Memory array including dummy regions
3D memory arrays including dummy conductive lines and methods of forming the same are disclosed. In an embodiment, a memory array includes a ferroelectric (FE) material over a semiconductor substrate, the FE material including vertical sidewalls in contact with a word line; an oxide semiconductor (OS) layer over the FE material, the OS layer contacting a source line and a bit line, the FE material being between the OS layer and the word line; a transistor including a portion of the FE material, a portion of the word line, a portion of the OS layer, a portion of the source line, and a portion of the bit line; and a first dummy word line between the transistor and the semiconductor substrate, the FE material further including first tapered sidewalls in contact with the first dummy word line.
1. A memory array comprising:
a ferroelectric (FE) material over a semiconductor substrate, the FE material comprising vertical sidewalls in contact with a word line;
an oxide semiconductor (OS) layer over the FE material, the OS layer contacting a source line and a bit line, wherein the FE material is between the OS layer and the word line;
a transistor comprising a portion of the FE material, a portion of the word line, a portion of the OS layer, a portion of the source line, and a portion of the bit line; and
a first dummy word line between the transistor and the semiconductor substrate, wherein the FE material further comprises first tapered sidewalls in contact with the first dummy word line, wherein a slope of a sidewall the portion of the FE material adjacent the portion of the word line is different than a slope of the first tapered sidewalls of the FE material.
2. The memory array of claim 1 , further comprising a second dummy word line over the transistor, the transistor being between the second dummy word line and the semiconductor substrate, wherein the FE material further comprises second tapered sidewalls in contact with the second dummy word line.
3. The memory array of claim 2 , wherein a distance between opposite sidewalls of the second tapered sidewalls of the FE material decreases in a direction toward the semiconductor substrate.
4. The memory array of claim 1 , wherein a distance between opposite sidewalls of the first tapered sidewalls of the FE material decreases in a direction toward the semiconductor substrate.
5. The memory array of claim 1 , further comprising:
a functional memory cell region comprising the word line and the transistor; and
a first dummy region between the functional memory cell region and the semiconductor substrate, the first dummy region comprising the first dummy word line, wherein a ratio of a thickness of the first dummy region in a first direction perpendicular to a major surface of the semiconductor substrate to a thickness of the functional memory cell region in the first direction is from 0.01 to 0.6.
6. The memory array of claim 1 , wherein the word line has a first length in a second direction parallel to a major surface of the semiconductor substrate, wherein the first dummy word line has a second length in the second direction, and wherein the second length is greater than the first length.
7. The memory array of claim 6 , further comprising a second dummy word line between the first dummy word line and the semiconductor substrate, the second dummy word line having a third length in the second direction equal to the second length.
8. A memory array comprising:
one or more lower dummy word lines over a semiconductor substrate;
one or more word lines over the lower dummy word lines;
one or more upper dummy word lines over the word lines;
a source line extending through the lower dummy word lines, the word lines, and the upper dummy word lines;
a bit line extending through the lower dummy word lines, the word lines, and the upper dummy word lines; and
one or more transistors, each of the transistors comprising a portion of one of the word lines, a portion of the source line, and a portion of the bit line, wherein the upper dummy word lines have widths less than widths of the word lines, and wherein the upper dummy word lines have lengths less than lengths of the word lines.
9. The memory array of claim 8 , wherein the widths of the word lines are less than widths of the lower dummy word lines, and wherein the lengths of the word lines are less than lengths of the lower dummy word lines.
10. The memory array of claim 8 , wherein portions of the bit line and the source line extending through the lower dummy word lines and the upper dummy word lines have tapered sidewalls.
11. The memory array of claim 10 , wherein portions of the bit line and the source line extending through the word lines have vertical sidewalls.
12. The memory array of claim 8 , further comprising a lower dummy region, a functional memory cell region over the lower dummy region, and an upper dummy region over the functional memory cell region, wherein the lower dummy word lines are disposed in the lower dummy region, wherein the word lines and the one or more transistors are disposed in the functional memory cell region, wherein the upper dummy word lines are disposed in the upper dummy region, wherein a ratio of a first thickness of the lower dummy region to a second thickness of the functional memory cell region is from 0.01 to 0.6, and wherein a ratio of a third thickness of the upper dummy region to the second thickness is from 0.01 to 0.6.
13. The memory array of claim 8 , wherein the lower dummy word lines comprise a first dummy word line and a second dummy word line, the second dummy word line being further from the semiconductor substrate than the first dummy word line, the second dummy word line having a length equal to a length of the first dummy word line.
14. The memory array of claim 8 , wherein the lower dummy word lines comprise a first dummy word line and a second dummy word line, the second dummy word line being further from the semiconductor substrate than the first dummy word line, the second dummy word line having a length less than a length of the first dummy word line.
15. A memory array comprising:
a plurality of first dummy word lines on a semiconductor substrate;
a plurality of first word lines on the first dummy word lines;
a plurality of second dummy word lines on the first word lines;
a ferroelectric (FE) material extending along side surfaces of the first dummy word lines, the first word lines, and the second dummy word lines, wherein the FE material has first tapered sidewalls extending along the side surfaces of the first dummy word lines, wherein the FE material has vertical sidewalls extending along the side surfaces of the first word lines, and wherein the FE material has second tapered sidewalls extending along the side surfaces of the second dummy word lines; and
an oxide semiconductor (OS) layer on the FE material.
16. The memory array of claim 15 , further comprising:
a plurality of dummy transistors, the dummy transistors comprising first portions of the OS layer, first portions of the FE material, and portions of the first dummy word lines; and
a plurality of transistors, the transistors comprising second portions of the OS layer, second portions of the FE material, and portions of the first word lines.
17. The memory array of claim 15 , wherein the first tapered sidewalls and the second tapered sidewalls narrow in a direction towards the semiconductor substrate.
18. The memory array of claim 15 , wherein the first dummy word lines have first lengths equal to a second length of a bottommost first word line of the first word lines.
19. The memory array of claim 15 , wherein a bottommost first word line of the first word lines has a first length, wherein a topmost first dummy word line of the first dummy word lines has a second length, wherein a bottommost first dummy word line of the first dummy word lines has a third length, wherein the third length is greater than the second length, and wherein the second length is greater than the first length.
20. The memory array of claim 15 , wherein a topmost first word line of the first word lines has a first length, wherein a bottommost second dummy word line of the second dummy word lines has a second length, wherein a topmost second dummy word line of the second dummy word lines has a third length, wherein the first length is greater than the second length, and wherein the second length is greater than the third length.