Embedded memory in three-dimensional integrated circuit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11270998-B2
Application number	US-201815943537-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 2, 2018
Priority date	Apr 2, 2018
Publication date	Mar 8, 2022
Grant date	Mar 8, 2022

Abstract

Described herein are apparatuses, methods, and systems associated with a memory circuit in a three-dimensional (3D) integrated circuit (IC). A control circuit of the memory circuit may include logic transistors in a logic layer of the 3D IC. The control circuit may further include one or more interconnects (e.g., local or global interconnects) and/or other devices in one or more front-side metal layers of the 3D IC. The memory circuit may further include a memory array in back-side metal layers of the 3D IC. The memory array may be formed in the back-side metal layers that are closest to the logic layer. Other embodiments may be described and claimed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An integrated circuit (IC) die including:
a control circuit including logic transistors in a logic layer of the IC die; and
a memory array in back-side metal layers of the IC die, wherein the memory array is coupled to the control circuit to be controlled by the control circuit, and wherein the memory array includes:
a word line in a first back-side metal layer that is closest to the logic layer; and
a memory cell, wherein the memory cell includes:
a storage device; and
a selector transistor, wherein the selector transistor has a source terminal coupled to the storage device and a gate terminal coupled to the word line, wherein the transistor is at least partially in a second back-side metal layer that is adjacent the first back-side metal layer.

2. The IC die of claim 1 , wherein the storage device is at least partially in a third back-side metal layer that is adjacent the second back-side metal layer and further from the logic layer than the first and second back-side metal layers.

3. The IC die of claim 2 , wherein the storage device is a capacitor.

4. The IC die of claim 1 , wherein the control circuit includes a word line driver that includes one or more of the logic transistors coupled to the word line to provide a word line signal to the word line.

5. The IC die of claim 1 , wherein the memory array further includes a bit line in the second back-side metal layer, wherein the bit line is coupled to a drain terminal of the selector transistor.

6. The IC die of claim 5 , wherein the control circuit includes a sense amplifier that includes one or more of the logic transistors coupled to the bit line.

7. The IC die of claim 1 , wherein the control circuit further includes one or more local interconnects in one or more front-side metal layers of the IC die to route signals between the logic transistors of the control circuit.

8. The IC die of claim 7 , further comprising:
a processor core including other logic transistors in the logic layer; and
one or more global interconnects in one or more of the front-side metal layers to route signals between the control circuit and the processor core.

9. A method comprising:
forming a control circuit including a plurality of logic transistors in a logic layer of an integrated circuit (IC) die, the control circuit to control a memory array;
forming a word line of the memory array in a first back-side metal layer that is closest to the logic layer; and
forming a memory cell of the memory array, the forming the memory cell including:
forming a selector thin-film transistor (TFT) at least partially in a second back-side metal layer that is adjacent the first back-side metal layer, wherein a gate terminal of the selector TFT is coupled to the word line; and
forming a capacitor at least partially in a third back-side metal layer that is adjacent the second back-side metal layer and further from the logic layer than the first and second back-side metal layers, wherein the capacitor is coupled to a source terminal of the selector TFT at a storage node of the memory cell.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein forming the control circuit includes forming a word line driver that includes one or more of the logic transistors coupled to the word line to provide a word line signal to the word line.

11. The method of claim 9 , further comprising forming a bit line of the memory array in the second back-side metal layer, wherein the bit line is coupled to a drain terminal of the selector transistor.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein forming the control circuit includes forming a sense amplifier that includes one or more of the logic transistors coupled to the bit line.

13. The method of claim 9 , further comprising forming one or more local interconnects in a first front-side metal layer that is closest to the logic layer, the one or more local interconnects to route signals between the logic transistors of the control circuit.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:
forming a processor core including other logic transistors of the logic layer; and
forming one or more global interconnects in a second front-side metal layer that is adjacent the first front-side metal layer, the one or more global interconnects to route signals between the control circuit and the processor core.

15. A computer system comprising:
a circuit board; and
an integrated circuit (IC) die coupled to the circuit board, wherein the IC die includes:
a processor including a first plurality of logic transistors in a logic layer of the IC die; and
an embedded dynamic random access memory (eDRAM) coupled to the processor, the eDRAM including:
a control circuit including a second plurality of logic transistors in the logic layer of the IC die, and the control circuit further comprising one or more local interconnects in a front-side metal layer of the IC die to route signals between logic transistors of the second plurality of logic transistors; and
a memory array in back-side metal layers of the IC die and at least partially below the control circuit, wherein the control circuit is to control the memory array, and wherein the memory array is in the back-side metal layers that are closest to the logic layer.

16. The computer system of claim 15 , wherein the memory array includes:
word lines in a first back-side metal layer that is closest to the logic layer; and
selector transistors of respective memory cells of the memory array, wherein the selector transistors are at least partially in a second back-side metal layer adjacent the first back-side metal layers.

17. The computer system of claim 16 , wherein the memory array further includes capacitors of the respective memory cells at least partially in a third back-side metal layer that is adjacent the second back-side metal layer.

18. The computer system of claim 16 , wherein the control circuit includes word line drivers that include one or more of the second plurality of logic transistors coupled to the respective word lines to provide a word line signal to the respective word lines.

19. The computer system of claim 16 , wherein the memory array further includes bit lines in the second back-side metal layer.

20. The computer system of claim 19 , wherein the control circuit includes sense amplifiers coupled to the respective bit lines, wherein the sense amplifiers include one or more of the second plurality of logic transistors coupled to the bit line.

21. The computer system of claim 15 , wherein the IC die further includes one or more global interconnects in one or more of the front-side metal layers to route signals between the control circuit and the processor core.

22. The computer system of claim 15 , further comprising one or more of an antenna, a display, a network adapter, or a memory device coupled to the IC die.

Assignees

• Intel Corp

Inventors

• Wang Yih

Classifications

• H10D88/101

  comprising components on opposite major surfaces of semiconductor substrates · CPC title

• H10D88/01

  Manufacture or treatment · CPC title

• H10D84/038

  using silicon technology, e.g. SiGe · CPC title

• H10D88/00 Primary

  Three-dimensional [3D] integrated devices · CPC title

• G11C11/4091

  Sense or sense/refresh amplifiers, or associated sense circuitry, e.g. for coupled bit-line precharging, equalising or isolating · CPC title