Semiconductor device and driving method thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9299813-B2
Application number	US-201414552551-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 25, 2014
Priority date	Aug 6, 2010
Publication date	Mar 29, 2016
Grant date	Mar 29, 2016

Abstract

A semiconductor device including a nonvolatile memory cell in which a writing transistor which includes an oxide semiconductor, a reading transistor which includes a semiconductor material different from that of the writing transistor, and a capacitor are included is provided. Data is written to the memory cell by turning on the writing transistor and applying a potential to a node where a source electrode (or a drain electrode) of the writing transistor, one electrode of the capacitor, and a gate electrode of the reading transistor are electrically connected, and then turning off the writing transistor, so that the predetermined amount of charge is held in the node. Further, when a p-channel transistor is used as the reading transistor, a reading potential is a positive potential.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A semiconductor device comprising:
a bit line;
a source line;
a word line; and
a memory cell comprising a first transistor and a second transistor,
wherein the first transistor is a p-channel transistor,
wherein the first transistor comprises a first gate, a first source, a first drain, and a first channel formation region comprising crystalline silicon,
wherein the second transistor comprises a second gate, a second source, a second drain, and an oxide semiconductor layer including a second channel formation region,
wherein the first gate is electrically connected to one of the second source and the second drain,
wherein one of the first source and the first drain and the other of the second source and the second drain are electrically connected to the bit line,
wherein the other of the first source and the first drain is electrically connected to the source line, and
wherein the second gate is electrically connected to the word line.

2. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein the second transistor overlaps with the first transistor with a first insulating layer interposed therebetween.

3. The semiconductor device according to claim 2 , further comprising a second insulating layer covering the second transistor,
wherein the bit line is over the second insulating layer.

4. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein the second transistor is an n-channel transistor.

5. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 , further comprising a source line switching circuit electrically connected to the source line,
wherein the source line switching circuit is configured to switch a potential of the source line.

6. The semiconductor device according to claim 5 , further comprising a first driver circuit, a second driver circuit and a third driver circuit,
wherein the bit line is electrically connected to the first driver circuit,
wherein the word line is electrically connected to the second driver circuit, and
wherein the third driver circuit is configured to control the source line switching circuit, the first driver circuit and the second driver circuit.

7. A semiconductor device comprising:
a bit line;
a source line;
a first word line;
a second word line; and
a memory cell comprising a first transistor, a second transistor and a capacitor,
wherein the first transistor is a p-channel transistor,
wherein the first transistor comprises a first gate, a first source, a first drain, and a first channel formation region comprising crystalline silicon,
wherein the second transistor comprises a second gate, a second source, a second drain, and an oxide semiconductor layer including a second channel formation region,
wherein the first gate, one of the second source and the second drain, and one of a pair of electrodes of the capacitor are electrically connected to one another,
wherein one of the first source and the first drain and the other of the second source and the second drain are electrically connected to the bit line,
wherein the other of the first source and the first drain is electrically connected to the source line,
wherein the second gate is electrically connected to the first word line, and
wherein the other of the pair of electrodes of the capacitor is electrically connected to the second word line.

8. The semiconductor device according to claim 7 , wherein the capacitor and the second transistor overlap with the first transistor with a first insulating layer interposed therebetween.

9. The semiconductor device according to claim 8 , further comprising a second insulating layer covering the second transistor,
wherein the bit line is over the second insulating layer.

10. The semiconductor device according to claim 7 , wherein the second transistor is an n-channel transistor.

11. The semiconductor device according to claim 7 , further comprising a source line switching circuit electrically connected to the source line,
wherein the source line switching circuit is configured to switch a potential of the source line.

12. The semiconductor device according to claim 11 , further comprising a first driver circuit, a second driver circuit and a third driver circuit,
wherein the bit line is electrically connected to the first driver circuit,
wherein the first word line and the second word line are electrically connected to the second driver circuit, and
wherein the third driver circuit is configured to control the source line switching circuit, the first driver circuit and the second driver circuit.

13. A semiconductor device comprising:
a bit line;
a first word line;
a second word line;
a first memory cell and a second memory cell, each of the first memory cell and the second memory cell comprising:
a first transistor; and
a second transistor,
wherein the first transistor is a p-channel transistor,
wherein the first transistor comprises a first gate, a first source, a first drain, and a first channel formation region comprising crystalline silicon,
wherein the second transistor comprises a second gate, a second source, a second drain, and an oxide semiconductor layer including a second channel formation region, and
wherein the first gate is electrically connected to one of the second source and the second drain,

wherein one of the first source and the first drain and the other of the second source and the second drain in each of the first memory cell and the second memory cell are electrically connected to the bit line,
wherein the second gate in the first memory cell is electrically connected to the first word line, and
wherein the second gate in the second memory cell is electrically connected to the second word line.

14. The semiconductor device according to claim 13 ,
wherein each of the first memory cell and the second memory cell further comprises a capacitor, and
wherein one of a pair of electrodes of the capacitor is electrically connected to the first gate.

15. The semiconductor device according to claim 13 , wherein in each of the first memory cell and the second memory cell, the second transistor overlaps with the first transistor with a first insulating layer interposed therebetween.

16. The semiconductor device according to claim 15 , further comprising a second insulating layer covering the second transistor in each of the first memory cell and the second memory cell,
wherein the bit line is over the second insulating layer.

17. The semiconductor device according to claim 13 , wherein the second transistor is an n-channel transistor.

18. The semiconductor device according to claim 13 , further comprising a source line and a source line switching circuit electrically connected to the source line,
wherein the source line is electrically connected to the other of the second source and the second drain in each of the first memory cell and the second memory cell, and
wherein the source line switching circuit is configured to switch a potential of the source line.

19. The semiconductor device according to claim 18 , further comprising a first driver circuit, a second driver circuit and a third driver circuit,
wherein the bit line is electrically connected to the first driver circuit,
wherein the first word line and the second word line are electrically connected to the second driver circuit, and
wherein the third driver circuit is configured to control the source line switching circuit, the first driver circuit and the second driver circuit.

Assignees

• Semiconductor Energy Lab

Inventors

• Inoue Hiroki
• Kato Kiyoshi
• Matsuzaki Takanori
• Nagatsuka Shuhei

Classifications

• H10P95/90

  Thermal treatments, e.g. annealing or sintering · CPC title

• H10P30/202

  characterised by the semiconductor materials · CPC title

• H10P14/3434

  being oxide semiconductor materials (Group IIB-VIA semiconductor materials H10P14/3424) · CPC title

• H10P14/22

  using physical deposition, e.g. vacuum deposition or sputtering · CPC title

• H10D64/011

  of electrodes ohmically coupled to a semiconductor · CPC title