Apparatuses and methods for forming multiple decks of memory cells

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9853046-B2
Application number	US-201615174478-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 6, 2016
Priority date	Oct 8, 2014
Publication date	Dec 26, 2017
Grant date	Dec 26, 2017

Abstract

Some embodiments include apparatuses and methods having multiple decks of memory cells and associated control gates. A method includes forming a first deck having alternating conductor materials and dielectric materials and a hole containing materials extending through the conductor materials and the dielectric materials. The methods can also include forming a sacrificial material in an enlarged portion of the hole and forming a second deck of memory cells over the first deck. Additional apparatuses and methods are described.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
a first deck including alternating first conductor materials and first dielectric materials;
a second deck over the first deck, the second deck including alternating second conductor materials and second dielectric materials; and
a hole containing materials extending through the first conductor materials and the first dielectric materials and through the second conductor materials and the second dielectric materials, the hole including a first portion in the first deck, a second portion in the second deck, and a third portion between the first and second portions, wherein a diameter of the third portion of the hole is greater than a diameter of each of the first and second portions of the hole.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein one of the materials contained in the hole includes a tunneling material formed on sidewalls of the hole.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein one of the materials contained in the hole includes conductively doped semiconductor material adjacent the tunneling material.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the materials contained in the hole include a third dielectric material, the third dielectric material being surrounded by at least the conductively doped semiconductor material.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first conductor materials include:
a first level of conductor material having a first conductivity type; and
a second level of conductor material having a second conductivity type.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the apparatus comprises a memory device.

7. An apparatus comprising:
a first deck including alternating first conductor materials and first dielectric materials, the first conductor materials including first levels of conductor materials having a first conductivity type, and second levels of conductor materials having a second conductivity type;
a second deck over the first deck, the second deck including alternating second conductor materials and second dielectric materials, the second conductor materials including third levels of conductor materials having the first conductivity type, wherein the second levels of conductor materials are between the first levels of conductor materials and the third levels of conductor materials; and
a hole containing materials extending through the first conductor materials and the first dielectric materials and through the second conductor materials and the second dielectric materials.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the first conductivity type includes an n-type conductivity, and the second conductivity type includes a p-type conductivity.

9. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the hole includes a first portion in the first deck, a second portion in the second deck, and a third portion between the first and second portions, wherein a diameter of the third portion of the hole is greater than a diameter of each of the first and second portions of the hole.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the materials contained in the hole include conductively doped semiconductor material extending continuously between the first, second, and third portions of the hole.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the conductively doped semiconductor material include conductively doped polysilicon material.

Assignees

• Micron Technology Inc

Inventors

• Lu Zhenyu
• Lindsay Roger W
• Goda Akira
• Hopkins John

Classifications

• H10P14/69391

  the material containing aluminium, e.g. Al2O3 · CPC title

• G11C16/14 Primary

  Circuits for erasing electrically, e.g. erase voltage switching circuits · CPC title

• G11C16/3445

  Circuits or methods to verify correct erasure of nonvolatile memory cells · CPC title

• G11C16/26

  Sensing or reading circuits; Data output circuits · CPC title

• G11C16/0483

  comprising cells having several storage transistors connected in series · CPC title