IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,482,749
Granted Patent B2
US 12,482,749 · App. 17/902,838 · Granted Nov 25, 2025

L-type wordline connection structure for three-dimensional memory

Inventors: Chang Seok Kang (Santa Clara, CA); Gill Yong Lee (San Jose, CA); Fred Fishburn (Apotos, CA); Tomohiko Kitajima (San Jose, CA); Sung-Kwan Kang (San Jose, CA); Sony Varghese (Manchester, MA)
Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
H01L23/5283H01L21/76816H01L21/76895H01L23/535
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,482,749
App. No.
17/902,838
Granted
Nov 25, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A semiconductor manufacturing process for forming a three-dimensional (3D) memory structure and a semiconductor device having a 3D memory structure is described. The 3D memory structure comprises layers of memory cells with L shaped conductive layers where the L shaped conductive layers of each layer are coupled to metal lines disposed above the top or upper most layer such that the memory cells in each layer can be coupled to control circuitry.

Claims (14)

1 . A three-dimensional (3D) memory device, comprising:

a first layer comprising a first trench having a first width;

a first plurality of unit pairs disposed inside the first trench;

a second layer disposed over the first layer, the second layer comprising a second trench having a second width smaller than the first width;

a second plurality of unit pairs disposed inside the second trench; and

a memory array formed from the first plurality of unit pairs and the second plurality of unit pairs, wherein conductors associated with the first plurality of unit pairs and the second plurality of unit pairs each are exposed on a top surface of the 3D memory device.

2 . The 3D memory device of claim 1 , the unit pairs comprising at least one conductor and at least one insulator.

3 . The 3D memory device of claim 2 , comprising a plurality of L-shaped conductors, each of the plurality of L-shaped conductors to couple to a respective one of the at least one conductor of the first plurality of unit pairs and the second plurality of unit pairs.

4 . The 3D memory device of claim 3 , comprising a plurality of contacts disposed on a surface of the second layer, the plurality of contacts coupled to the L-shaped conductors.

5 . The 3D memory device of claim 1 , wherein the first plurality of unit pairs comprises between 10 and 10,000 unit pairs each having a first thickness and the second plurality of unit pairs comprises between 10 and 10,000 unit pairs each having a second thickness.

6 . The 3D memory device of claim 5 , wherein a depth of the first trench is substantially equal to a number of unit pairs in the first plurality of unit pairs multiplied by the first thickness and wherein a depth of the second trench is substantially equal to a number of unit pairs in the second plurality of unit pairs multiplied by the second thickness.

7 . The 3D memory device of claim 6 , wherein the first thickness is substantially equal to the second thickness and wherein the number of unit pairs in the first plurality of unit pairs equals the number of unit pairs in the second plurality of unit pairs.

8 . The 3D memory device of claim 7 , wherein the width of the first trench comprises a length of the memory array plus the number of unit pairs in the first plurality of unit pairs multiplied by the first thickness multiplied by four (4) and wherein the width of the second trench comprises the length of the memory array plus the number of unit pairs in the second plurality of unit pairs multiplied by the second thickness multiplied by two (2).

9 . The 3D memory device of claim 1 , wherein the memory array comprises a dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) array or a not and (NAND) memory array.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 6, 2022
From: KANG, CHANG SEOK; LEE, GILL YONG; FISHBURN, FRED; KITAJIMA, TOMOHIKO; KANG, SUNG-KWAN; VARGHESE, SONY
To: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
Reel/Frame 060999/0107 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 63276851 · Nov 8, 2021
Related Publication 20230146831A1 · May 11, 2023
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