Integrated circuit structure including three-dimensional memory array

• US 6,385,074 B1
• Filed: 12/22/2000
• Issued: 05/07/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: SanDisk Technologies LLC (Western Digital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matrix Semiconductor, Inc. (Western Digital Corporation)
• Inventors: Cleeves, James M., Subramanian, Vivek, Lee, Thomas H., Farmwald, Paul Michael, Johnson, Mark G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nelms, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): LE, THONG QUOC
• Application Number:
  US09/748,816
• Time in Patent Office: 501 Days
• Field of Search: 365/103, 365/63, 365/52, 365/225.7, 365/130, 365/230.06, 365/226
• US Class Current: 365/103
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 11/5692 read-only digital stores using storage elements with more than two stable states
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 17/14 in which contents are determined by selectively establishing, breaking or modifying connecting links by permanently altering the state of coupling elements, e.g. PROM
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 17/16 using electrically-fusible links
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 2213/71 Three dimensional array
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/0203 Particular design considerations for integrated circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/1021 including diodes only
• 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

An integrated circuit device includes a three-dimensional memory array and array terminal circuitry for providing to selected memory cells of the array a write voltage different from a read voltage. Neither voltage is necessarily equal to a VDD power supply voltage supplied to the integrated circuit. The write voltage, particularly if greater than VDD, may be generated by an on-chip voltage generator, such as a charge pump, which may require an undesirably large amount of die area, particularly relative to a higher bit density three-dimensional memory array formed entirely in layers above a semiconductor substrate. In several preferred embodiments, the area directly beneath a memory array is advantageously utilized to layout at least some of the write voltage generator, thus locating the generator near the selected memory cells during a write operation.

Claims

1. An integrated circuit device comprising:

a three-dimensional array of memory cells; and

array terminal circuitry coupled to the memory array for providing to at least one selected memory cell of the array a read voltage to read the at least one selected memory cell and a write voltage to write the at least one selected memory cell; and

a voltage generator circuit to generate the write voltage.

2. The integrated circuit device as recited in claim 1 wherein the memory cells comprise non-volatile memory cells.

3. The integrated circuit device as recited in claim 2 wherein the memory cells comprise write-once memory cells.

4. The integrated circuit device as recited in claim 2 wherein the memory cells comprise erasable memory cells.

5. The integrated circuit device as recited in claim 1 wherein the memory cells comprise volatile memory cells.

6. The integrated circuit device as recited in claim 1 wherein:

the memory cells comprise non-volatile memory cells; and

the integrated circuit device includes a semiconductor package which is arranged to prevent erasure of memory cells by a user thereof, even if the memory cells are fundamentally erasable.

7. The integrated circuit device as recited in claim 1 wherein:

the memory cells comprise non-volatile memory cells; and

the integrated circuit device includes a semiconductor package which is arranged to prevent additional programming of memory cells by a user thereof.

8. The integrated circuit device as recited in claim 1 wherein:

the memory cells comprise non-volatile memory cells; and

the integrated circuit device includes a write-protect capability which, when enabled, prevents erasure of memory cells by a user thereof, even if the memory cells are fundamentally erasable.

9. The integrated circuit device as recited in claim 1 wherein:

the memory cells comprise non-volatile memory cells; and

the integrated circuit device includes a write-protect capability which, when enabled, prevents additional programming of memory cells by a user thereof.

10. The integrated circuit device as recited in claim 1 wherein:

each of the memory cells comprises a non-volatile two-terminal memory cell.

11. The integrated circuit device as recited in claim 1 wherein:

each of the memory cells comprises a non-volatile three-terminal memory cell.

12. The integrated circuit device as recited in claim 1 wherein:

the memory cells comprise non-volatile, write-once memory cells; and

each of the memory cells comprises a two-terminal antifuse memory cell.

13. The integrated circuit device as recited in claim 1 wherein:

the memory cells comprise non-volatile, write-once memory cells; and

each of the memory cells comprises a two-terminal fuse memory cell.

14. The integrated circuit device as recited in claim 1 wherein:

the integrated circuit device is arranged to operably receive an externally-provided power supply voltage; and

at least one of the read and write voltages is greater than the power supply voltage.

15. The integrated circuit device as recited in claim 14 wherein:

neither the read voltage nor the write voltage is substantially equal to the power supply voltage.

16. The integrated circuit device as recited in claim 14 wherein:

the voltage generator circuit is arranged to operably receive the externally-provided power supply voltage and to generate the write voltage at a magnitude greater than the power supply voltage.

17. The integrated circuit device as recited in claim 16 wherein the voltage generator circuit comprises a capacitive voltage multiplier circuit.

18. The integrated circuit device as recited in claim 16 wherein the voltage generator circuit comprises an inductive voltage transformation circuit.

19. The integrated circuit device as recited in claim 16 wherein the voltage generator circuit is arranged such that at least a portion thereof is physically disposed beneath the memory array.

20. The integrated circuit device as recited in claim 19 wherein the at least a portion of the voltage generator circuit physically disposed beneath the memory array includes circuit structures formed within a semiconductor substrate.

21. The integrated circuit device as recited in claim 16 wherein the voltage generator circuit is arranged such that at least a portion thereof is physically disposed above the memory array.

22. An integrated circuit arranged to operably receive an externally-provided power supply voltage comprising:

a three-dimensional array of non-volatile memory cells, the array having at least more than one layer of word lines or more than one layer of bit lines;

array terminal circuitry coupled to the memory array for providing to at least one selected memory cell a read voltage to read the at least one selected memory cell and a write voltage different from the read voltage to write the at least one selected memory cell, the write voltage being greater than the externally-provided power supply voltage; and

a voltage generator circuit arranged to operably receive the externally-provided power supply voltage and to generate the write voltage.

