IP Library Granted Patent US 12672293
Granted Patent B2
US 12672293 · App. 17/818,219 · Granted Jun 30, 2026

Memory device assembly with a leaker device

Inventors: Ashonita A. Chavan (Boise, ID); Aysha Siddique Shanta (Boise, ID); Aditi P. Kulkarni (Broomfield, CO)
Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
H10B53/30G11C11/221H10B12/03H10D1/711H10D1/716
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12672293
App. No.
17/818,219
Granted
Jun 30, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

Implementations described herein relate to various structures, integrated assemblies, and memory devices. In some implementations, an integrated assembly includes a cell plate, a pillar that includes a bottom electrode and a leaker device on top of the bottom electrode, and a top electrode. The top electrode includes a first top electrode portion and a second top electrode portion. The first top electrode portion is separated from the bottom electrode by the leaker device. The second top electrode portion is separated from the bottom electrode and the leaker device by an insulator. The leaker device is configured to discharge excess charge from the bottom electrode to the cell plate via the first top electrode portion.

Claims (62)

1 . An integrated assembly, comprising:

a cell plate;

a pillar that includes a bottom electrode and a leaker device on top of the bottom electrode; and

a top electrode that includes:

a first top electrode portion that is separated from the bottom electrode by the leaker device, wherein the leaker device is configured to discharge excess charge from the bottom electrode to the cell plate via the first top electrode portion; and

a second top electrode portion that is separated from the bottom electrode and the leaker device by an insulator, wherein the insulator is between the first top electrode portion and the second top electrode portion.

2 . The integrated assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a lattice structure in contact with the cell plate, wherein a top surface of the leaker device is lower than a bottom surface of the lattice structure.

3 . The integrated assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a lattice structure in contact with the cell plate, wherein a top surface of the leaker device is substantially horizontally aligned with a bottom surface of the lattice structure.

4 . The integrated assembly of claim 1 , wherein the leaker device comprises, consists of, or consists essentially of aluminum oxide, amorphous silicon, silicon nitride, titanium oxynitride, niobium oxynitride, titanium silicon nitride, nickel oxy nitride, or conductively-doped germanium.

5 . The integrated assembly of claim 1 , wherein the leaker device has a height in a range from approximately 10 angstroms to approximately 100 angstroms.

6 . The integrated assembly of claim 1 , wherein the top electrode, the bottom electrode, and the insulator form a capacitor.

7 . The integrated assembly of claim 6 , further comprising a plurality of capacitors that share the top electrode,

wherein each capacitor, of the plurality of capacitors, includes a corresponding leaker device, and wherein all of those leaker devices have substantially identical electrical properties.

8 . The integrated assembly of claim 6 , further comprising a plurality of capacitors that share the top electrode,

wherein each capacitor, of the plurality of capacitors, includes a corresponding leaker device, and wherein all of those leaker devices have substantially identical physical dimensions.

9 . The integrated assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a leaker liner around an exterior vertical surface of the leaker device.

10 . The integrated assembly of claim 9 , wherein the leaker liner comprises, consists of, or consists essentially of a nitride.

11 . An integrated assembly, comprising:

a cell plate;

a lattice structure in contact with the cell plate;

a top electrode in contact with the cell plate, wherein the top electrode includes a first top electrode portion in contact with the cell plate and a second top electrode portion in contact with the cell plate;

an insulator in contact with the top electrode and the cell plate, wherein a top surface of the top electrode is substantially horizontally aligned with a top surface of the insulator, and wherein the insulator is between the first top electrode portion and the second top electrode portion; and

a pillar that includes a bottom electrode and a leaker device on top of the bottom electrode,

wherein a top surface of the leaker device is either lower than a bottom surface of the lattice structure or is substantially horizontally aligned with the bottom surface of the lattice structure, and

wherein the leaker device is configured to discharge excess charge from the bottom electrode to the cell plate.

12 . The integrated assembly of claim 11 , wherein a portion of the top electrode is on top of the leaker device.

13 . The integrated assembly of claim 12 , wherein the portion of the top electrode is directly in contact with the leaker device and the cell plate.

14 . The integrated assembly of claim 11 , wherein the top electrode includes:

a first top electrode portion that is separated from the bottom electrode by the leaker device, wherein the leaker device is configured to discharge excess charge from the bottom electrode to the cell plate via the first top electrode portion; and

a second top electrode portion that is separated from the bottom electrode and the leaker device by an insulator.

15 . The integrated assembly of claim 14 , wherein the lattice structure is in contact with the first top electrode portion.

16 . The integrated assembly of claim 14 , wherein the lattice structure is not in contact with the second top electrode portion.

17 . The integrated assembly of claim 11 , wherein the top electrode and the bottom electrode are parts of a capacitor, and wherein the integrated assembly further comprises a plurality of capacitors that share the top electrode.

18 . A memory device, comprising:

a cell plate; and

a memory cell that includes:

a transistor;

a bottom electrode electrically coupled with the transistor;

a leaker device on top of the bottom electrode;

a top electrode shared among a plurality of memory cells, wherein a portion of the top electrode is on top of the leaker device, is under the cell plate, and is in contact with both the leaker device and the cell plate,

wherein the leaker device is configured to discharge excess charge from the bottom electrode to the cell plate via the portion of the top electrode; and

an insulator in contact with the top electrode,

wherein a top surface of the top electrode is substantially horizontally aligned with a top surface of the insulator, and

wherein the insulator is between the portion of the top electrode and a second portion of the top electrode and wherein the cell plate is in contact with the top surface of the top electrode and the top surface of the insulator.

19 . The memory device of claim 18 , further comprising a lattice structure in contact with the cell plate, wherein a top surface of the leaker device is either lower than a bottom surface of the lattice structure or is substantially horizontally aligned with the bottom surface of the lattice structure.

20 . The memory device of claim 18 , wherein the leaker device comprises, consists of, or consists essentially of silicon, a nitride, an oxynitride, an oxide, or a conductively-doped semiconductor material.

21 . The memory device of claim 18 , wherein the leaker device has a height that is greater than or equal to approximately 10 angstroms.

22 . The memory device of claim 18 , wherein the leaker device has a height that is less than or equal to approximately 100 angstroms.

23 . A method, comprising:

forming a lattice structure;

forming a plurality of bottom electrodes supported by the lattice structure,

forming a plurality of leaker devices,

wherein each leaker device, of the plurality of leaker devices, is situated on top of a corresponding bottom electrode of the plurality of bottom electrodes;

forming a plurality of first top electrode portions of a top electrode,

wherein each first top electrode portion, of the plurality of first top electrode portions, is situated on top of a corresponding leaker device of the plurality of leaker devices;

forming an insulator in contact with the plurality of bottom electrodes and in contact with the plurality of leaker devices;

forming a second top electrode portion that is separated from the plurality of bottom electrodes by the insulator,

wherein the insulator is between the first top electrode portion and the second top electrode portion; and

forming a cell plate,

wherein each leaker device, of the plurality of leaker devices, couples a corresponding bottom electrode to the cell plate via a corresponding first top electrode portion and is configured to discharge excess charge from that bottom electrode to the cell plate.

24 . The method of claim 23 , wherein each leaker device, of the plurality of leaker devices, is formed such that a respective top surface of each leaker device is either below a bottom surface of the lattice structure or is substantially horizontally aligned with the bottom surface of the lattice structure.

25 . The method of claim 23 , wherein a respective top surface of each leaker device, of the plurality of leaker devices, is substantially flat.