Memory cell having a vertical transistor with buried source/drain and dual gates

• US 6,399,979 B1
• Filed: 06/16/2000
• Issued: 06/04/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
• Inventors: Ahn, Kie Y., Forbes, Leonard, Noble, Wendell P.
• Primary Examiner(s): CRANE, SARA W
• Application Number:
  US09/596,266
• Time in Patent Office: 718 Days
• Field of Search: 257/296, 257/302, 257/304, 257/330, 257/331, 257/332, 257/347
• US Class Current: 257/302
• CPC Class Codes: H10B 12/053 the transistor being at least partially in a trench in the substrate vertical transistor in combination with a capacitor formed in a substrate trench H10B12/0383
• CPC Class Codes: H10B 12/488 Word lines

Abstract

An integrated circuit and fabrication method includes a memory cell for a dynamic random access memory (DRAM). Vertically oriented access transistors are formed on semiconductor pillars on buried bit lines. Buried first and second gates are provided for each access transistor on opposing sides of the pillars. Buried word lines extend in trenches orthogonal to the bit lines. The buried word lines interconnect ones of the first and second gates. In one embodiment, unitary gates are interposed and shared between adjacent pillars for gating the transistors therein. In another embodiment, separate split gates are interposed between and provided to the adjacent pillars for separately gating the transistors therein. In one embodiment, the memory cell has a surface area that is approximately 4 F², where F is a minimum feature size. Bulk-semiconductor and semiconductor-on-insulator (SOI) embodiments are provided.

Claims

1. An integrated circuit, comprising:

a pillar of semiconductor material that extends outwardly from a working surface of a substrate, the pillar having a number of sides;

a transistor having a body region and first and second source/drain regions formed within the pillar, and having first and second gates that are each associated with a side of the pillar, wherein the first and second gates have a side facing the body region which has a vertical length of less than 0.6 μ

m; and

an interconnect line formed of monocrystalline semiconductor material and disposed below the body region for interconnecting with first source/drain regions of adjacent transistors of the integrated circuit.

2. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein the first and second gates have a horizontal length which is greater than the vertical length of the side facing the body region.

3. The integrated circuit of claim 1, further comprising a storage capacitor coupled to the second source/drain diffusion.

4. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein the first source/drain region includes a more heavily doped bit line portion.

5. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein the pillar extends outwardly from an insulating portion of the substrate.

6. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein the pillar extends outwardly from a semiconductor portion of the substrate.

7. A memory device, comprising:

an array of memory cells, each cell comprising a transistor including a semiconductor pillar forming body and first and second source/drain regions, and first and second gates disposed adjacent to opposing sides of the pillar;

a plurality of buried bit lines, disposed below the body region, and interconnecting ones of the first source/drain regions of ones of the memory cells;

a plurality of substantially parallel first word lines, each first word line disposed orthogonally to the bit lines in a trench between columns of the memory cells for addressing of first gates of the transistors of the memory cells that are adjacent to the trench in which the first word line is disposed, wherein each first word line has a side facing the first gates which has a vertical length of less than 0.6 μ

m; and

a plurality of substantially parallel second word lines, interdigitated with the first word lines, each second word line disposed orthogonally to the bit lines in a trench between columns of the memory cells for allowing addressing of second gates of the transistors of the memory cells that are adjacent to the trench in which the second word line is disposed, wherein each second word line has a side facing the second gates which has a vertical length of less than 0.6 μ

m.

8. The memory device of claim 7, wherein each memory cell further comprises a storage capacitor coupled to the second source/drain diffusion.

9. The memory device of claim 7, wherein the pillars extend outwardly from an insulating portion of the substrate.

10. The memory device of claim 7, wherein the pillars extend outwardly from an semiconductor portion of the substrate.

11. The memory device of claim 7, wherein the integrated circuit surface area of the memory cell is 4 F², where F is a minimum feature size.

12. An integrated circuit, comprising:

a pillar of semiconductor material that extends outwardly from a working surface of a substrate, the pillar having an upper surface and a number of sides;

a transistor having a vertically stacked body and first and second source/drain regions formed within the pillar, and having first and second gates that are each associated with a side of the pillar, wherein the first and second gates are located below the upper surface of the semiconductor pillar, and wherein the first and second gates have a horizontal length which is greater than a vertical length of the vertically stacked body; and

an interconnect line formed of monocrystalline semiconductor material and disposed below the body region for interconnecting with first source/drain regions of adjacent transistors of the integrated circuit.

13. The integrated circuit of claim 12, wherein the first and second gates each have a side facing the vertically stacked body which has a vertical length of less than 0.6 μ

m.

14. The integrated circuit of claim 12, wherein the first and second gates are associated with opposite sides of the pillar.

15. The integrated circuit of claim 12, including an insulating layer between the first source/drain region and an underlying semiconductor portion of the substrate.

