IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,513,898
Granted Patent B2
US 12,513,898 · App. 17/539,523 · Granted Dec 30, 2025

Semiconductor device and data storage system including the same

Inventors: Sangho Rha (Seongnam-si, KR); Iksoo Kim (Yongin-si, KR); Jiwoon Im (Hwaseong-si, KR); Byungsun Park (Suwon-si, KR); Seonkyu Shin (Seoul, KR)
Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
H10B41/27G11C5/025G11C5/06H10B43/27H10D64/517
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,513,898
App. No.
17/539,523
Granted
Dec 30, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A semiconductor device includes a memory cell structure on a substrate, and a dummy structure on a side of the memory cell structure. The memory cell structure includes a memory stack structure including interlayer insulating layers and gate electrodes alternately stacked on the substrate, channel structures penetrating through the memory stack structure and contacting the substrate, and first separation structures penetrating through the memory stack structure and extending in the first direction to separate the gate electrodes from each other in a second direction. The dummy structure includes dummy stack structures spaced apart from the memory stack structure and including first insulating layers and dummy gate electrodes alternately stacked, dummy channel structures penetrating through the dummy stack structures, and second separation structures penetrating through the dummy stack structures and extending in the second direction to separate the dummy gate electrodes from each other in the first direction.

Claims (90)

1 . A semiconductor device comprising:

a peripheral circuit region including a first substrate and circuit elements on the first substrate; and

a memory cell region on the peripheral circuit region,

the memory cell region including

a second substrate on the peripheral circuit region,

a memory stack structure including interlayer insulating layers and gate electrodes alternately stacked on the second substrate,

channel structures penetrating through the memory stack structure in a vertical direction and each including a channel layer electrically connected to the second substrate,

first separation structures penetrating through the memory stack structure in the vertical direction,

a dummy stack structure spaced apart from at least one side of the memory stack structure,

dummy channel structures, and

second separation structures,

the first separation structures extending in a first direction and being spaced apart from each other in a second direction,

the dummy stack structure including first insulating layers stacked on each other and spaced apart from each other in the vertical direction on the second substrate, second insulating layers between the first insulating layers, and dummy gate electrodes having side surfaces in contact with side surfaces of the second insulating layers,

the dummy channel structures penetrating through the first insulating layers and the dummy gate electrodes of the dummy stack structure in the vertical direction,

the dummy channel structures each including a dummy channel layer,

the second separation structures penetrating through the first insulating layers and the dummy gate electrodes of the dummy stack structure in the vertical direction,

the second separation structures extending in the second direction and being spaced apart from each other in the first direction, and

the first direction and the second direction being parallel to an upper surface of the first substrate and intersecting each other.

2 . The semiconductor device of claim 1 , wherein

the gate electrodes are separated by the first separation structures and extend in the first direction, and

the dummy gate electrodes are separated by the second separation structures and extend in the second direction.

3 . The semiconductor device of claim 2 , wherein

the interlayer insulating layers are separated by the first separation structures and extend in the first direction, and

the first insulating layers are separated by the second separation structures and extend in the second direction.

4 . The semiconductor device of claim 1 , wherein

the memory stack structure includes a first staircase structure in which the interlayer insulating layers and the gate electrodes form a first staircase shape in the first direction,

the dummy stack structure includes a second staircase structure in which the first insulating layers and the second insulating layers form a second staircase shape in the first direction, and

the first staircase structure and the second staircase structure are adjacent to each other and face each other.

5 . The semiconductor device of claim 4 , wherein

the memory cell region further includes contact plugs, respectively extending in the vertical direction, and

the contact plugs are connected to the gate electrodes by the first staircase structure.

6 . The semiconductor device of claim 4 , wherein a shape of the first staircase structure differs from a shape of the second staircase structure.

7 . The semiconductor device of claim 4 , wherein at least a portion of the dummy gate electrodes define a portion of the second staircase structure.

8 . The semiconductor device of claim 1 , wherein

the memory cell region further includes through-contact plugs,

the through-contact plugs penetrate through the second substrate, and

the through-contact plugs extend in the vertical direction and are electrically connected to the circuit elements of the peripheral circuit region.

9 . The semiconductor device of claim 1 , wherein

the gate electrodes of the memory stack structure includes a first gate group and a second gate group on the first gate group, and

each of the channel structures has a bent portion between the first gate group and the second gate group.

10 . The semiconductor device of claim 9 , wherein

the dummy gate electrodes of the dummy stack structure includes a first dummy gate group and a second dummy gate group on the first dummy gate group, and

each of the dummy channel structures has a bent region between the first dummy gate group and the second dummy gate group.

