Highly compact EPROM and flash EEPROM devices
First Claim
1. A method of forming an array of flash EEPROM cells on a semiconductor substrate surface, comprising:
- forming a plurality of parallel elongated source and drain regions beneath the substrate surface which have continuous lengths extending in a first direction across said surface and are spaced apart in a second direction thereacross to form channel regions therebetween, said first and second directions being substantially orthogonal to each other,forming a first plurality of parallel elongated conductive strips insulated from the substrate and individually positioned over at least a portion of a channel region with continuous lengths extending in said first direction and being spaced apart in the second direction,forming a second plurality of parallel elongated conductive strips as control gates insulated from the substrate and the first plurality of conductive strips, said second plurality of strips having continuous lengths extending in said second direction and being spaced apart in said first direction,removing a portion of said first strips through mask openings formed in spaces between said second strips with reference to edges of the second strips, thereby to convert the first strips into a two dimensional array of electrically isolated floating gates underlaying said second strips and exposing surface areas of the floating gates to the spaces between the second strips,forming tunnel dielectric layers on said exposed floating gate surface areas, andforming, in the spaces between said second strips in contact with said tunnel dielectric layers, a third plurality of parallel elongated conductive strips as erase gates with continuous lengths extending in said second direction and being spaced apart in the first direction, said third strips being insulated from the second strips and the substrate.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Structures, methods of manufacturing and methods of use of electrically programmable read only memories (EPROM) and flash electrically erasable and programmable read only memories (EEPROM) include split channel and other cell configurations. An arrangement of elements and cooperative processes of manufacture provide self-alignment of the elements. An intelligent programming technique allows each memory cell to store more than the usual one bit of information. An intelligent erase algorithm prolongs the useful life of the memory cells. Use of these various features provides a memory having a very high storage density and a long life, making it particularly useful as a solid state memory in place of magnetic disk storage devices in computer systems.
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Citations
22 Claims
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1. A method of forming an array of flash EEPROM cells on a semiconductor substrate surface, comprising:
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forming a plurality of parallel elongated source and drain regions beneath the substrate surface which have continuous lengths extending in a first direction across said surface and are spaced apart in a second direction thereacross to form channel regions therebetween, said first and second directions being substantially orthogonal to each other, forming a first plurality of parallel elongated conductive strips insulated from the substrate and individually positioned over at least a portion of a channel region with continuous lengths extending in said first direction and being spaced apart in the second direction, forming a second plurality of parallel elongated conductive strips as control gates insulated from the substrate and the first plurality of conductive strips, said second plurality of strips having continuous lengths extending in said second direction and being spaced apart in said first direction, removing a portion of said first strips through mask openings formed in spaces between said second strips with reference to edges of the second strips, thereby to convert the first strips into a two dimensional array of electrically isolated floating gates underlaying said second strips and exposing surface areas of the floating gates to the spaces between the second strips, forming tunnel dielectric layers on said exposed floating gate surface areas, and forming, in the spaces between said second strips in contact with said tunnel dielectric layers, a third plurality of parallel elongated conductive strips as erase gates with continuous lengths extending in said second direction and being spaced apart in the first direction, said third strips being insulated from the second strips and the substrate. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A compact flash EEPROM cell array formed on a semiconductor substrate surface, comprising:
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a plurality of continuous elongated conductively doped regions formed in the substrate with lengths extending in a substantially straight path in a first direction, said doped regions forming source and drain regions and being separated across the substrate surface in a second direction to form channel regions therebetween, said first and second directions being substantially orthogonal to each other, a two dimensional array of rectangularly shaped floating gates arranged in substantially straight columns extending along the channel regions in the first direction and in substantially straight rows extending in the second direction, a plurality of elongated control gates having lengths extending in substantially straight paths in said second direction and spaced apart in said first direction, individual ones of said control gates being positioned over individual ones of the rows of a plurality of floating gates with electrical insulation therebetween and in a manner that surfaces of the floating gates face spaces between the control gates, a layer of tunnel dielectric carried by said floating gate surfaces, and a plurality of elongated erase gates having lengths extending in said second direction in a substantially straight path and positioned in spaces between the control gates in the first direction in a manner to contact the layer of tunnel dielectric carried by the floating gate surfaces. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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Specification