16. A memory array comprising:

a plurality of substantially parallel bit lines at least partially on a substrate;

a plurality of memory cells, each memory cell including an access transistor having body and first and second source/drain regions vertically formed on one of the bit lines, the second source/drain region including an upper semiconductor surface and the bit lines disposed below the body;

a plurality of first isolation trenches extending parallel to and between the bit lines, and interposed between ones of the access transistors; and

a plurality of first and second word lines, the first and second word lines interdigitated with each other and disposed orthogonally to the bit lines in a plurality of second isolation trenches, wherein the bit lines and the first and second word lines are located below the upper semiconductor surface of the second source/drain region, and wherein the first and second word lines are oriented horizontally in the isolation trenches.

17. The memory array of claim 16, wherein the first and second word lines each have a side facing the vertically formed body which has a vertical length of less than 0.6 μ

m.

18. The memory array of claim 17, wherein the first and second word lines have a horizontal length which is greater than the vertical length.

19. The memory array of claim 16, wherein the bit lines include portions of the first source/drain regions of ones of the access transistors.

20. The memory array of claim 16, wherein the first word line provides common first gate regions for access transistors on opposing sides of the trench in which the first word line is disposed.

21. The memory array of claim 16, wherein the second word line provides common second gate regions for access transistors on opposing sides of the trench in which the second word line is disposed.

22. The memory array of claim 16, wherein the first word line provides separate conductors for first gate regions of access transistors on opposite sides of the trench in which the first word line is disposed.

23. The memory array of claim 16, wherein the second word line provides separate conductors for second gate regions of access transistors on opposite sides of the trench in which the second word line is disposed.

24. The memory array of claim 16, including an insulating layer interposed between the bit lines and a semiconductor portion of the substrate.

25. An integrated circuit, comprising:

a pillar of semiconductor material that extends outwardly from a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) working surface of a substrate, the pillar having a number of sides;

a transistor having a body region and first and second source/drain regions formed within the pillar, and having first and second gates that are each associated with a side of the pillar, wherein the first and second gates have a side facing the body region which has a vertical length of less than 0.6 μ

m; and

an interconnect line formed of monocrystalline semiconductor material and disposed below the body region for interconnecting with first source/drain regions of adjacent transistors of the integrated circuit.

26. The integrated circuit of claim 25, wherein the first and second gates have a horizontal length which is greater than the vertical length of the side facing the body region.

27. The integrated circuit of claim 25, further comprising a storage capacitor coupled to the second source/drain diffusion.

28. The integrated circuit of claim 25, wherein the first source/drain region includes a more heavily doped bit line portion.

29. A memory device, comprising:

an array of memory cells formed on a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) surface, each cell comprising a transistor including a semiconductor pillar forming body and first and second source/drain regions, and first and second gates disposed adjacent to opposing sides of the pillar;

a plurality of buried bit lines, disposed below the body region, and interconnecting ones of the first source/drain regions of ones of the memory cells;

a plurality of substantially parallel first word lines, each first word line disposed orthogonally to the bit lines in a trench between columns of the memory cells for addressing of first gates of the transistors of the memory cells that are adjacent to the trench in which the first word line is disposed, wherein each first word line has a side facing the first gates which has a vertical length of less than 0.6 μ

m; and

a plurality of substantially parallel second word lines, interdigitated with the first word lines, each second word line disposed orthogonally to the bit lines in a trench between columns of the memory cells for allowing addressing of second gates of the transistors of the memory cells that are adjacent to the trench in which the second word line is disposed, wherein each second word line has a side facing the second gates which has a vertical length of less than 0.6 μ

m.

30. The memory device of claim 29, wherein each memory cell further comprises a storage capacitor coupled to the second source/drain diffusion.

31. The memory device of claim 29, wherein the integrated circuit surface area of the memory cell is 4 F², where F is a minimum feature size.

32. An integrated circuit, comprising:

a pillar of semiconductor material that extends outwardly from a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) working surface of a substrate, the pillar having an upper surface and a number of sides;

a transistor having a vertically stacked body and first and second source/drain regions formed within the pillar, and having first and second gates that are each associated with a side of the pillar, wherein the first and second gates are located below the upper surface of the semiconductor pillar, and wherein the first and second gates have a horizontal length which is greater than a vertical length of the vertically stacked body; and

an interconnect line formed of monocrystalline semiconductor material and disposed below the body region for interconnecting with first source/drain regions of adjacent transistors of the integrated circuit.

33. The integrated circuit of claim 32, wherein the first and second gates each have a side facing the vertically stacked body which has a vertical length of less than 0.6 μ

m.

34. The integrated circuit of claim 32, wherein the first and second gates are associated with opposite sides of the pillar.

35. The integrated circuit of claim 32, including an insulating layer between the first source/drain region and an underlying semiconductor portion of the substrate.