NONVOLATILE SEMICONDUCTOR MEMORY

• US 20070297232A1
• Filed: 06/22/2007
• Published: 12/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: IWATA, Yoshihisa
• Granted Patent: US 7,623,384 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 365/185.17
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 16/0466 comprising cells with charge storage in an insulating layer, e.g. metal-nitride-oxide-silicon [MNOS], silicon-oxide-nitride-oxide-silicon [SONOS] G11C16/0483, G11C16/0491 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 16/0483 comprising cells having several storage transistors connected in series
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 16/10 Programming or data input circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 8/10 Decoders
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/8221 Three dimensional integrated circuits stacked in different levels
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/84 the substrate being other than a semiconductor body, e.g. being an insulating body
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/0688 Integrated circuits having a three-dimensional layout
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/12 the substrate being other than a semiconductor body, e.g. an insulating body
• CPC Class Codes: H10B 43/20 characterised by three-dimensional arrangements, e.g. with cells on different height levels
• CPC Class Codes: H10B 43/30 characterised by the memory core region
• CPC Class Codes: H10B 69/00 Erasable-and-programmable ROM [EPROM] devices not provided for in groups H10B41/00 - H10B63/00, e.g. ultraviolet erasable-and-programmable ROM [UVEPROM] devices

Abstract

According to one embodiment, a nonvolatile semiconductor memory comprising: a source line side selection gate transistor that is having a first source region connected to a source line and a first gate electrode connected to a first select gate line; a bit line side selection gate transistor that is having a second drain region connected to a bit line and a second gate electrode connected to a second select gate line; a first memory cell string that is having a plurality of memory cell transistors connected in series, connected between a first drain region of the source line side selection gate transistor and a second source region of the bit line side selection gate transistor; and a second memory cell string that is having a plurality of memory cell transistors connected in series, connected in parallel with the first memory cell string; wherein the first memory cell string and the second memory cell string are stacked on a semiconductor substrate via an interlayer insulating film, wherein the source line side selection gate transistor and the bit line side selection gate transistor are placed on the semiconductor substrate.

Claims

1. A nonvolatile semiconductor memory comprising:

a source line side selection gate transistor that is having a first source region connected to a source line and a first gate electrode connected to a first select gate line;

a bit line side selection gate transistor that is having a second drain region connected to a bit line and a second gate electrode connected to a second select gate line;

a first memory cell string that is having a plurality of memory cell transistors connected in series, connected between a first drain region of the source line side selection gate transistor and a second source region of the bit line side selection gate transistor; and

a second memory cell string that is having a plurality of memory cell transistors connected in series, connected in parallel with the first memory cell string;

wherein the first memory cell string and the second memory cell string are stacked on a semiconductor substrate via an interlayer insulating film,

wherein the source line side selection gate transistor and the bit line side selection gate transistor are placed on the semiconductor substrate.

2. The nonvolatile semiconductor memory according to claim 1,

wherein each of the memory cell transistors includes a gate insulating film having a charge storage layer.

3. The nonvolatile semiconductor memory according to claim 2,

wherein the charge storage layer is made by floating gate.

4. The nonvolatile semiconductor memory according to claim 2,

wherein the charge storage layer is made by silicon nitride film.

5. The nonvolatile semiconductor memory according to claim 1,

wherein at least one of the first memory cell string and the second memory cell string are placed in a lower layer of the stacked memory cell transistors.

6. The nonvolatile semiconductor memory according to claim 1,

wherein the memory cell transistors include a back gate electrode connected to a back gate line extending in a row direction orthogonal to the bit line.

7. The nonvolatile semiconductor memory according to claim 1,

wherein at least one of the source line side selection gate transistor and the bit line side selection gate transistor is formed between the semiconductor substrate and a lower one of the first memory cell string and the second memory cell string.

8. The nonvolatile semiconductor memory according to claim 1,

wherein the memory cell transistor is multivalued logic memory.

9. The nonvolatile semiconductor memory according to claim 6,

wherein the back gate line extends in a direction in which the bit line extends.

10. The nonvolatile semiconductor memory according to claim 6,

wherein the back gate electrode is placed at opposite side of the gate electrode of each of the memory cell transistor.

11. The nonvolatile semiconductor memory according to claim 1,

wherein each of the memory cell transistor includes a field isolation region that is placed between the source line side selection gate transistor and the bit line side selection gate transistor.

12. The nonvolatile semiconductor memory according to claim 1,

wherein, when in read operation, voltages applied to each of a selected control gate, unselected control gates in the same layer of the selected control gate and unselected control gates in the different layer of the selected control gate are different with one another.

13. The nonvolatile semiconductor memory according to claim 1,

wherein the bit line is formed between the semiconductor substrate and a lower one of the first memory cell string and the second memory cell string.

14. The nonvolatile semiconductor memory according to claim 1,

wherein the bit line is formed on a higher layer of a higher one of the first memory cell string and the second memory cell string.

