摘要:
Conventional fabrication of sidewall oxide around an ONO-type memory cell stack usually produces Bird's Beak because prior to the fabrication, there is an exposed sidewall of the ONO-type memory cell stack that exposes side parts of a plurality of material layers respectively composed of different materials. Certain materials in the stack such as silicon nitrides are more difficult to oxidize than other materials in the stack such polysilicon. As a result oxidation does not proceed uniformly along the multi-layered height of the sidewall. The present disclosure shows how radical-based fabrication of sidewall dielectric can help to reduce the Bird's Beak formation. More specifically, it is indicated that short-lived oxidizing agents (e.g., atomic oxygen) are able to better oxidize difficult to oxidize materials such as silicon nitride and the it is indicated that the short-lived oxidizing agents alternatively or additionally do not diffuse as deeply through already oxidized layers of the sidewall such as silicon oxide layers. As a result, a more uniform sidewall dielectric can be fabricated with more uniform breakdown voltages along it height.
摘要:
Conventional fabrication of sidewall oxide around an ONO-type memory cell stack usually produces Bird's Beak because prior to the fabrication, there is an exposed sidewall of the ONO-type memory cell stack that exposes side parts of a plurality of material layers respectively composed of different materials. Certain materials in the stack such as silicon nitrides are more difficult to oxidize than other materials in the stack such polysilicon. As a result oxidation does not proceed uniformly along the multi-layered height of the sidewall. The present disclosure shows how radical-based fabrication of sidewall dielectric can help to reduce the Bird's Beak formation. More specifically, it is indicated that short-lived oxidizing agents (e.g., atomic oxygen) are able to better oxidize difficult to oxidize materials such as silicon nitride and the it is indicated that the short-lived oxidizing agents alternatively or additionally do not diffuse as deeply through already oxidized layers of the sidewall such as silicon oxide layers. As a result, a more uniform sidewall dielectric can be fabricated with more uniform breakdown voltages along it height.
摘要:
Aluminum oxide is deposited by atomic layer deposition to form a high-k dielectric for the interpoly dielectric layer of a non-volatile memory device. The increased capacitive coupling can allow a thicker oxide layer to be used between the floating gate and the control gate, resulting in improved reliability and longer lifetime of the memory cells fabricated according to this invention.
摘要:
Aluminum oxide is deposited by atomic layer deposition to form a high-k dielectric for the interpoly dielectric layer of a non-volatile memory device. The increased capacitive coupling can allow a thicker oxide layer to be used between the floating gate and the control gate, resulting in improved reliability and longer lifetime of the memory cells fabricated according to this invention.
摘要:
Conventional fabrication of top oxide in an ONO-type memory cell stack usually produces Bird's Beak. Certain materials in the stack such as silicon nitrides are relatively difficult to oxidize. As a result oxidation does not proceed uniformly along the multi-layered height of the ONO-type stack. The present disclosure shows how radical-based fabrication of top-oxide of an ONO stack (i.e. by ISSG method) can help to reduce formation of Bird's Beak. More specifically, it is indicated that short-lived oxidizing agents (e.g., atomic oxygen) are able to better oxidize difficult to oxidize materials such as silicon nitride and the it is indicated that the short-lived oxidizing agents alternatively or additionally do not diffuse deeply through already oxidized layers of the ONO stack such as the lower silicon oxide layer. As a result, a more uniform top oxide dielectric can be fabricated with more uniform breakdown voltages along its height. Additionally, adjacent low and high voltage transistors may benefit from simultaneous formation of their gate dielectrics with use of the radical-based oxidizing method.
摘要:
Conventional fabrication of top oxide in an ONO-type memory cell stack usually produces Bird's Beak. Certain materials in the stack such as silicon nitrides are relatively difficult to oxidize. As a result oxidation does not proceed uniformly along the multi-layered height of the ONO-type stack. The present disclosure shows how radical-based fabrication of top-oxide of an ONO stack (i.e. by ISSG method) can help to reduce formation of Bird's Beak. More specifically, it is indicated that short-lived oxidizing agents (e.g., atomic oxygen) are able to better oxidize difficult to oxidize materials such as silicon nitride and the it is indicated that the short-lived oxidizing agents alternatively or additionally do not diffuse deeply through already oxidized layers of the ONO stack such as the lower silicon oxide layer. As a result, a more uniform top oxide dielectric can be fabricated with more uniform breakdown voltages along its height. Additionally, adjacent low and high voltage transistors may benefit from simultaneous formation of their gate dielectrics with use of the radical-based oxidizing method.
摘要:
Nonvolatile memory wordlines (160) are formed as sidewall spacers on sidewalls of row structures (280). Each row structure may contain floating and control gates (120, 140), or some other elements. Pedestals (340) are formed adjacent to the row structures before the conductive layer (160) for the wordlines is deposited. The pedestals are formed in the area of the contact openings (330.1) that will be etched in an overlying dielectric (310) to form contacts to the wordlines. The pedestals raise the top surface of the wordline layer near the contact openings, so the contact opening etch can be made shorter. The pedestals also increase the minimum thickness of the wordline layer near the contact openings, so the loss of the wordline layer during the etch of the contact openings becomes less critical, and the photolithographic tolerances required for patterning the contact openings can be relaxed. The pedestals can be dummy structures (they may have no electrical functionality).
摘要:
Performance of field effect transistors and other channel dependent devices formed on a monocrystalline substrate is improved by carrying out a high temperature anneal in a nitrogen releasing atmosphere while the substrate is coated by a sacrificial oxide coating containing easily diffusible atoms that can form negatively charged ions and can diffuse deep into the substrate. In one embodiment, the easily diffusible atoms comprise at least 5% by atomic concentration of chlorine atoms in the sacrificial oxide coating and the nitrogen releasing atmosphere includes NO. The high temperature anneal is carried out for less than 10 hours at a temperature less than 1100° C.
摘要:
A nonvolatile memory has a charge trapping layer which includes a layer (130) made of silicon nitride doped with germanium or phosphorus (210). The germanium or phosphorus contains a large percentage of scattered, non-crystallized atoms uniformly distributed in the silicon nitride layer to increase the charge trapping density.