To provide a highly reliable memory device. A first insulator is formed over a substrate; a second insulator is formed over the first insulator; a third insulator is formed over the second insulator; an opening penetrating the first insulator, the second insulator, and the third insulator is formed; a fourth insulator is formed on the inner side of a side surface of the first insulator, a side surface of the second insulator, and a side surface of the third insulator, in the opening; an oxide semiconductor is formed on the inner side of the fourth insulator; the second insulator is removed; and a conductor is formed between the first insulator and the third insulator; and the fourth insulator is formed by performing, a plurality of times, a cycle including a first step of supplying a gas containing silicon and an oxidizing gas into a chamber where the substrate is placed, a second step of stopping the supply of the gas containing silicon into the chamber; and a third step of generating plasma containing the oxidizing gas in the chamber.

A semiconductor structure and a method for manufacturing a semiconductor are provided. The semiconductor structure includes a channel pillar, a dielectric layer formed on the channel pillar, a via formed in the dielectric layer and electrically connected to the channel pillar, and a spacer formed between the dielectric layer and the via.

A semiconductor memory device includes a first insulating layer, a first conductive layer, a first pillar, a second pillar, and a second insulating layer. The first conductive layer contains tungsten. The first conductive layer includes a first sub conductive layer and a second sub conductive layer. The first pillar and the second pillar pass through the first insulating layer and the first conductive layer. The second insulating layer divides the first insulating layer and the first conductive layer. The first sub conductive layer is in contact with the second sub conductive layer and is provided between the second sub conductive layer and the first insulating layer. A fluorine concentration in the first sub conductive layer is lower than that in the second sub conductive layer.

Semiconductor devices may include a first stack structure including interlayer insulating layers and gate electrodes alternately stacked in a first direction perpendicular to an upper surface of a substrate on a first region of the substrate and including a first lower stack structure and a first upper stack structure, a second stack structure including the interlayer insulating layers and sacrificial insulating layers alternately stacked in the first direction on a second region of the substrate and including a second lower stack structure and a second upper stack structure, a channel structure penetrating the first upper stack structure and the first lower stack structure, extending in the first direction, and including a channel layer, and an align key structure penetrating the second lower stack structure and extending in the first direction. The second upper stack structure may include a first align key region on the align key structure.

A semiconductor device of an embodiment includes a plurality of chip regions, each including a memory region in which a plurality of memory cells is arranged, and a kerf region disposed between the chip regions and surrounding each chip region. Paired marks are arranged in a vicinity of the memory region of one of the plurality of chip regions and in a common hierarchical layer in the kerf region, and the paired marks are disposed over upper and lower hierarchical layers.

Embodiments of three-dimensional (3D) memory devices having through array contacts (TACs) and methods for forming the same are disclosed. In an example, a 3D memory device includes a substrate, a memory stack on the substrate comprising a plurality of conductor/dielectric layer pairs, a channel structure extending vertically through the conductor/dielectric layer pairs in the memory stack, a TAC extending vertically through the conductor/dielectric layer pairs in the memory stack, and a dummy channel structure filled with a dielectric layer and extending vertically through the conductor/dielectric layer pairs in the memory stack.

A memory array comprises laterally-spaced memory blocks individually comprising a vertical stack comprising alternating insulative tiers and conductive tiers. Channel-material strings of memory cells extend through the insulative tiers and the conductive tiers. Dummy pillars extend through the insulative tiers and the conductive tiers. A lowest of the conductive tiers comprises conducting material and dummy-region material that is aside and of different composition from that of the conducting material. The channel-material strings extend through the conducting material of the lowest conductive tier. The dummy pillars extend through the dummy-region material of the lowest conductive tier. Other embodiments, including method, are disclosed.

Embodiments of a three-dimensional (3D) memory device are provided. The 3D memory device includes a stack structure over a substrate. The stack structure includes a plurality of conductor layers insulated from one another by a gate-to-gate dielectric structure. The gate-to-gate dielectric structure includes a gate-to-gate dielectric layer between adjacent conductor layers along a vertical direction perpendicular to a top surface of the substrate. The 3D memory device also includes a channel structure extending in the stack structure. The channel structure includes a memory layer that protrudes towards the gate-to-gate dielectric layer.

Embodiments of a three-dimensional (3D) memory device are provided. The 3D memory device includes a stack structure over a substrate. The stack structure includes a plurality of conductor layers insulated from one another by a gate-to-gate dielectric structure. The gate-to-gate dielectric structure includes a gate-to-gate dielectric layer between adjacent conductor layers along a vertical direction perpendicular to a top surface of the substrate. The 3D memory device also includes a channel structure extending in the stack structure. The channel structure includes a memory layer that protrudes towards the gate-to-gate dielectric layer.

A three-dimensional flash memory is provided, and technique to suppress interference caused by an inter-cell insulation layer in a vertical cell and to form a stable vertical channel layer, a technique to reduce a length of wire than a conventional three-dimensional flash memory for overcoming problems of deterioration of chip characteristics such as operation speed and power consumption and difficulty of wiring technique in the manufacturing process, and a technique to improve horizontal density of channel layers and ONO layers are proposed.