15. A nonvolatile semiconductor memory system comprising the nonvolatile semiconductor memory according to claim 1,

a memory cell unit that is configured by the source line side selection gate transistor, the bit line side selection gate transistor, and the plurality of memory cell strings provided between the source line side selection gate transistor and the bit line side selection gate transistor;

a memory cell block that includes a plurality of memory cell units arranged in a first direction;

a memory cell array that that includes a plurality of memory cell block arranged in a second direction that is perpendicular to the first direction;

a first block selection transistor for a first second-selection gate line that is connected to the first second-selection gate line in the memory cell unit of a first memory cell block, the first block selection transistor having a first gate electrode connected to a first row address decoder;

a second block selection transistor for a first first-selection gate line that is connected to the first first-selection gate line in the memory cell unit of the first memory cell block, the second block selection transistor having a second gate electrode connected to the first row address decoder;

a third block selection transistor for a first gate line that is connected to the first gate line in the memory cell unit of the first memory cell block, the third block selection transistor having a third gate electrode connected to the first row address decoder;

a fourth block selection transistor for a second second-selection gate line that is connected to the second second-selection gate line in the memory cell unit of a second memory cell block next to the first memory cell block, the fourth block selection transistor having a fourth gate electrode connected to a second row address decoder;

a fifth block selection transistor for a second first-selection gate line that is connected to the second first-selection gate line in the memory cell unit of the second memory cell block, the fifth block selection transistor having a fifth gate electrode connected to the second row address decoder;

a sixth block selection transistor for a second gate line that is connected to the second gate line in the memory cell unit of the second memory cell block, the sixth block selection transistor having a third gate electrode connected to the second row address decoder; and

wherein the first row address decoder and the second row address decoder are provided at opposite sides with respect to the memory cell array, respectively.

16. The nonvolatile semiconductor memory according to claim 1,

wherein the source line side selection gate transistor, the bit line side selection gate transistor, and the plurality of memory cell strings provided between the source line side selection gate transistor and the bit line side selection gate transistor form a memory cell unit;

wherein a memory cell block includes a plurality of memory cell units arranged in a first direction;

wherein a memory cell array includes a plurality of memory cell block arranged in a second direction that is perpendicular to the first direction;

wherein a first block selection transistor for a first second-selection gate line is connected to the first second-selection gate line in a memory cell unit of a first memory cell block, the first block selection transistor having a first gate electrode connected to a first row address decoder;

wherein a second block selection transistor for a first first-selection gate line is connected to the first first-selection gate line in the memory cell unit of the first memory cell block, the second block selection transistor having a second gate electrode connected to the first row address decoder;

wherein a third block selection transistor for a first gate line is connected to the first gate line of odd number memory string in the memory cell unit of the first memory cell block, the third block selection transistor having a third gate electrode connected to the first row address decoder;

wherein a fourth block selection transistor for a second gate line is connected to the second gate line of even number memory string in the memory cell unit of the first memory cell block, the fourth block selection transistor having a fourth gate electrode connected to a second row address decoder; and

wherein the first row address decoder and the second row address decoder are provided at opposite sides with respect to the memory cell array, respectively.

17. The nonvolatile semiconductor memory according to claim 1,

wherein the source line side selection gate transistor, the bit line side selection gate transistor, and the plurality of memory cell strings provided between the source line side selection gate transistor and the bit line side selection gate transistor form a memory cell unit;

wherein a memory cell block includes a plurality of memory cell units arranged in a first direction;

wherein a memory cell array includes a plurality of memory cell block arranged in a second direction that is perpendicular to the first direction;

wherein a first block selection transistor for a first second-selection gate line is connected to the first second-selection gate line in a memory cell unit of a first memory cell block, the first block selection transistor having a first gate electrode connected to a first row address decoder;

wherein a second block selection transistor for a first gate line is connected to the first gate line of odd number memory string in the memory cell unit of the first memory cell block, the second block selection transistor having a second gate electrode connected to the first row address decoder;

wherein a third block selection transistor for a first first-selection gate line is connected to the first first-selection gate line in the memory cell unit of the first memory cell block, the third block selection transistor having a third gate electrode connected to a second row address decoder;

wherein a fourth block selection transistor for a second gate line is connected to the second gate line of even number memory string in the memory cell unit of the first memory cell block, the fourth block selection transistor having a fourth gate electrode connected to the second row address decoder; and

wherein the first row address decoder and the second row address decoder are provided at opposite sides with respect to the memory cell array, respectively.

18. A nonvolatile semiconductor memory comprising:

a source line side selection gate transistor that is having a first source region connected to a source line and a first gate electrode connected to a first select gate line;

a bit line side selection gate transistor that is having a second drain region connected to a bit line and a second gate electrode connected to a second select gate line;

a plurality of memory cell strings each having a plurality of memory cell transistors connected in series, the memory cell strings being connected in parallel between a first drain region of the source line side selection gate transistor and a second source region of the bit line side selection gate transistor.

19. The nonvolatile semiconductor memory according to claim 18,

wherein, an erase operation of a selected memory cell string includes applying a first predetermined voltage to each gate electrode of the selected memory cell string sequentially starting from the gate electrode nearest to the source line, the erase operation further including applying a second predetermined voltage to the source line and each gate electrode of unselected memory cell strings during the erase operation.

20. The nonvolatile semiconductor memory according to claim 18,

wherein the number of the memory cells in the memory cell strings is same among each memory cell string.