A flash memory device wherein the floating gate of the flash memory is defined by a recessed access device. The use of a recessed access device results in a longer channel length with less loss of device density. The floating gate can also be elevated above the substrate a selected amount so as to achieve a desirable coupling between the substrate, the floating gate and the control gate comprising the flash cell.
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1. A memory device comprising:
a first gate structure where charge is stored comprising a recess gate formed with a first portion which extends into a surface of a semiconductor surface and a second portion which extends above the surface of the semiconductor surface by a distance, the first gate structure being between a plurality of source/drain regions positioned adjacent the surface of the semiconductor surface so that a conductive channel is formed from a first point adjacent the surface to a second point that is adjacent the surface of the semiconductor material about the periphery s he of the first portion of the gate; and
a second control gate formed at least partially above the first gate structure wherein charge can be selectively stored and removed from the first gate structure to thereby provide an indication of a memory state of the memory device.
6. A memory device, comprising:
a semiconductor layer having a recess;
a gate oxide on the surface of the recess;
a first conductive material positioned on the gate oxide so as to define a first gate that stores charge; and
a second conductive material positioned on the first gate, wherein the second conductive material is electrically isolated from the first conductive material by a first insulating material and wherein application of a first voltage between the second conductive material and the semiconductor layer results in charge being removed from the first gate such that the first gate defines a conductive path that is recessed in the semiconductor layer about a periphery of the portion of the charge storage gate structure extending into the semiconductor layer between source/drain regions formed adjacent the surface of the semiconductor layer and wherein application of a second voltage between the second conductive material and the semiconductor layer results in charge being stored in the first gate, changing the conductive channel formed in the semiconductor layer.
11. A memory array, comprising:
a plurality of floating gates positioned between a first source/drain region and a second source/drain region positioned adjacent a upper surface of a semiconducting layer, wherein at least a portion of the plurality of floating gates are positioned beneath a surface of the semiconducting layer; and
a plurality of control gates formed so as to be associated with the plurality of floating gates,
wherein application of a voltage between a selected control gate and the semiconductor layer results in the accumulation of charge on the floating gate associated with the selected control gate and inhibits the formation of a conductive channel within the substrate about the periphery of the floating gate between the first and second source/drain regions adjacent the upper surface of the semiconductor layer, thereby inhibiting conductivity between the first and second source/drain regions, and wherein the conductive channel is formed between the first and second source/drain regions when substantially no charge is present on the floating gate associated with the selected control gate, thereby indicating a memory state of the floating gate associated with the selected control gate.
21. A memory device comprising:
at least one recess access gate defining a gate that stores charge, wherein a lower portion of the at least one recess access gate extends beneath a surface of a semiconductor layer into the semiconductor layer and an upper portion of the at least one recess access gate extends above the surface of the semiconductor layer by a selected distance, wherein the at least one recess access gate defines a conductive channel within the semiconductor layer about the periphery of the lower portion of the at least one recess access gate and wherein the conductive channel extends from a first point adjacent the surface of the semiconductive layer to a second point adjacent the surface of the semiconductive layer; and
at least one control gate conformally deposited upon the at least one recess access gate such that the upper portion of the at least one recessed access gate extends vertically upwards into a pocket defined by the at least one control gate, improving the capacitive coupling between the recessed access gate and an associated control gate to thereby affect an ability of a charge to be stored or removed from the floating gate and selectively changing a state of the conductive channel, thereby providing an indication of a memory state of the memory device.
16. A memory array, comprising:
a layer of semiconductor having a surface;
a plurality of memory cells, comprising a plurality of floating gates and associated control gates, wherein a portion of the plurality of floating gates extends beneath an upper surface of the layer of semiconductor and a portion of the plurality of floating gates extends upward from the upper surface of the layer of semiconductor by a selected distance so as to modify the capacitive coupling between the plurality of floating gates, the layer of semiconductor, and the plurality of control gates so as to affect the ability of charge to be stored or removed from the floating gate; and
a plurality of select gates positioned adjacent the plurality of memory cells;
wherein, upon application of a read voltage to a selected floating gate, a conductive channel is not formed between the plurality of select gates, within the layer of semiconductor under the floating gates from a first point adjacent the surface of the semiconductor layer to a second point adjacent the surface of the semiconductor layer if charge is stored in the selected floating gate, thereby indicating the storage of a first logical state within the selected floating gate, and wherein a conductive channel is formed, between the plurality of select gates within the layer of semiconductor under the floating gates, if charge is not stored within the selected floating gate, thereby indicating the storage of a second logical state within the selected floating gate.
