Method of forming seamless drain-select-level electrodes for a three-dimensional memory device and structures formed by the same

1. A method of forming a three-dimensional memory device, comprising:

forming memory pillar structures extending through an alternating stack of insulating layers and word-line-level electrically conductive layers over a substrate, wherein each of the memory pillar structures comprises a vertical semiconductor channel and a memory film in contact with the vertical semiconductor channel, and wherein each of the memory pillar structures protrudes above an insulating cap layer located above the alternating stack to provide an inter-pillar gap region that laterally extends between laterally-neighboring pairs of the memory pillar structures;

providing a metal-nucleating material having a physically exposed metal-nucleating surface at a bottom of the inter-pillar gap region without covering upper portions of sidewalls of the memory pillar structures with the metal-nucleating material; and

selectively growing a metal upward from the physically exposed metal-nucleating surface while suppressing growth of the metal from physically exposed vertical surfaces around the memory pillar structures,

wherein the metal-nucleating material having the physically exposed metal-nucleating surface is formed by:

depositing a continuous layer of the metal-nucleating material at the bottom of the inter-pillar gap region, over sidewalls of the memory pillar structures, and over top surfaces of the memory pillar structures; and

inducing thermal migration of the metal-nucleating material at an elevated temperature that is lower than a melting temperature of the metal-nucleating material, wherein the metal-nucleating material is removed from above the top surfaces of the memory pillar structures and a remaining portion of the metal-nucleating material forms a metal-nucleating material layer having a continuous top surface located below a horizontal plane including top surfaces of the memory pillar structures.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the metal-nucleating material is not physically exposed over top surfaces of the memory pillar structures at a processing step of selectively growing the metal.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein:

the metal-nucleating material comprises cobalt; and

the metal comprises a material selected from tungsten, molybdenum or ruthenium.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

depositing a metallic nitride liner on a bottom surface of the inter-pillar gap region, on the sidewalls of the memory pillar structures, and on the top surfaces of the memory pillar structures, wherein the continuous layer of the metal-nucleating material is formed on the metallic nitride liner; and

removing portions of the metallic nitride liner that protrude above a top surface of a metal layer formed by growth of the metal.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

forming a non-metallic liner on a bottom surface of the inter-pillar gap region without covering upper portions of sidewalls of the memory pillar structures;

forming a metallic nitride liner on the non-metallic liner and on the sidewalls of the memory pillar structures, wherein the metallic nitride liner comprises a planar bottom portion having a first thickness and including holes therethrough and located over a bottom surface of the inter-pillar gap region; and

selectively depositing the metal-nucleating material on physically exposed surfaces of the non-metallic liner without growth of the metal-nucleating material from surfaces of the metallic nitride liner.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein:

the metal-nucleating material comprises cobalt; and

the metal comprises a material selected from tungsten, molybdenum or ruthenium.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein:

the non-metallic liner is formed by an anisotropic deposition process of a non-metallic material and an isotropic etch back process of the non-metallic material, wherein non-metallic plates are formed over top surfaces of the memory pillar structures concurrently with formation of the non-metallic liner; and

the metallic nitride liner is formed by an anisotropic deposition process and comprises planar top portions without holes therethrough, having a second thickness greater than the first thickness, and overlying the non-metallic plates.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein:

the memory pillar structures are formed through the metal-nucleating material layer that overlies the alternating stack; and

the physically exposed metal-nucleating surface comprise a top surface of the metal-nucleating material layer that is physically exposed at a bottom of the inter-pillar gap region.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein:

the metal-nucleating material layer comprises a semiconductor material layer; and

the metal comprises a material selected from tungsten, cobalt, ruthenium, or molybdenum.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein:

the metal-nucleating material layer comprises a planar silicon nitride layer;

the method comprises providing semiconductor oxide surfaces on sidewalls and top surfaces of the memory pillar structures; and

the metal is grown from a top surface of the silicon nitride layer and does not grow from the semiconductor oxide surfaces.

11. A method of forming a three-dimensional memory device, comprising:

forming memory pillar structures extending through an alternating stack of insulating layers and word-line-level electrically conductive layers over a substrate, wherein each of the memory pillar structures comprises a vertical semiconductor channel and a memory film in contact with the vertical semiconductor channel, and wherein each of the memory pillar structures protrudes above an insulating cap layer located above the alternating stack to provide an inter-pillar gap region that laterally extends between laterally-neighboring pairs of the memory pillar structures;

conformally depositing a metal over a bottom surface and sidewalls of the inter-pillar gap region and above top surfaces of the memory pillar structures; and

forming a drain-select-level electrically conductive layer by inducing thermal migration of the metal at an elevated temperature that is lower than a melting temperature of the metal, wherein the metal is removed from above the top surfaces of the memory pillar structures, and thermally migrated portions of the metal fill a bottom portion of the inter-pillar gap region to provide a drain-select-level electrically conductive layer.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:

depositing a metallic nitride liner on the bottom surface of the inter-pillar gap region, on sidewalls of the memory pillar structures, and on the top surfaces of the memory pillar structures, wherein the metal is deposited as a continuous layer on the metallic nitride liner; and

removing portions of the metallic nitride liner that protrude above a top surface of a metal portion including the metal after the metal is thermally migrated, wherein the metal comprises cobalt.

13. A method of forming a three-dimensional memory device, comprising:

forming memory pillar structures extending through an alternating stack of insulating layers and word-line-level electrically conductive layers over a substrate, wherein each of the memory pillar structures comprises a vertical semiconductor channel and a memory film in contact with the vertical semiconductor channel, and wherein each of the memory pillar structures protrudes above an insulating cap layer located above the alternating stack to provide an inter-pillar gap region that laterally extends between laterally-neighboring pairs of the memory pillar structures;

providing a metal-nucleating material having a physically exposed metal-nucleating surface at a bottom of the inter-pillar gap region without covering upper portions of sidewalls of the memory pillar structures with the metal-nucleating material by forming a non-metallic liner on a bottom surface of the inter-pillar gap region without covering upper portions of sidewalls of the memory pillar structures, and by forming a metallic nitride liner on the non-metallic liner and on the sidewalls of the memory pillar structures, wherein the metallic nitride liner comprises a planar bottom portion having a first thickness and including holes therethrough and located over a bottom surface of the inter-pillar gap region; and

selectively growing a metal upward from the physically exposed metal-nucleating surface while suppressing growth of the metal from physically exposed vertical surfaces around the memory pillar structures by selectively depositing the metal-nucleating material on physically exposed surfaces of the non-metallic liner without growth of the metal-nucleating material from surfaces of the metallic nitride liner,

wherein the method further comprises at least one feature selected from:

a first feature that the metal-nucleating material comprises cobalt, and the metal comprises a material selected from tungsten, molybdenum or ruthenium; or

a second feature that:

the non-metallic liner is formed by an anisotropic deposition process of a non-metallic material and an isotropic etch back process of the non-metallic material, wherein non-metallic plates are formed over top surfaces of the memory pillar structures concurrently with formation of the non-metallic liner; and

the metallic nitride liner is formed by an anisotropic deposition process and comprises planar top portions without holes therethrough, having a second thickness greater than the first thickness, and overlying the non-metallic plates.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the method comprises the first feature.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the method comprises the second feature.