Semiconductor memory device including pillar-shaped semiconductor layers and a method of fabricating the same

1. A semiconductor memory device comprising:

a semiconductor substrate;

an impurity diffusion layer formed in a cell array area of the semiconductor substrate to serve as a common source line in the cell array;

a gate wiring stack body formed on the cell array area of the substrate with an elongate pattern, in which multiple gate wirings are stacked and separated from each other with insulating films interposed therebetween;

a gate insulating film formed on the side surface of the gate wiring stack body, in which an insulating charge storage layer is contained;

a plurality of pillar-shaped semiconductor layers arranged in the elongated direction of the gate wiring stack body at a certain pitch, at least one side surfaces of which are opposed to the gate wiring stack body via the gate insulating film, other side surfaces thereof being in contact with a device isolating dielectric film, each the pillar-shaped semiconductor layer having the same conductivity type as the impurity diffusion layer and a lower impurity concentration than the impurity diffusion layer; and

data lines formed to be in contact with the upper surfaces of the pillar-shaped semiconductor layers and intersect the gate wirings,

the gate wiring stack body and one of the pillar-shaped semiconductor layers opposed to the gate wiring stack body via the gate insulating film comprising a NAND cell unit, the NAND cell unit including vertical select gate transistors formed at the lowest portion and the uppermost portion of the pillar-shaped semiconductor layer with the gate wirings serving as select gate lines and vertical memory cells stacked between the vertical select gate transistors with the gate wirings serving as word lines, wherein

one side surface of each pillar-shaped semiconductor layer is opposed to the gate wiring stack body while the remaining three side surfaces thereof are in contact with a device insulating film.

2. The semiconductor memory device according to claim 1 , wherein

a plurality of the gate wiring stack bodies are arranged, and

the pillar-shaped semiconductor layers are arranged along the same side surfaces of the respective gate wiring stack bodies.

3. The semiconductor memory device according to claim 1 , wherein

a plurality of the gate wiring stack bodies are arranged, and

the pillar-shaped semiconductor layers are arranged in such a manner that one array is opposed to one side surface of one gate wiring stack body; and the following array to the other side surface of the following gate wiring stack body.

4. The semiconductor memory device according to claim 1 , wherein

a plurality of the gate wiring stack bodies are arranged, and

opposite side surfaces of one of the pillar-shaped semiconductor layers are opposed to adjacent two gate wiring stack bodies via the gate insulating films, respectively; and the remaining two side surfaces are in contact with the device isolating film, and

first and second NAND cell units are formed to share the one of the pillar-shaped semiconductor layers as channel bodies thereof and share one of the data lines.

5. The semiconductor memory device according to claim 4 , wherein

in a data read mode, one of the first and second NAND cell units is selected while all memory cells in the other are so biased as to be off without regard to cell data.

6. The semiconductor memory device according to claim 1 , wherein

a plurality of the gate wiring stack bodies are arranged, and

two arrays of the pillar-shaped semiconductor layers are disposed along each gate wiring stack body so as to be opposed to opposite side surfaces of the gate wiring stack body via gate insulating films.

7. The semiconductor memory device according to claim 6 , wherein

two pillar-shaped semiconductor layers sandwiching one of the gate wiring stack bodies are coupled to a common data line.

8. The semiconductor memory device according to claim 6 , wherein

two pillar-shaped semiconductor layers sandwiching one of the gate wiring stack bodies are coupled to different data lines from each other.

9. The semiconductor memory device according to claim 1 , wherein

a plurality of the gate wiring stack bodies are arranged, and

adjacent two arrays of the pillar-shaped semiconductor layers are opposed to opposite side surfaces of each gate wiring stack body via the gate insulating films, while adjacent two gate wiring stack bodies are opposed to opposite side surfaces of each array of the pillar-shaped semiconductor layers.

10. The semiconductor memory device according to claim 9 , wherein

two pillar-shaped semiconductor layers sandwiching one of the gate wiring stack bodies are coupled to a common data line.

11. The semiconductor memory device according to claim 9 , wherein

two pillar-shaped semiconductor layers sandwiching one of the gate wiring stack bodies are coupled to different data lines from each other.

12. The semiconductor memory device according to claim 1 , wherein

at least one of the vertical select gate transistors in the NAND cell unit has a gate insulating film with no charge storage layer formed therein.

13. The semiconductor memory device according to claim 1 , wherein

the gate wirings in the gate wiring stack body are formed of metal films or metal silicide films.

14. The semiconductor memory device according to claim 1 , wherein the gate insulating film is formed continuously along the pillar-shaped semiconductor layer and the multiple gate wirings.

15. The semiconductor memory device according to claim 1 , wherein the pillar-shaped semiconductor layer includes a semiconductor of a first conductivity type.