MEMORY CELL, MEMORY ARRAY AND OPERATION METHOD THEREOF

• US 20150063038A1
• Filed: 01/26/2014
• Published: 03/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Chrong-Jung Lin, Ya-Chin King
• Original Assignee: Chrong-Jung Lin, Ya-Chin King
• Inventors: LIN, Chrong-Jung, KING, Ya-Chin
• Application Number:
  US14/164,242
• Publication Number:
  US 20150063038A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 365/185.29
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 16/0408 comprising cells containing floating gate transistors G11C16/0483, G11C16/0491 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 16/0458 comprising two or more independent floating gates which store independent data
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/40114 the electrodes comprising a conductor-insulator-conductor-insulator-semiconductor structure
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/42332 with the floating gate formed by two or more non connected parts, e.g. multi-particles flating gate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/7881 Programmable transistors with only two possible levels of programmation H01L29/7888 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H10B 41/30 characterised by the memory core region

Abstract

A memory cell, a memory array and an operation method are disclosed herein. The memory cell includes a substrate with a first conductivity type, a first doped region with a second conductivity type, a second doped region with the second conductivity type, a first floating gate, a second floating gate and a word gate. The first and the second doped region are disposed in the substrate. The first floating gate is disposed on the substrate and electrically coupled to the first doped region. The second floating gate is disposed on the substrate and electrically coupled to the second doped region. The word line gate is disposed on the substrate and between the first and second doped region, wherein the word gate includes a first part extending over the first floating gate and a second part extending over the second floating gate.

Claims

1. A memory cell, comprising:

a substrate having a first conductivity type;

a first doped region having a second conductivity type disposed in the substrate;

a second doped region having the second conductivity type disposed in the substrate;

a first floating gate disposed on the substrate and electrically coupled to the first doped region;

a second floating gate disposed on the substrate and electrically coupled to the second doped region; and

a word gate disposed on the substrate and between the first doped region and the second doped region, the word gate comprising a first part extending over the first floating gate and a second part extending over the second floating gate.

2. The memory cell of claim 1, wherein the first part and the word gate substantially form a first recess, and the second part and the word gate substantially form a second recess, wherein the first floating gate comprises a first tip edge extending to the first recess, and the second floating gate comprises a second tip edge extending to the second recess.

3. The memory cell of claim 1, wherein a sidewall of the first part is substantially aligned to a sidewall of the first floating gate, a sidewall of the second part is substantially aligned to the a sidewall of the second floating gate, wherein the memory cell further comprising:

a first erase gate disposed on the first doped region;

a second erase gate disposed on the second doped region;

a first control gate disposed on the first floating gate, and between the first erase gate and the sidewall of the first part; and

a second control gate disposed on the second floating gate and between the second erase gate and the sidewall of the second part.

4. An operation method for a memory cell, the memory cell comprising a substrate having a first conductivity type, a first doped region and a second doped region having a second conductivity type, a first floating gate a second floating gate and a word gate, the first and the second doped region being disposed in the substrate, the first and the second floating gate being disposed on the substrate, the first floating gate being electrically coupled to the first doped region, the second floating gate being electrically coupled to the second doped region, the word gate being disposed on the substrate and between the first and the second doped region, the word gate comprising a first part extending over the first floating gate and a second part extending over the second floating gate, the operation method comprising:

applying an erase voltage to the word gate and a ground voltage to the first and the second doped region to reset the memory cell;

applying a select voltage to the word gate to select the memory cell;

applying a write voltage to one of the first doped region and the second doped region and applying the ground voltage to another one of the first doped region and the second doped region to write data to the memory cell; and

applying a read voltage to one of the first doped region and the second doped region and applying the ground voltage to another one of the first doped region and the second doped region to read the data from the memory cell.

5. The operation method of claim 4, wherein the first part and the word gate substantially form a first recess, and the second part and the word gate substantially form a second recess, wherein the first floating gate has a first tip edge, and the second floating gate has a second tip edge extending to the first recess.

6. The operation method of claim 4, wherein a sidewall of the first part is substantially aligned to a sidewall of the first floating gate, a sidewall of the second part is substantially aligned to the a sidewall of the second floating gate, wherein the memory cell further comprises:

a first erase gate disposed on the first doped region;

a second erase gate disposed on the second doped region;

a first control gate disposed on the first floating gate, and between the first erase gate and the sidewall of the first part; and

a second control gate disposed on the second floating gate, and between the second erase gate and the sidewall of the second part.

7. The operation method of claim 4, further comprising:

alternatively applying a first recovery voltage to one of the first doped region and the second doped region and a second recovery voltage to another one of the first doped region and the second doped region, so as to self recover the data stored in the memory cell.

8. The operation method of claim 5, further comprising:

alternatively applying a first recovery voltage to one of the first doped region and the second doped region and a second recovery voltage to another one of the first doped region and the second doped region, so as to self recover the data stored in the memory cell.

9. The operation method of claim 6, further comprising:

alternatively applying a first recovery voltage to one of the first doped region and the second doped region and a second recovery voltage to another one of the first doped region and the second doped region, so as to self recover the data stored in the memory cell.

10. A memory array, comprising:

a plurality of word lines;

a plurality of pages, wherein each of the pages comprising;

a first bit line; and

a second bit line, wherein the first bit line and the second bit line are disposed vertically with the word lines; and

a plurality of memory cells, each of the memory cells comprising;

a substrate having a first conductivity;

a first doped region having a second conductivity disposed in the substrate, wherein the first doped region is electrically coupled to the first bit line;

a second doped region having the second conductivity disposed in the substrate, wherein the first doped region is electrically coupled to the second bit line;

a first floating gate disposed on the substrate, wherein the first floating gate is electrically coupled to the first doped region;

a second floating gate disposed on the substrate, wherein the second floating gate is electrically coupled to the second doped region; and

a word gate disposed on the substrate and between the first and the second doped region, and electrically coupled to a corresponding one of the word lines, the word gate comprising a first part extending over the first floating gate and a second part extending over the second floating gate;

wherein the word lines, the first bit line and the second bit line are formed on the substrate.

11. The memory array of the claim 10, wherein the first part and the word gate substantially form a first recess, the second part and the word gate substantially form a second recess, wherein the first floating gate has a first tip edge, and the second floating gate has a second tip edge extending to the first recess.

12. The memory array of the claim 10, wherein the second bit line of the page of current stage is directly connected to the first bit line of the page of next stage.

13. The memory array of the claim 11, wherein the second bit line of the page of current stage is directly connected to the first bit line of the page of next stage.