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This application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 12/045,590 filed Mar. 10, 2008 which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 11/216,970 filed Aug. 31, 2005, entitled FLASH MEMORY WITH RECESSED FLOATING GATE, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein. This application is also related to U.S. application Ser. No. 12/045,569, filed Mar. 10, 2008, entitled FLASH MEMORY WITH RECESSED FLOATING GATE, which is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 11/216,970.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to memory devices and, in particular, concerns a flash memory device formed with a recessed gate structure.
2. Description of the Related Art
A wide variety of computer memory devices are now available for use in electrical circuits. A typical computer memory device is a DRAM circuit which offers a high density memory storage device. With all memory devices there is a desire for an increased density of memory devices per chip area. Unfortunately, with increased density of memory devices, the actual physical device dimensions become reduced which causes leakage problems and the like.
One type of memory device which has become quite popular in the past few years is a flash memory device. A flash memory has the advantage of permitting global erasing of all of the cells and also has advantages in terms of processing in that the flash memory generally does not require a capacitor as the storage device. Hence, a higher density of cells can be formed due to fewer component requirements.
The typical flash memory comprises a transistor that has two gate structures. The first gate structure generally comprises a floating gate where charge is stored. The floating gate also functions as a transistor gate forming a conductive path between source/drain regions of the substrate. A control gate is generally positioned adjacent the floating gate but is separated from the floating gate by an insulator. The application of a first voltage on the control gate results in charge tunneling through the dielectric and being stored in the floating gate. When charge is stored in the floating gate, the transistor is non-conductive and when charge is not stored in the floating gate, the transistor can be made conductive, e.g., by application of a pass voltage signal. Hence, the state of charge stored in the floating gate is indicative of the logical state of the flash memory cell.
While flash memory is particularly versatile in many applications and can also be manufactured in a more efficient manner due to the fewer processing steps required, there is still a strong desire to be able to increase the density of flash memory devices. As a consequence, there is an increasing need to be able to make flash memory devices smaller and to do so in such a manner that leakage and other related problems are reduced.
As the lateral dimensions of the flash memory cells decrease, the channel length of the transistor, and notably the select gate, also decreases. With a decreased channel length, leakage currents can occur in the channel and the floating gate behavior can also be altered. Thus, with decreased lateral dimensions, the flash memory can be less reliable.
From the foregoing, it will be apparent that there is an ongoing need for a flash memory design that is smaller in physical size so as to allow for higher density flash memories. To this end, there is a need for a flash memory design which decreases the overall footprint of the individual flash memory cells but does not substantially increase leakage currents occurring within the cell.
The aforementioned needs are satisfied by the memory device of the present invention which, in one particular implementation, includes a substrate with two source/drain regions formed in the substrate adjacent to the first surface. In this particular implementation, the memory device also includes a recessed access gate that is formed so as to extend into the substrate and so as to be interposed between the two source/drain regions. In this particular implementation, the recessed access device defines a floating gate structure and also induces the formation of a conductive channel between the two source/drain regions that is recessed from the first surface of the substrate. A control gate structure is then formed on the upper surface of the recessed access device. In this particular implementation, the control gate structure and the floating gate structure are formed so as to allow charge to be selectively stored and removed from the floating gate structure to selectively change the state of the conductor channel to thereby provide an indication of the memory state of the flash memory cell.
By having a recessed access gate structure, the overall size of the memory device can be reduced without a significant increase in the leakage current between source/drain regions as the conductive channel is defined by the periphery of the recessed access gate structure. As such, the channel length of the conductive channel is not proportionately reduced by a reduction in the lateral dimensions of the device. In one embodiment, high density flash memory devices can therefore be created without a corresponding consequent decrease in the reliability of the individual flash memory cells.
In another aspect, the present invention comprises a method of forming a memory device in a substrate wherein the method includes the acts of forming a floating gate in a substrate such that the floating gate is capable of storing charge therein and wherein the floating gate extends inward into the substrate and capacitively couples to the substrate such that in the first charge state, a first conductor channel is formed through the substrate about the periphery of the floating gate. The method further comprises the act of positioning a control gate on the floating gate to capacitively couple therewith wherein the application of voltage between the substrate and the control gate allows for a change in the charge state of the floating gate.
By positioning either a recessed access gate or a floating gate structure so as to extend into the substrate to thereby define a channel about the periphery of the substrate, the channel length between the source/drain regions floating gate can be increased without a substantial increase in the overall dimensions of the flash memory cell structure. These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
Reference will now be made to the drawings wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout.
