Abstract:
A memory cell system including providing a substrate, forming a charge-storing stack having silicon-rich nitride on the substrate, and forming a gate on the charge-storing stack.
Abstract:
A semiconductor device includes a substrate and a memory cell formed on the substrate. The memory cell includes a word line. The semiconductor device also includes a protection area formed in the substrate, a conductive structure configured to extend the word line to the protection area, and a contact configured to short the word line and the protection area.
Abstract:
A flash memory system configured in accordance with an example embodiment of the invention employs a virtual ground array architecture. During programming operations, target memory cells are biased with a positive source bias voltage to reduce or eliminate leakage current that might otherwise conduct through the target memory cells. A positive source bias voltage may also be applied to target memory cells during verification operations (program verify, soft program verify, erase verify) to reduce or eliminate leakage current that might otherwise introduce errors in the verification operations.
Abstract:
A flash memory system configured in accordance with an example embodiment of the invention employs a virtual ground array architecture. During programming operations, target memory cells are biased with a positive source bias voltage to reduce or eliminate leakage current that might otherwise conduct through the target memory cells. A positive source bias voltage may also be applied to target memory cells during verification operations (program verify, soft program verify, erase verify) to reduce or eliminate leakage current that might otherwise introduce errors in the verification operations.
Abstract:
A semiconductor memory device and a method for its fabrication are provided. In accordance with one embodiment of the invention the method comprises the steps of forming a gate insulator and a gate electrode overlying a semiconductor substrate. The gate insulator is etched to form an undercut opening beneath an edge of the gate electrode and the undercut opening is filled with a layered structure comprising a charge trapping layer sandwiched between layers of oxide and nitride. A region of the semiconductor substrate is impurity doped to form a bit line aligned with the gate electrode, and a conductive layer is deposited and patterned to form a word line coupled to the gate electrode.
Abstract:
According to one exemplary embodiment, a two-bit memory cell includes a gate stack situated over a substrate, where the gate stack includes a charge-trapping layer. The charge-trapping layer includes first and second conductive segments and a nitride segment, where the nitride segment is situated between the first and second conductive segments. The nitride segment electrically insulates the first conductive segment from the second conductive segment. The first and second conductive segments provide respective first and second data bit storage locations in the two-bit memory cell. The gate stack can further include a lower oxide segment situated between the substrate and the charge-trapping layer. The gate stack can further include an upper oxide segment situated over the charge-trapping layer. The gate stack can be situated between a first dielectric segment and a second dielectric segment, where the first and second dielectric segments are situated over respective first and second bitlines.
Abstract:
According to one exemplary embodiment, a method for fabricating a memory array includes forming a number of trenches in a substrate, where the trenches determine a number of wordline regions in the substrate, where each of the wordline regions is situated between two adjacent trenches, and where each of the wordline regions have a wordline region width. The memory array can be a flash memory array. The method further includes forming a number of bitlines in the substrate, where the bitlines are situated perpendicular to the trenches. The method further includes forming a dielectric region in each of the trenches. The method further includes forming a dielectric stack over the bitlines, wordline regions, and trenches. The method further includes forming a number of wordlines, where each wordline is situated over one of the wordline regions. The wordline region width determines an active wordline width of each of the wordlines.
Abstract:
A memory cell system is provided including forming a first insulator layer over a semiconductor substrate, forming a charge trap layer having a gradient of a silicon above and below the charge trap layer over the first insulator layer, and forming a second insulator layer over the charge trap layer.
Abstract:
A memory cell system is provided including forming a first insulator layer over a semiconductor substrate, forming a first intermediate layer over the first insulator layer, forming a charge trap layer over the first intermediate layer, forming a second intermediate layer over the charge trap layer, and forming a second insulator layer with the second intermediate layer.
Abstract:
A method of making a read sensor while protecting it from electrostatic discharge (ESD) damage involves forming a severable shunt during the formation of the read sensor. The method may include forming a resist layer over a plurality of read sensor layers; performing lithography with use of a mask to form the resist layer into a patterned resist which exposes left and right side regions over the read sensor layers as well as a shunt region; etching, with the patterned resist in place, to remove materials in the left and right side regions and in the shunt region; and depositing, with the patterned resist in place, left and right hard bias and lead layers in the left and right side regions, respectively, and in the shunt region for forming a severable shunt which electrically couples the left and right hard bias and lead layers together for ESD protection.