IP Library Granted Patent US 10,748,620
Granted Patent B2
US 10,748,620 · App. 15/933,087 · Granted Aug 18, 2020

Memory block select circuitry including voltage bootstrapping control

Inventor: Aaron Yip (Los Gatos, CA)
Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
G11C16/10H01L27/11529H01L27/11573G11C11/5628G11C11/5671G11C16/0483
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,748,620
App. No.
15/933,087
Filed
Mar 22, 2018
Granted
Aug 18, 2020
Kind
B2
Art Unit
2825
USPC
365/185.18
Abstract

Some embodiments include apparatuses, and methods of operating the apparatuses. Some of the apparatuses include a first memory cell string; a second memory cell string; a first group of conductive lines to access the first and second memory cell strings; a second group of conductive lines; a group of transistors, each transistor of the group of transistors coupled between a respective conductive line of the first group of conductive lines and a respective conductive line of the second group of conductive lines, the group of transistors having a common gate; and a circuit including a first transistor and a second transistor coupled in series between a first node and a second node, the first transistor including a gate coupled to the second node, and a third transistor coupled between the second node and the common gate.

Claims (58)

1. An apparatus comprising:

a first group of semiconductor structures located in different levels of the apparatus and located over a substrate;

a pillar extending through the first group of semiconductor structures, the pillar being part of a memory cell string;

a second group of semiconductor structures located in the different levels, the second group of semiconductor structures being electrically separated from the first group of semiconductor structures;

a capacitor including a first conductive plate formed from part of a first semiconductor structure of the second group of semiconductor structures, and a second conductive plate formed from part of a second semiconductor structure of the second group of semiconductor structures;

a first conductive path coupled between the first conductive plate of the capacitor and a first node;

a second conductive path coupled between the second conductive plate of the capacitor and a second node;

a first transistor and a second transistor coupled in series between a third node and a fourth node, the first transistor including a gate directly coupled to the fourth node;

a third transistor including a first terminal directly coupled to the fourth node and a second terminal directly coupled to the first node; and

a fourth transistor having a gate directly coupled to the first node and a terminal coupled to the second conductive plate of the capacitor.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each of the first and second groups of semiconductor structures includes conductively doped polysilicon.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each of the first and third transistors includes a depletion-mode transistor.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a group of transistors having a common gate coupled to the first node.

5. An apparatus comprising:

a first group of semiconductor structures located in different levels of the apparatus and located over a substrate;

a pillar extending through the first group of semiconductor structures, the pillar being part of a memory cell string;

a second group of semiconductor structures located in the different levels, the second group of semiconductor structures being electrically separated from the first group of semiconductor structures;

a capacitor including a first conductive plate formed from part of a first semiconductor structure of the second group of semiconductor structures, and a second conductive plate formed from part of a second semiconductor structure of the second group of semiconductor structures;

a first conductive path coupled between the first conductive plate of the capacitor and a first node;

a second conductive path coupled between the second conductive plate of the capacitor and a second node;

a first transistor and a second transistor coupled in series between a third node and a fourth node, the first transistor including a gate coupled to the fourth node; and

a third transistor coupled between the fourth node and the first node, wherein:

the first conductive path includes a first conductive segment going through a location between the first group of semiconductor structures and the second group of semiconductor structures; and

the second conductive path includes a second conductive segment going through the location between the first group of semiconductor structures and the second group of semiconductor structures.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein:

the first conductive path includes a first additional conductive segment coupled to the first conductive segment, the first additional conductive segment having a length extending perpendicularly to the first conductive segment; and

the second conductive path includes a second additional conductive segment coupled to the second conductive segment, the second additional conductive segment having a length extending perpendicularly to the second conductive segment.

7. An apparatus comprising:

a group of semiconductor structures located in different levels of the apparatus and over a substrate;

a pillar extending through the group of semiconductor structures, the pillar being part of a memory cell string;

a group of conductive structures located over the group of semiconductor structures, the group of conductive structures being electrically separated from the group of semiconductor structures;

a capacitor including a first conductive plate formed from part of a first conductive structure of the group of conductive structures, and second conductive plate formed from part of a second conductive structure of the group of conductive structures;

a first conductive path coupled between the first conductive plate of the capacitor and a first node;

a second conductive path coupled between the second conductive plate of the capacitor and a second node;

a first transistor and a second transistor coupled in series between a third node and a fourth node, the first transistor including a gate directly coupled to the fourth node;

a third transistor including a first terminal directly coupled to the fourth node and a second terminal directly coupled to the second node; and

a fourth transistor having a gate directly coupled to the first node and a terminal coupled to the second conductive plate of the capacitor.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein each of the group of semiconductor structures and the group of conductive structures includes conductively doped polysilicon.

9. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein each of the first and third transistors includes a depletion-mode transistor.

10. The apparatus of claim 7 , further comprising:

a fourth transistor coupled between the first node and a fifth node.

11. An apparatus comprising:

a group of semiconductor structures located in different levels of the apparatus and over a substrate;

a pillar extending through the group of semiconductor structures, the pillar being part of a memory cell string;

a group of conductive structures located over the group of semiconductor structures, the group of conductive structures being electrically separated from the group of semiconductor structures;

a capacitor including a first conductive plate formed from part of a first conductive structure of the group of conductive structures, and second conductive plate formed from part of a second conductive structure of the group of conductive structures;

a first conductive path coupled between the first conductive plate of the capacitor and a first node;

a second conductive path coupled between the second conductive plate of the capacitor and a second node;

a first transistor and a second transistor coupled in series between a third node and a fourth node, the first transistor including a gate coupled to the fourth node;

a third transistor coupled between the fourth node and the second node;

an additional group of conductive structures located in the levels that the group of conductive structures is located; and

an additional pillar extending through the additional group of conductive structures, the additional pillar being electrically coupled to a semiconductor structure of the group of semiconductor structures.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein:

the first conductive path includes a first conductive segment going through a location between the group of conductive structures and the additional group of conductive structures; and

the second conductive path includes a second conductive segment going through the location between the group of conductive structures and the additional group of conductive structures.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein:

the first conductive path includes a first additional conductive segment coupled to the first conductive segment, the first additional conductive segment having a length extending perpendicularly to the first conductive segment; and

the second conductive path includes a second additional conductive segment coupled to the second conductive segment, the second additional conductive segment having a length extending perpendicularly to the second conductive segment.

Assignments (5)
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Nov 12, 2019
From: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
To: MICRON TECHNOLOGY, INC.; MICRON SEMICONDUCTOR PRODUCTS, INC.
Reel/Frame 051028/0001 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Oct 11, 2019
From: MORGAN STANLEY SENIOR FUNDING, INC., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
To: MICRON TECHNOLOGY, INC.
Reel/Frame 050713/0001 →
SUPPLEMENT NO. 9 TO PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Aug 9, 2018
From: MICRON TECHNOLOGY, INC.
To: MORGAN STANLEY SENIOR FUNDING, INC., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 047282/0463 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jul 13, 2018
From: MICRON TECHNOLOGY, INC.; MICRON SEMICONDUCTOR PRODUCTS, INC.
To: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 047540/0001 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 27, 2018
From: YIP, AARON
To: MICRON TECHNOLOGY, INC.
Reel/Frame 045658/0090 →
Continuity (1)
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