A memory structure including a substrate, a first dielectric layer, a second dielectric layer, a charge storage layer, an oxide layer, and a conductive layer is provided. The first dielectric layer is disposed on the substrate. The second dielectric layer is disposed on the first dielectric layer. The charge storage layer is disposed between the first dielectric layer and the second dielectric layer. The oxide layer is located at two ends of the charge storage layer and is disposed between the first dielectric layer and the second dielectric layer. The conductive layer is disposed on the second dielectric layer.

Methods of forming multi-tiered semiconductor devices are described, along with apparatus and systems that include them. In one such method, an opening is formed in a tier of semiconductor material and a tier of dielectric. A portion of the tier of semiconductor material exposed by the opening is processed so that the portion is doped differently than the remaining semiconductor material in the tier. At least substantially all of the remaining semiconductor material of the tier is removed, leaving the differently doped portion of the tier of semiconductor material as a charge storage structure. A tunneling dielectric is formed on a first surface of the charge storage structure and an intergate dielectric is formed on a second surface of the charge storage structure. Additional embodiments are also described.

A nonvolatile memory device is provided. The device comprises an active region, a floating gate over the active region and a wordline next to the floating gate. The floating gate has at least two narrow tips adjacent to the wordline and a portion of the floating gate between the narrow tips has a concave profile.

A semiconductor memory cell includes a floating body region configured to be charged to a level indicative of a state of the memory cell; a first region in electrical contact with said floating body region; a second region in electrical contact with said floating body region and spaced apart from said first region; and a gate positioned between said first and second regions. The cell may be a multi-level cell. Arrays of memory cells are disclosed for making a memory device. Methods of operating memory cells are also provided.

Some implementations described herein provide a semiconductor structure. The semiconductor structure includes a first terminal coupled to a substrate of the semiconductor structure. The first terminal comprises a tunneling layer formed on the substrate, a first conductive structure formed on the tunneling layer, and a dielectric structure formed on a top surface and on a first curved side surface of the first conductive structure. The semiconductor structure includes a second terminal coupled to the substrate. The second terminal comprises a second conductive structure formed on an isolation structure. The second conductive structure has a second curved side surface, and the dielectric structure is disposed between the first curved side surface and the second curved side surface.

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 disposed between the floating gate and the control gate and having one of a silicon oxide layer, a silicon nitride layer and multilayers of silicon oxide and silicon nitride, and an erase gate and a select gate. The erase gate and the select gate include a stack of a bottom polysilicon layer and an upper metal layer.

A semiconductor memory device according to an embodiment includes a substrate, a source line, word lines, a pillar, an outer peripheral conductive layer, a lower layer conductive layer, and a first contact. The substrate includes a core region and a first region. The outer peripheral conductive layer is provided to surround the core region in the first region. The outer peripheral conductive layer is included in a first layer. The lower layer conductive layer is provided in the first region. The first contact is provided on the lower layer conductive layer to surround the core region in the first region. An upper end of the first contact is included in the first layer. The first contact is electrically connected to the outer peripheral conductive layer.

A semiconductor memory device includes a first and second substrates; and a first and second element layers respectively provided on an upper surface of the first and the second substrates. The first and second substrates respectively include a first and second vias. The first and second element layers respectively includes a first and second pads respectively electrically coupled to the first and second vias, and respectively provided on an upper surface of the first and second element layers. The upper surface of the second element layer is arranged so as to be opposed to the upper surface of the first element layer. The first and second pads are electrically coupled and symmetrically arranged with respect to a surface where the first and second element layers are opposed to each other.

A control gate electrode and a memory gate electrode of a memory cell of a non-volatile memory are formed in a memory cell region of a semiconductor substrate, and a dummy gate electrode is formed in a peripheral circuit region. Then, n.sup.+-type semiconductor regions for a source or a drain of the memory cell are formed in the memory cell region and n.sup.+-type semiconductor regions for a source or a drain of MISFET are formed in the peripheral circuit region. Then, a metal silicide layer is formed over the n.sup.+-type semiconductor regions but the metal silicide layer is not formed over the control gate electrode, the memory gate electrode, and the gate electrode. Subsequently, the gate electrode is removed and replaced with the gate electrode for MISFET, Then, after removing the gate electrode and replacing it with a gate electrode for MISFET, a metal silicide layer is formed over the memory gate electrode and the control gate electrode.

The present subject matter relates to an electrical programmable read only memory (EPROM) cell. The EPROM cell comprises a semiconductor substrate and a floating gate separated from the semiconductor substrate by a first dielectric layer. A control gate is capacitively coupled to the floating gate through a second dielectric layer disposed between the floating gate and the control gate. In an example, the EPROM cell further comprises a conductive gate connected to the floating gate, wherein the conductive gate is to leak charges from the floating gate in a predetermined leak time period.