form the control gate, the peripheral gate, and the select gate.

A semiconductor device structure that comprises tiers of alternating dielectric levels and conductive levels and a carbon-doped silicon nitride over the tiers of the staircase structure. The carbon-doped silicon nitride excludes silicon carbon nitride. A method of forming the semiconductor device structure comprises forming stairs in a staircase structure comprising alternating dielectric levels and conductive levels. A carbon-doped silicon nitride is formed over the stairs, an oxide material is formed over the carbon-doped silicon nitride, and openings are formed in the oxide material. The openings extend to the carbon-doped silicon nitride. The carbon-doped silicon nitride is removed to extend the openings into the conductive levels of the staircase structure. Additional methods are disclosed.

An integrated circuit includes two different types of embedded memories, with cells that have different retention characteristics, and situated in different areas of the substrate. In some applications the cells are both non-volatile memories sharing a common gate layer but with different oxide layers, different thicknesses, etc. The first type of cell is a conventional flash cell which can be part of a logic/memory region, while the second type of cell uses capacitive coupling and can be located in a high voltage region. Because of their common features, the need for additional masks, manufacturing steps, etc. can be mitigated.

A method of forming a semiconductor structure includes forming first to third sacrificial layers on a substrate including a memory cell area and a peripheral area with a word line area. The second and third sacrificial layers in the word line area are removed to expose the top surface of the first sacrificial layer. The first sacrificial layer in the word line area and the third sacrificial layer in the memory cell area are removed. A word line dielectric layer and a first conductive layer are formed on the substrate in the word line area. The first and second sacrificial layers in the memory cell area are removed. A tunneling dielectric layer is formed on the substrate in the memory cell area. The thickness of the tunneling dielectric layer is smaller than the thickness of the word line dielectric layer.

A semiconductor device structure that comprises tiers of alternating dielectric levels and conductive levels and a carbon-doped silicon nitride over the tiers of the staircase structure. The carbon-doped silicon nitride excludes silicon carbon nitride. A method of forming the semiconductor device structure comprises forming stairs in a staircase structure comprising alternating dielectric levels and conductive levels. A carbon-doped silicon nitride is formed over the stairs, an oxide material is formed over the carbon-doped silicon nitride, and openings are formed in the oxide material. The openings extend to the carbon-doped silicon nitride. The carbon-doped silicon nitride is removed to extend the openings into the conductive levels of the staircase structure. Additional methods are disclosed.