11 . The semiconductor device of claim 9 , wherein a level of the dummy stack structure is higher than a level of the first gate group.

12 . The semiconductor device of claim 1 , wherein the gate electrodes include at least one of tungsten (W), titanium (Ti), tantalum (Ta), aluminum (Al), molybdenum (Mo), and ruthenium (Ru).

13 . The semiconductor device of claim 1 , wherein

the second separation structures includes a first separation pattern and a second separation pattern, and

a length in the second direction of the first separation pattern differs from a length in the second direction of the second separation pattern.

14 . A semiconductor device comprising:

a substrate;

a memory cell structure on the substrate, the memory cell structure including

a memory stack structure including interlayer insulating layers and gate electrodes alternately stacked on the substrate,

channel structures penetrating through the memory stack structure and contacting the substrate, and

first separation structures penetrating through the memory stack structure and extending in a first direction to separate the gate electrodes from each other in a second direction; and

a dummy structure on at least one side of the memory cell structure on the substrate, the dummy structure including

dummy stack structures spaced apart from the memory stack structure on the substrate,

dummy channel structures penetrating through the dummy stack structures, and

second separation structures penetrating through the dummy stack structures,

the dummy stack structures including first insulating layers and dummy gate electrodes alternately stacked, and

the second separation structures extending across an entire length of the dummy structure in the second direction to separate the dummy gate electrodes from each other in the first direction,

wherein each of the second separation structures are spaced apart from each of the first separation structures in the first direction, and

the first separation structures and the second separation structures do not merge in the dummy structure,

wherein the first separation structures are disposed side by side with each other in the second direction, and

the second separation structures are disposed side by side with each other in the first direction, and

wherein the dummy stack structures further include second insulating layers between the first insulating layers, and

side surfaces of the dummy gate electrodes are in contact with side surfaces of the second insulating layers.

15 . The semiconductor device of claim 14 , wherein the second separation structures penetrate through the dummy gate electrodes and contact the substrate.

16 . The semiconductor device of claim 14 , wherein

the memory stack structure includes a cell array region including the channel structures, the memory stack structure includes a cell staircase region surrounding the cell array region and in which the gate electrodes have steps in the first direction, and

the dummy stack structures include a staircase region in which the first insulating layers have steps in the first direction.

17 . The semiconductor device of claim 16 , wherein the cell staircase region and the staircase region face each other in the first direction.

18 . A data storage system comprising:

a semiconductor storage device including a peripheral circuit region including circuit elements, a memory cell structure on the peripheral circuit region, a dummy structure on at least one side of the memory cell structure on the peripheral circuit region, and an input/output pad electrically connected to the circuit elements,

the peripheral circuit region including a first substrate,

the circuit elements being on the first substrate,

the memory cell structure including a memory stack structure including a second substrate on the peripheral circuit region, interlayer insulating layers and gate electrodes alternately stacked on the second substrate, channel structures penetrating through the memory stack structure to contact the second substrate, and first separation structures penetrating through the memory stack structure,

the first separation structures extending in a first direction to separate the gate electrodes from each other in a second direction, and

the dummy structure including a dummy stack structure and second separation structures,

the dummy stack structure spaced apart from the memory stack structure on the second substrate,

the dummy stack structure including first insulating layers and dummy gate electrodes alternately stacked, dummy channel structures penetrating through the dummy stack structure, and the second separation structures penetrating through the dummy stack structure,

the second separation structures extending across an entire length of the dummy structure in the second direction to separate the dummy gate electrodes from each other in the first direction; and

a controller electrically connected to the semiconductor storage device through the input/output pad and configured to control the semiconductor storage device,

wherein each of the second separation structures are spaced apart from each of the first separation structures in the first direction, and

the first separation structures and the second separation structures do not merge in the dummy structure.

19 . The data storage system of claim 18 , wherein

the memory stack structure includes a first staircase structure in the first direction, and

the dummy stack structure includes a second staircase structure in the first direction, and

the first staircase structure and the second staircase structure face each other in the first direction,

wherein the dummy stack structure further includes second insulating layers between the first insulating layers, and

side surfaces of the dummy gate electrodes are in contact with side surfaces of the second insulating layers.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 22, 2021
From: RHA, SANGHO; KIM, IKSOO; IM, JIWOON; PARK, BYUNGSUN; SHIN, SEONKYU
To: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 058459/0809 →
Priority Claims (1)
KR 10-2021-0001099 · Jan 5, 2021 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20220216227A1 · Jul 7, 2022
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