23. The integrated circuit as recited in claim 22 wherein:

the memory cells comprise write-once memory cells; and

each of the memory cells comprises a two-terminal antifuse memory cell.

24. The integrated circuit as recited in claim 22 wherein the voltage generator circuit comprises a capacitive voltage multiplier circuit arranged such that at least a portion thereof is physically disposed beneath the memory array.

25. The integrated circuit as recited in claim 22 wherein:

each of the memory cells comprises a write-once, two-terminal, antifuse memory cell; and

the voltage generator circuit comprises a capacitive voltage multiplier circuit arranged such that at least a portion thereof is physically disposed beneath the memory array.

26. An integrated circuit comprising,:

an array of memory cells; and

a voltage generator circuit arranged to operably receive an externally-provided power supply voltage and to generate a write voltage for the array;

wherein at least a portion of the voltage generator circuit is physically disposed within a lateral extent of the memory array.

27. The integrated circuit as recited in claim 26 wherein the at least a portion of the voltage generator circuit physically disposed within the lateral extent of the memory array is located below the memory array.

28. The integrated circuit as recited in claim 27 wherein the portion of the voltage generator circuit located below the memory array includes transistors formed within a semiconductor substrate.

29. The integrated circuit as recited in claim 27 wherein the portion of the voltage generator circuit located below the memory array includes no transistors formed within a semiconductor substrate.

30. The integrated circuit as recited in claim 26 wherein the at least a portion of the voltage generator circuit physically disposed within the lateral extent of the memory array is located above the memory array.

31. The integrated circuit as recited in claim 30 wherein the portion of the voltage generator circuit located above the memory array includes thin-film transistors.

32. The integrated circuit as recited in claim 30 wherein the portion of the voltage generator circuit located above the memory array includes polysilicon transistors.

33. The integrated circuit as recited in claim 26 wherein the voltage generator circuit comprises a capacitive voltage multiplier circuit.

34. The integrated circuit as recited in claim 26 wherein:

the memory array comprises a three-dimensional memory array.

35. The integrated circuit as recited in claim 26 wherein:

the memory array comprises a three-dimensional memory array having at least two layers of word lines and at least two layers of bit lines.

36. An integrated circuit device comprising:

a three-dimensional array of non-volatile memory cells; and

a write-protect capability which, when enabled, prevents alteration of memory cells by a user thereof, even if the memory cells are fundamentally erasable.

37. The integrated circuit device as recited in claim 36 wherein each of the memory cells comprises a non-volatile two-terminal memory cell.

38. The integrated circuit device as recited in claim 36 wherein each of the memory cells comprises a non-volatile three-terminal memory cell.

39. The integrated circuit device as recited in claim 36 wherein each of the memory cells comprises a non-volatile, write-once, two-terminal, antifuse memory cell.

40. The integrated circuit device as recited in claim 36 wherein each of the memory cells comprises a non-volatile, write-once, two-terminal, fuse memory cell.

41. An integrated circuit device arranged to operably receive an externally-provided power supply voltage, said integrated circuit device comprising:

a three-dimensional array of memory cells; and

array terminal circuitry coupled to the memory array for providing to at least one selected memory cell of the array a read voltage to read the at least one selected memory cell and a write voltage different from the read voltage to write the at least one selected memory cell, at least one of the read and write voltages being greater than the externally-provided power supply voltage.

42. The integrated circuit device as recited in claim 41 wherein:

neither the read voltage nor the write voltage is substantially equal to the externally-provided power supply voltage.

43. An integrated circuit device comprising:

a three-dimensional array of memory cells;

array terminal circuitry coupled to the memory array for providing, to at least one selected memory cell of the array a read voltage to read the at least one selected memory cell and a write voltage different from the read voltage to write the at least one selected memory cell; and

a voltage generator circuit arranged to operably receive an externally-provided power supply voltage and to generate the write voltage at a magnitude greater than the externally-provided power supply voltage.

44. The integrated circuit device as recited in claim 43 wherein the voltage generator circuit comprises a capacitive voltage multiplier circuit.

45. The integrated circuit device as recited in claim 43 wherein the voltage generator circuit comprises an inductive voltage transformation circuit.

46. An integrated circuit device comprising:

a three-dimensional array of memory cells;

array terminal circuitry coupled to the memory array for providing to at least one selected memory cell of the array a read voltage to read the at least one selected memory cell and a write voltage different from the read voltage to write the at least one selected memory cell; and

a voltage generator circuit arranged to operably receive an externally-provided power supply voltage and to generate the write voltage at a magnitude greater than the externally-provided power supply voltage, at least a portion of the voltage generator circuit being physically disposed beneath the memory array.

47. The integrated circuit device as recited in claim 46 wherein the voltage generator circuit includes circuit structures formed within a semiconductor substrate beneath the memory array.

48. The integrated circuit device as recited in claim 46 wherein the voltage generator circuit includes circuit structures formed above the memory array.

49. An integrated circuit comprising:

an array of memory cells; and

a voltage generator circuit arranged to operably receive an externally-provided power supply voltage and to generate a write voltage for the array;

wherein at least a portion of the voltage generator circuit is physically disposed in a semiconductor layer above the memory array.

50. The integrated circuit as recited in claim 49 wherein the portion of the voltage generator circuit located above the memory array includes thin-film transistors.

51. The integrated circuit as recited in claim 49 wherein the portion of the voltage generator circuit located above the memory array includes polysilicon transistors.