Samsung electronics co., ltd. (20240138141). VERTICAL NON-VOLATILE MEMORY DEVICES HAVING A MULTI-STACK STRUCTURE WITH ENHANCED PHOTOLITHOGRAPHIC ALIGNMENT CHARACTERISTICS simplified abstract

VERTICAL NON-VOLATILE MEMORY DEVICES HAVING A MULTI-STACK STRUCTURE WITH ENHANCED PHOTOLITHOGRAPHIC ALIGNMENT CHARACTERISTICS

Organization Name

samsung electronics co., ltd.

Inventor(s)

Giyong Chung of Seoul (KR)

Youngjin Kwon of Gwacheon-si (KR)

Dongseog Eun of Seongnam-si (KR)

VERTICAL NON-VOLATILE MEMORY DEVICES HAVING A MULTI-STACK STRUCTURE WITH ENHANCED PHOTOLITHOGRAPHIC ALIGNMENT CHARACTERISTICS - A simplified explanation of the abstract

This abstract first appeared for US patent application 20240138141 titled 'VERTICAL NON-VOLATILE MEMORY DEVICES HAVING A MULTI-STACK STRUCTURE WITH ENHANCED PHOTOLITHOGRAPHIC ALIGNMENT CHARACTERISTICS

Simplified Explanation

The patent application describes a vertical-type nonvolatile memory device with a multi-stack structure that reduces susceptibility to misalignment of a vertical channel layer.

• The nonvolatile memory device includes a main chip area with a stepped structure, comprising a cell area and an extension area formed in a multi-stack structure.
• The main chip area also includes a first layer on a substrate and a second layer on the first layer, with a lower vertical channel layer arranged in the first layer.
• An outer chip area surrounds the main chip area and includes a step key with an alignment vertical channel layer, where the top surface of the alignment vertical channel layer is lower than the top surface of the lower vertical channel layer.

Potential Applications

The technology described in the patent application could be applied in:

• Solid-state drives (SSDs)
• Mobile devices
• Wearable technology

Problems Solved

This technology addresses the issue of misalignment of vertical channel layers in nonvolatile memory devices, which can affect performance and reliability.

Benefits

The benefits of this technology include:

• Improved performance
• Enhanced reliability
• Reduced susceptibility to misalignment issues

Potential Commercial Applications

The technology could be commercially applied in:

• Memory storage devices
• Consumer electronics
• Industrial applications

Possible Prior Art

One possible prior art for this technology could be the use of multi-stack structures in memory devices to improve performance and reliability.

How does this technology compare to existing nonvolatile memory devices in terms of speed and capacity?

The patent application does not provide specific details on the speed and capacity of the memory device compared to existing technologies.

What are the potential manufacturing challenges associated with implementing this multi-stack structure in nonvolatile memory devices?

The patent application does not address the potential manufacturing challenges that may arise when implementing the described multi-stack structure.

Original Abstract Submitted

a vertical-type nonvolatile memory device has a multi-stack structure with reduced susceptibility to mis-alignment of a vertical channel layer. this nonvolatile memory device includes: (i) a main chip area including a cell area and an extension area arranged to have a stepped structure, with the cell area and the extension area formed in a multi-stack structure, and (ii) an outer chip area, which surrounds the main chip area and includes a step key therein. the main chip area includes a first layer on a substrate and a second layer on the first layer. a lower vertical channel layer is arranged in the first layer. the step key includes an alignment vertical channel layer, and a top surface of the alignment vertical channel layer is lower than a top surface of the lower vertical channel layer.