Semiconductor devices having air gaps

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9577115-B2
Application number	US-201113195347-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 1, 2011
Priority date	Aug 11, 2010
Publication date	Feb 21, 2017
Grant date	Feb 21, 2017

Abstract

A semiconductor device has an isolation layer pattern, a plurality of gate structures, and a first insulation layer pattern. The isolation layer pattern is formed on a substrate and has a recess thereon. The gate structures are spaced apart from each other on the substrate and the isolation layer pattern. The first insulation layer pattern is formed on the substrate and covers the gate structures and an inner wall of the recess. The first insulation layer pattern has a first air gap therein.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A semiconductor device comprising:
a plurality of isolation layer patterns spaced apart from each other in a second direction on a substrate, each of the isolation layer patterns extending in a first direction crossing the second direction and having a plurality of recesses extending therein from a top surface, each of said plurality of recesses being surrounded by a respective isolation layer pattern with a bottom of the recess being defined by a surface of the respective isolation layer pattern, said plurality of recesses being spaced apart from each other in the first direction thereon;
a plurality of gate structures spaced apart from each other in the first direction on the substrate and the isolation layer patterns, each of the gate structures extending in the second direction; and
an insulation layer pattern structure on the substrate, the isolation layer patterns and the gate structures, the insulation layer pattern structure having a plurality of air gaps spaced apart from each other in the first direction therein, each one of the plurality of air gaps extending in the second direction between the plurality of gate structures and having upper and lower portions, the lower portions of the air gaps being in the plurality of recesses that extend below said plurality of gate structures and below the top surfaces of said plurality of isolation layer patterns,
wherein bottom surfaces of the air gaps are lower than a top surface of said substrate.

2. The semiconductor device of claim 1 , wherein the lower portions of each of the air gaps are in communication with the upper portions thereof.

3. The semiconductor device of claim 1 , wherein the lower portions of each of the air gaps are spaced apart from the upper portions thereof.

4. The semiconductor device of claim 1 , wherein the insulation layer pattern structure includes first and second insulation layer patterns.

5. The semiconductor device of claim 4 , wherein the first insulation layer pattern covers a sidewall of each of the gate structures, an inner wall of each of the recesses, and a bottom surface of the substrate, and wherein the second insulation layer pattern is formed on the gate structures and the first insulation layer pattern.

6. The semiconductor device of claim 5 , wherein the air gaps are formed in the second insulation layer pattern.

7. The semiconductor device of claim 5 , wherein the air gaps are defined by both of the first and second insulation layer patterns so that the first insulation layer pattern is exposed by at least one of the air gaps.

8. The semiconductor device of claim 5 , wherein the upper portions of each of the air gaps are formed in the second insulation layer pattern, and the lower portions of each of the air gaps are formed in the first insulation layer pattern.

9. The semiconductor device of claim 5 , wherein a top surface of the first insulation layer pattern is substantially coplanar with top surfaces of the gate structures.

10. The semiconductor device of claim 1 , wherein top surfaces of the air gaps are rounded and higher than top surfaces of the gate structures.

11. The semiconductor device of claim 1 , wherein the top surfaces of the isolation layer patterns are higher than the top surface of the substrate.

12. The semiconductor device of claim 1 , wherein each of the gate structures includes a plurality of tunnel insulation layer patterns, a plurality of floating gates, a dielectric layer pattern and a control gate sequentially stacked,
and wherein the plurality of tunnel insulation layer patterns are spaced apart from each other in the second direction, the plurality of floating gates are spaced apart from each other in the second direction, and each of the dielectric layer pattern and the control gate extends in the second direction.

13. The semiconductor device of claim 1 , wherein the first and second directions are substantially perpendicular to each other.

14. A semiconductor device comprising:
a substrate having a plurality of active regions defined by a plurality of isolation layer patterns thereon, the active regions and the isolation layer patterns extending in a first direction and being disposed alternately and repeatedly in a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction, each isolation layer pattern having a plurality of recesses formed therein, and each of said plurality of recesses being surrounded by a respective isolation layer pattern with a bottom of the recess being defined by a layer surface of the respective isolation layer pattern;
a plurality of gate structures disposed in the first direction on the active regions of the substrate and the isolation layer patterns, each of the gate structures extending in the second direction; and
a first insulation layer pattern structure on the active regions of the substrate, the isolation layer patterns and the gate structures, the first insulation layer pattern structure having a plurality of first air gap columns between neighboring ones of the gate structures, respectively, and each of the first air gap columns including a plurality of first air gap portions located within the recesses formed in the isolation layer patterns, respectively, wherein said plurality of first air gap portions are at a depth below the gate structures, below the upper surfaces of the isolation layer patterns, and below a top surface of the substrate.

15. The semiconductor device of claim 14 , further comprising a plurality of second air gap columns between neighboring ones of the gate structures, respectively, and each of the second air gap columns including a plurality of second air gap portions located within the recesses formed in the isolation layer patterns, respectively, wherein said plurality of second air gap portions extending above the gate structures and into a bottom surface of a second insulation layer pattern structure.

16. The semiconductor device of claim 15 , wherein each of the second air gap portions extends in the second direction and is in communication with the first air gap portions of a corresponding one of the first air gap columns.

17. The semiconductor device of claim 15 , wherein each of the second air gap portions extends in the second direction and is not connected to the first air gap portions of a corresponding one of the first air gap columns.

18. The semiconductor device of claim 15 , wherein each of the gate structures includes a plurality of tunnel insulation layer patterns, a plurality of floating gates, a dielectric layer pattern and a control gate sequentially stacked, and wherein a top surface of each of the second air gap portions is rounded and higher than a top surface of the control gate.

19. The semiconductor device of claim 18 , wherein the first insulation layer pattern structure covering at least a sidewall of each of the gate structures, and the second insulation layer pattern structure being formed on the first insulation layer pattern structure and the gate structures.

Assignees

• Cho Byung-Kyu
• Lee Chang-Hyun
• Park Young-Woo
• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Cho Byung-Kyu
• Lee Chang-Hyun
• Park Young-Woo

Classifications

• H10W10/021

  of air gaps · CPC title

• H10W10/20

  Air gaps · CPC title

• H10D30/681 Primary

  having only two programming levels (Floating gate IGFETs programmable by two single electrons H10D30/688) · CPC title

• H10D30/6894

  having one gate at least partly in a trench · CPC title

• H01L21/764

  Electricity · mapped topic