Referring initially to
As is illustrated in
In one implementation, the recess 106 extends approximately 400 Å into the substrate 100. Subsequently, a dielectric layer is grown on the interior surface 111 of the recess 106 so as to define a gate oxide 113. In one particular implementation, the gate oxide 113 is formed using a wet oxidation procedure and has a thickness of approximately 80 Å. Subsequently, a conductive material, which in this implementation is polysilicon, is deposited over the gate oxide 113 and the nitride layer 104 so as to fill the recess 106 and to thereby define a polysilicon recessed access gate structure 110 formed within the recess 106. The recessed access gate structure 106 defines a floating gate of the flash memory cell as will be described below. The excess polysilicon material on the nitride layer 104 can be removed from the upper surface of the nitride layer 104 using known etching techniques or chemical mechanical planarization techniques (CMP).
While referring to
After the selective removal of the nitride layer 104 and the pad oxide layer 102, an insulating layer 120 is conformably deposited on the upper surface 116 of the substrate and also over the exposed portion 118 of the recessed gate structure 110 in the manner shown in
Subsequent to the deposition of the insulating layer, a thin conductive layer 122 is then conformably deposited over the insulating layer 120. In this particular implementation, the thin conductive layer 122 can comprise a layer of polysilicon that is deposited using well-known techniques to a thickness of approximately 250 Å.
As is illustrated in
In this implementation, the recessed access gate 110a defines a floating gate of the flash memory. The conductive layer 122 defines the control gate of the flash memory and it is isolated from the floating gate 110a by the insulator layer 120. Hence, when voltage is applied between the control gate and the substrate, charge can be stored in the floating gate thereby creating a conductive channel in the substrate 100. Alternatively, if charge is removed from the floating gate, the conductive channel in the substrate is removed. Hence, the charge state of the floating gate can be sensed in a well-known manner thereby providing an indication of the memory state of the flash cell.
A flash cell of the illustrated array operates in the following fashion. When a selected voltage is applied between the control gate 132 and the substrate 100, charge can therefore be accumulated on the recessed access floating gate 110a. The accumulation of charge on the recessed access floating gate 110a inhibits the formation of a conductive channel 143 being formed in the substrate 100 about the periphery of the recessed access gate 100a thereby preventing conductivity between one source/drain region 142 to another source/drain region 142. Alternatively, when no charge is on the floating gate 110a, a conductive channel 143 between the two storage nodes 110a can be formed. Hence, when all of the storage nodes 110a are uncharged, there is a conductive channel formed between the two source/drain regions 142.
Thus by selectively applying charge to the floating gates 110a, the conductivity of the channel between the select gates 110b can be altered. In operation, a read voltage is generally applied to one of the gates 110a to ascertain whether the gate is a logical high or low. The remaining gates receive a pass voltage which results in the formation of a channel regardless of the charge state of the other gates. In this way, an individual floating gate 110a can be read to determine its logical state. If charge is stored in the selected floating gate 110a, there is no channel formed between the select gates 110b under the array of floating gates 110a, thereby indicating the storage of a first logical state. If charge is not stored in the selected floating gate 110a, the application of the read voltage will result in the conductive channel being formed thereby indicating the storage of a second logical state in the selected gate 110a.
By using a recessed access device 110a, the conductive channel 143 has an increased length due to the vertical displacement into the substrate 100. Hence, a longer channel length of the channel 143 between the two source/drain regions 142 can be achieved without using as much surface area on the semiconductor substrate 100. The increased channel length thereby reduces the potential of leakage currents occurring between the two source/drain regions 142.
As discussed above, the floating gate structure defined by the recessed access devices 110a extends upwards a pre-selected distance from the upper surface of the substrate 100 and is positioned within an opening or recess defined by the control gate structure. The height of the extension 118 of the recessed access device 110a above the substrate can be varied so as to modify the capacitive coupling between the floating gate, the substrate and the control gate to affect the ability of the charge to be stored or removed from the floating gate.
Similarly,
At this point, the processing step of this embodiment differs from the processing step of the embodiment described in conjunction with
Based upon the foregoing, it will be appreciated that the flash memory device and the flash memory array disclosed herein allow for more reliable devices as a result of the floating gate structure of the flash memory being defined by a recessed access gate as this result in less leakage due to the longer channel length of the recessed access device.
Although the above disclosed embodiments of the present invention have shown, described and pointed out the fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to the above disclosed embodiments, it should be understood that various omissions, substitutions and changes in the form and detail of the devices, systems and/or methods illustrated may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention. Consequently, the scope of the invention should not be limited to the foregoing description, but should be defined by the appended claims.
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