18240560. STAIRLESS THREE-DIMENSIONAL MEMORY DEVICE CONTAINING MEANDERING DIELECTRIC ISOLATION STRUCTURE AND METHODS OF FORMING THE SAME simplified abstract (SanDisk Technologies LLC)
Contents
- 1 STAIRLESS THREE-DIMENSIONAL MEMORY DEVICE CONTAINING MEANDERING DIELECTRIC ISOLATION STRUCTURE AND METHODS OF FORMING THE SAME
- 1.1 Organization Name
- 1.2 Inventor(s)
- 1.3 STAIRLESS THREE-DIMENSIONAL MEMORY DEVICE CONTAINING MEANDERING DIELECTRIC ISOLATION STRUCTURE AND METHODS OF FORMING THE SAME - A simplified explanation of the abstract
- 1.4 Simplified Explanation
- 1.5 Potential Applications
- 1.6 Problems Solved
- 1.7 Benefits
- 1.8 Potential Commercial Applications
- 1.9 Possible Prior Art
- 1.10 Original Abstract Submitted
STAIRLESS THREE-DIMENSIONAL MEMORY DEVICE CONTAINING MEANDERING DIELECTRIC ISOLATION STRUCTURE AND METHODS OF FORMING THE SAME
Organization Name
Inventor(s)
Tomohiro Kubo of Yokkaichi (JP)
Takayuki Maekura of Yokkaichi (JP)
STAIRLESS THREE-DIMENSIONAL MEMORY DEVICE CONTAINING MEANDERING DIELECTRIC ISOLATION STRUCTURE AND METHODS OF FORMING THE SAME - A simplified explanation of the abstract
This abstract first appeared for US patent application 18240560 titled 'STAIRLESS THREE-DIMENSIONAL MEMORY DEVICE CONTAINING MEANDERING DIELECTRIC ISOLATION STRUCTURE AND METHODS OF FORMING THE SAME
Simplified Explanation
The method described in the abstract involves forming memory stack structures with alternating insulating layers and sacrificial material layers, creating a meandering dielectric isolation structure, and replacing sacrificial material layers with electrically conductive layers to form layer contact via structures.
- Memory stack structures are formed with vertical stacks of memory elements and semiconductor channels.
- Sacrificial via fill structures are formed on sacrificial material layers.
- First portions of sacrificial material layers are replaced with electrically conductive layers.
- Layer contact via structures are formed by replacing sacrificial via fill structures with a conductive material portion.
Potential Applications
This technology could be applied in the development of advanced memory devices, such as non-volatile memory and flash memory, as well as in the semiconductor industry for creating complex integrated circuits.
Problems Solved
This technology solves the problem of efficiently forming memory stack structures with improved layer contact via structures, allowing for better performance and reliability of memory devices.
Benefits
The benefits of this technology include enhanced memory device performance, increased reliability, and potentially reduced manufacturing costs due to improved process efficiency.
Potential Commercial Applications
Potential commercial applications of this technology include the production of high-performance memory devices for consumer electronics, data storage systems, and other semiconductor applications.
Possible Prior Art
One possible prior art in this field could be the use of sacrificial layers in semiconductor manufacturing processes to create complex structures, although the specific method described in the abstract may be a novel approach.
Unanswered Questions
How does this technology compare to existing methods for forming memory stack structures in terms of performance and reliability?
This article does not provide a direct comparison with existing methods, so it is unclear how this technology stacks up against current industry practices.
What are the potential challenges or limitations of implementing this method in large-scale semiconductor manufacturing processes?
The article does not address any potential challenges or limitations that may arise when scaling up this method for mass production, leaving room for further exploration and analysis in this area.
Original Abstract Submitted
A method includes forming an in-process alternating stack of insulating layers and sacrificial material layers, forming a meandering dielectric isolation structure through the in-process alternating stack, forming memory stack structures through the alternating stack, where each of the memory stack structures includes a respective vertical stack of memory elements and a vertical semiconductor channel, forming sacrificial via fill structures on the respective sacrificial material layers, replacing first portions of the sacrificial material layers with electrically conductive layers, and forming layer contact via structures contacting a respective one of the electrically conductive layers by replacing at least the sacrificial via fill structures with a conductive material portion.
