IP Library › Granted Patent US 10,243,000
Granted Patent B2
US 10,243,000 · App. 15/598,539 · Granted Mar 26, 2019

3-dimensional non-volatile memory device and method of fabricating the same

Inventors: Hyun Chul Sohn (Seoul, KR); Hee Do Na (Seoul, KR); Young Mo Kim (Seoul, KR)
Assignee: UNIVERSITY-INDUSTRY FOUNDATION (UIF), YONSEI UNIVERSITY
H01L27/11582H01L21/28282H01L27/1157H01L27/11524H01L27/11556
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,243,000
App. No.
15/598,539
Granted
Mar 26, 2019
Kind
B2
Abstract

Provided are a 3-dimensional non-volatile memory device and a method of fabricating the same. The 3-dimensional non-volatile memory device may include a substrate; semiconductor pillars, which are arranged at a certain interval in a first direction and a second direction different from the first direction; a string isolation film, which is arranged between the semiconductor pillars arranged in the first direction among the semiconductor pillars and extends in the first direction and a third direction vertical to the main surface of the substrate; first sub-electrodes repeatedly stacked on the substrate in the third direction; second sub-electrodes, which are electrically isolated from the first sub-electrodes by the string isolation film, and are repeatedly stacked on the substrate in the third direction; and information storage films including a first information storage film and a second information storage film.

Claims (46)

1. A 3-dimensional non-volatile memory device comprising:

a substrate;

semiconductor pillars, which are arranged at a certain interval in a first direction and a second direction different from the first direction, and both of the first direction and the second direction are parallel to a main surface of the substrate;

a string isolation film, which is arranged between the semiconductor pillars arranged in the first direction among the semiconductor pillars and extends in the first direction and a third direction vertical to the main surface of the substrate;

first sub-electrodes repeatedly stacked on the substrate in the third direction;

second sub-electrodes, which are electrically isolated from the first sub-electrodes by the string isolation film, and are repeatedly stacked on the substrate in the third direction; and

information storage films including a first information storage film and a second information storage film, the first information film being disposed between the first sub-electrodes and the semiconductor pillars arranged in the first direction, and the second information storage film disposed between the second sub-electrodes and the semiconductor pillars being arranged in the first direction,

wherein first memory strings are provided by a first information storage film and the first sub-electrodes,

wherein second memory strings are provided by a second information storage film and the second sub-electrodes,

wherein the first memory string and the second memory string share the semiconductor pillars arranged in the first direction,

wherein the information storage film comprises a tunneling insulation film on the semiconductor pillar, a charge storage layer on the tunneling insulation film, and a blocking insulation film on the charge storage layer,

wherein the tunneling insulating film is isolated into each cell in a vertical direction along a sidewall of the semiconductor pillars and surrounds the charge storage layer, the blocking insulating film and the sub-electrode,

wherein the information storage film extends onto a sidewall of the string isolation film.

2. The 3-dimensional non-volatile memory device of claim 1 , wherein the string isolation film has a plate-type structure having a constant thickness.

3. The 3-dimensional non-volatile memory device of claim 1 , further comprising:

an interlayer insulation film repeatedly stacked on the substrate with the information storage films in a vertical direction; and

a device isolation film for electrically isolating the sub-electrodes disposed between the semiconductor pillars arranged in the second direction,

wherein the tunneling insulating film is continuously disposed on an upper and a lower surfaces of the interlayer insulation film as well as channel regions of the semiconductor pillars exposed between the interlayer insulating films.

4. The 3-dimensional non-volatile memory device of claim 3 , wherein an insulation layer pattern is inserted between the first sub-electrodes and the second sub-electrode, and the insulation layer pattern and the string isolation film are formed of a same material.

5. The 3-dimensional non-volatile memory device of claim 3 , wherein an insulation layer pattern is inserted between the first sub-electrodes and the second sub-electrode, and the insulation layer pattern and the string isolation film are formed of different materials having etch selectivity.

6. The 3-dimensional non-volatile memory device of claim 1 , wherein contact surfaces of the semiconductor pillar against the first sub-electrode and the second sub-electrode have circular arc cross-sections.

7. The 3-dimensional non-volatile memory device of claim 1 , wherein the circular arc cross-sections have semicircular shapes.

8. The 3-dimensional non-volatile memory device of claim 6 , wherein the centers of the circular arc cross-sections have a distance greater than the thickness of the string isolation film.

9. The 3-dimensional non-volatile memory device of claim 1 , wherein the semiconductor pillar comprises:

a core insulator extending in the vertical direction; and

a semiconductor layer formed on the core insulator.

10. The 3-dimensional non-volatile memory device of claim 1 , wherein the semiconductor layer comprises poly-silicon, and thickness of the semiconductor layer is from about 8 nm to about 12 nm.

11. The 3-dimensional non-volatile memory device of claim 1 , wherein the semiconductor pillar has a straight-shaped bit cost scalable structure (BiCs), a pipe-shaped BiCs structure, or a combination thereof.

12. The 3-dimensional non-volatile memory device of claim 1 , wherein the memory strings constitute a NAND-type flash memory device.

13. A 3-dimensional non-volatile memory device comprising:

a substrate;

semiconductor pillars, which are arranged at a certain interval in a first direction and a second direction different from the first direction, and both of the first direction and the second direction are parallel to a main surface of the substrate;

a string isolation film, which is arranged between the semiconductor pillars arranged in the first direction among the semiconductor pillars and extends in the first direction and a third direction vertical to the main surface of the substrate;

first sub-electrodes repeatedly stacked on the substrate in the third direction;

second sub-electrodes, which are electrically isolated from the first sub-electrodes by the string isolation film, and are repeatedly stacked on the substrate in the third direction; and

information storage films including a first information storage film and a second information storage film,

wherein first memory strings are provided by a first information storage film and the first sub-electrodes,

wherein second memory strings are provided by a second information storage film and the second sub-electrodes,

wherein the first memory string and the second memory string share the semiconductor pillars arranged in the first direction,

wherein the information storage film comprises a tunneling insulation film on the semiconductor pillar, a charge storage layer on the tunneling insulation film, and a blocking insulation film on the charge storage layer,

wherein the tunneling insulating layer is isolated into each cell in a vertical direction along a sidewall of the semiconductor pillars and surrounds the charge storage layer, the blocking insulating film and the sub-electrode,

wherein the information storage film extends onto a sidewall of the string isolation film.

14. The 3-dimensional non-volatile memory device of claim 13 , wherein the string isolation film has a plate-type structure having a constant thickness.

15. The 3-dimensional non-volatile memory device of claim 13 , wherein contact surfaces of the semiconductor pillar against the first sub-electrode and the second sub-electrode have circular arc cross-sections.

16. The 3-dimensional non-volatile memory device of claim 13 , wherein the circular arc cross-sections have semicircular shapes.

17. The 3-dimensional non-volatile memory device of claim 15 , wherein the centers of the circular arc cross-sections have a distance greater than the thickness of the string isolation film.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 18, 2017
From: SOHN, HYUN CHUL; NA, HEE DO; KIM, YOUNG MO
To: UNIVERSITY-INDUSTRY FOUNDATION (UIF), YONSEI UNIVERSITY
Reel/Frame 042422/0893 →
Priority Claims (1)
KR 10-2016-0061462 · May 19, 2016 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20170338243A1 · Nov 23, 2017