Assemblies having vertically-stacked conductive structures
View Patent ↗Some embodiments include a method in which an assembly is formed to have voids within a stack, and to have slits adjacent the voids. Peripheral boundaries of the voids have proximal regions near the slits and distal regions adjacent the proximal regions. A material is deposited within the voids under conditions which cause the material to form to a greater thickness along the distal regions than along the proximal regions. Some embodiments include an assembly having a stack of alternating first and second levels. The second levels include conductive material. Panel structures extend through the stack. The conductive material within the second levels has outer edges with proximal regions near the panel structures and distal regions adjacent the proximal regions. Interface material is along the outer edges of the conductive material and has a different composition along the proximal regions than along the distal regions.
1. An assembly, comprising:
a stack of alternating first and second levels; the first levels comprising insulative material, and the second levels comprising conductive material; the assembly including channel material structures extending through the stack, and including insulative panel structures extending through the stack; the conductive material within the second levels having outer edges; the outer edges having proximal regions near the insulative panel structures and distal regions spaced from the insulative panel structures by the proximal regions; and
interface material along the outer edges of the conductive material, the interface material having a first composition along the proximal regions of the outer edges, and having a second composition along the distal regions of the outer edges; the first composition being different than the second composition.
2. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the conductive material comprises one or more of tungsten, titanium, ruthenium, cobalt, nickel and molybdenum.
3. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the conductive material comprises one or both of a metal silicide and a metal carbide.
4. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the interface material includes two or more metals selected from the group consisting of tungsten, titanium and cobalt; with one of said two or more metals being a primary component of the first composition, and with another of said two or more metals being a primary component of the second composition.
5. The assembly of claim 4 wherein the interface material further includes one or more of nitrogen, aluminum, silicon, oxygen, carbon and germanium.
6. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the first composition includes boron, and wherein the second composition does not include boron.
7. The assembly of claim 6 wherein the first and second compositions include tungsten and nitrogen.
8. The assembly of claim 7 wherein the conductive material comprises tungsten.
9. An assembly, comprising:
a stack of alternating first and second levels; the first levels comprising insulative material, and the second levels comprising conductive material; the assembly including channel material structures extending through the stack, and including insulative panel structures extending through the stack; the conductive material within the second levels having outer edges; the outer edges having proximal regions near the insulative panel structures and distal regions spaced from the insulative panel structures by the proximal regions; and
metal-containing interface material along the outer edges of the conductive material; the metal-containing interface material having a first surface composition along the proximal regions of the outer edges and having a second surface composition along the distal regions of the outer edges; the metal-containing interface material comprising two or more metals; a first metal of said two or more metals being the primary metal of the first surface composition, and a second metal of said two or more metals being the primary metal of the second surface composition.
10. The assembly of claim 9 wherein the first and second surface compositions comprise metal nitrides.
11. The assembly of claim 9 wherein the first metal is tungsten and the second metal is titanium.
12. The assembly of claim 11 wherein the interface material comprises a base material supporting the first and second surface compositions, and wherein the base material is a same composition as one of the first and second surface compositions.
13. The assembly of claim 12 wherein the base material is a same composition as the first surface composition.
14. The assembly of claim 12 wherein the base material is a same composition as the second surface composition.
15. The assembly of claim 12 wherein said one of the first and second surface compositions is a laminate over the base material.
16. The assembly of claim 12 wherein said one of the first and second surface compositions is an outer portion of a gradient extending from the base material.