Method for manufacturing a memory structure having stacked data lines and conductive structures on sides thereof
Some embodiments include apparatuses and methods of forming the apparatuses. One of the apparatus includes a first conductive contact; a second conductive contact; levels of conductive materials stacked over one another and located over the first and second conductive contacts; levels of dielectric materials interleaved with the levels of the conductive materials, the levels of conductive materials and the levels of dielectric materials formed a stack of materials; a first conductive structure located on a first side of the stack of materials and contacting the first conductive contact and a first level of conductive material of the levels of conductive materials; and a second conductive structure located on a second side of the stack of materials and contacting the second conductive contact and a second level of conductive material of the levels of conductive materials.
1 . A method comprising:
forming levels of conductive materials stacked over one another and located over a conductive contact;
forming levels of dielectric materials interleaved with the levels of the conductive materials;
forming a conductive structure contacting the conductive contact and contacting a level of conductive material of the levels of conductive materials, wherein the conductive contact contacts a conductive pillar of a memory cell string of a memory device, and the memory cell string is formed before the levels of conductive materials and the levels of dielectric materials are formed; and
forming a dielectric structure electrically separating the conductive structure from the levels of conductive materials except the level of conductive material.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the dielectric structure is formed before the conductive structure is formed.
3 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
forming an additional conductive structure contacting an additional conductive contact of an additional conductive pillar of an additional memory cell string of the memory device and contacting an additional level of conductive material of the levels of conductive materials; and
forming an additional dielectric structure electrically separating the additional conductive structure from the levels of conductive materials except the additional level of conductive material.
4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the levels of conductive materials and the levels of dielectric materials form a stack of materials, the conductive structure is formed on a first side of the stack of the materials, and the additional conductive structure is formed on a second side of the stack of the materials.
5 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
forming additional conductive structures contacting respective additional conductive pillars of additional memory cell strings of the memory device and contacting additional levels of conductive materials of the levels of conductive materials; and
forming dielectric structures electrically separating the conductive structure and the additional conductive structures from the levels of conductive materials.
6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the levels of conductive materials and the levels of dielectric materials form a stack of materials, and the conductive structure and the additional conductive structures are alternatively formed on sides of the stack of materials.
7 . A method comprising:
forming levels of first dielectric materials and levels of second dielectric materials interleaved with the levels of first dielectric materials, the levels of first dielectric materials and the levels of second dielectric materials are formed over conductive contacts of pillars of memory cell strings;
forming hard masks over the levels of first dielectric materials and the levels of second dielectric materials;
removing first portions of the levels of first dielectric materials and first portions of the levels of second dielectric materials to form a first staircase structure and a second staircase structure in a remaining portion of the levels of first dielectric materials and a remaining portion of the levels of second dielectric materials, wherein second portions of the levels of first dielectric materials under the hard mask and second portions of the levels of second dielectric materials under the hard mask are not removed when the first and second staircase structures are formed;
forming stacks of materials, such that the each of the stacks of materials includes a portion of the first staircase structure, a portion of the second staircase structure, and one of the second portions of the levels of first dielectric materials and the second portions of the levels of second dielectric materials;
removing the remaining portion of the levels of second dielectric materials in the first and second staircase structures, and the second portions of the levels of second dielectric materials under the hard mask;
forming a conductive material in spaces where the remaining portion of the levels of second dielectric materials in the first and second staircase structures and the second portions of the levels of second dielectric materials under the hard mask were removed; and
forming conductive structures such that a respective conductive structure of the conductive structures contacts a respective conductive material in one of the stacks of materials.
8 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the levels of first dielectric materials comprise silicon dioxide and the levels of second dielectric materials comprise silicon nitride.
9 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the second staircase structure is opposite from the first staircase structure.
10 . The method of claim 7 , further comprising:
forming dielectric spacers between the conductive structures and the stacks of materials to separate the conductive structures from the conductive material.
11 . The method of claim 7 , wherein top exposed portions of the first remaining portion of the levels of second dielectric materials of the first staircase structure are at uneven levels with the top exposed portions of the first remaining portion of the levels of second dielectric materials of the second staircase structure.
12 . A method comprising:
forming levels of first dielectric materials and levels of second dielectric materials interleaved with the levels of first dielectric materials, the levels of first dielectric materials and the levels of second dielectric materials are formed over conductive contacts of pillars of memory cell strings;
removing portions of the levels of first dielectric materials and portions of the levels of second dielectric materials to form stacks of materials, the stacks of materials separated from each other such that the each of the stacks of materials includes respective remaining portions of the levels of first dielectric materials and respective remaining portions of second portions of the levels of second dielectric materials;
removing the remaining portions of the levels of second dielectric materials in the stacks of materials;
forming a conductive material in spaces where the remaining portions of the levels of second dielectric materials in the stacks of materials were removed to form levels of conductive materials interleaved with the remaining portions of the levels of first dielectric materials, the levels of conductive materials interleaved with the remaining portions of the levels of first dielectric materials forming separate stacks of levels of conductive materials interleaved with the remaining portions of the levels of first dielectric materials; and
forming conductive structures such that a respective conductive structure of the conductive structures contacts a respective level of the levels of conductive materials in the stacks of levels of conductive materials interleaved with the remaining portions of the levels of first dielectric materials.
13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the levels of first dielectric materials comprise silicon dioxide.
14 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the levels of second dielectric materials comprise silicon nitride.
15 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the conductive structures include:
a first conductive structure formed on a first side of a stack among the stacks of levels of conductive materials interleaved with the remaining portions of the levels of first dielectric materials; and
a second conductive structure formed on a second side of the stack.
16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein:
the levels of conductive materials interleaved with the remaining portions of the levels of first dielectric materials in the stack include a first level, the first level including a first protrusion; and
the levels of conductive materials interleaved with the remaining portions of the levels of first dielectric materials in the stack include a second level, the second level including a second protrusion.
17 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the first and second protrusions are located on opposite sides of the stack.
18 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the first and second conductive structures contact different levels of conductive materials among the levels of conductive materials in the stack.
19 . The method of claim 18 , wherein the first and second conductive structures contact different conductive contacts among the conductive contacts of pillars of memory cell strings.