Dual-gate device and method
First Claim
1. A dual-gate memory, comprising:
- a dielectric layer having a planar surface;
a memory device and an access device located above the planar surface of the dielectric layer, whereinthe memory device has a channel region provided on a first surface of a semiconductor layer, a gate structure above the channel region, and a threshold voltage; and
the access device has a channel region provided on a second surface of the semiconductor layer, and a gate structure above the channel region, the second surface being provided on an opposite side of the semiconductor layer relative to the first surface, wherein the semiconductor layer is thick enough to substantially isolate the gate structure of the access device from the gate structure of the memory device, such that the threshold voltage of the memory device is substantially unchanged over a predetermined range of voltages applied on the gate structure of the access device that renders the access device conducting.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A memory circuit having dual-gate memory cells and a method for fabricating such a memory circuit are disclosed. The dual-gate memory cells each include a memory device and an access device sharing a semiconductor layer, with their respective channel regions provided on different surfaces of the semiconductor layer. The semiconductor layer has a thickness, such that when a pass voltage is applied to the gate electrode of the access device, the access device and the memory device remains isolated, such that the charge stored in the memory device is unaffected by the pass voltage. The pass voltage is determined from a range of voltages, when applied to the access device, has no effect on the threshold voltage of the memory device. The dual-gate memory cells can be used as building blocks for a non-volatile memory array, such as a memory array formed by NAND-strings. In such an array, during programming of a nearby memory device in a NAND string, in NAND-strings not to be programmed, if inversion regions are allowed to be formed in the semiconductor layer, or if the semiconductor layer is allowed to electrically float, electrical interaction exists between the access devices and the memory devices to inhibit programming of the memory devices.
184 Citations
33 Claims
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1. A dual-gate memory, comprising:
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a dielectric layer having a planar surface; a memory device and an access device located above the planar surface of the dielectric layer, wherein the memory device has a channel region provided on a first surface of a semiconductor layer, a gate structure above the channel region, and a threshold voltage; and the access device has a channel region provided on a second surface of the semiconductor layer, and a gate structure above the channel region, the second surface being provided on an opposite side of the semiconductor layer relative to the first surface, wherein the semiconductor layer is thick enough to substantially isolate the gate structure of the access device from the gate structure of the memory device, such that the threshold voltage of the memory device is substantially unchanged over a predetermined range of voltages applied on the gate structure of the access device that renders the access device conducting. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A memory circuit comprising a NAND-type memory string, the NAND-type memory string comprising:
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a bit line contact; a source contact; a plurality of dual-gate memory cells serially connected by source/drain regions, wherein (a) a first source/drain region at one end of the serially connected dual-gate memory cells is selectably, electrically coupled to the bit line contact and a second source/drain region at another end of the serially connected dual-gate memory cells is selectably, electrically coupled to source contact, and wherein (b) the dual-gate memory cells each comprise; a dielectric layer having a planar surface; a memory device and an access device located above the planar surface of the dielectric layer, wherein; the memory device has a channel region provided on a first surface of a semiconductor layer, a gate structure above the channel region, and a threshold voltage; and the access device has a channel region provided on a second surface of the semiconductor layer, and a gate structure above the channel region, the second surface being provided on an opposite side of the semiconductor layer relative to the first surface, wherein the semiconductor layer is thick enough to substantially isolate the gate structure of the access device from the gate structure of the memory device, such that the threshold voltage of the memory device is substantially unchanged over a predetermined range of voltages applied on the gate structure of the access device that renders the access device conducting. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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32. A dual-gate memory cell, comprising:
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a dielectric layer having a planar surface; a memory device and an access device located above the planar surface of the dielectric layer, wherein the memory device has a channel region provided on a first surface of a semiconductor layer, a gate structure above the channel region, and a threshold voltage; and the access device has a channel region provided on a second surface of the semiconductor layer, and a gate structure above the channel region, the second surface being provided on an opposite side of the semiconductor layer relative to the first surface, wherein the semiconductor layer is thick enough to isolate a portion of the gate structure of the memory device from the gate structure of the access device, such that the threshold voltage of the memory device is substantially unchanged over a predetermined range of voltages applied on the gate structure of the access device that renders the access device conducting.
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33. A memory circuit comprising a NAND-type memory string, the NAND-type memory string comprising:
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a bit line contact; a source contact; a plurality of dual-gate memory cells serially connected by source/drain regions, wherein (a) a first source/drain region at one end of the serially connected dual-gate memory cells is selectably, electrically coupled to the bit line contact and a second source/drain region at another end of the serially connected dual-gate memory cells is selectably, electrically coupled to source contact, and wherein (b) the dual-gate memory cells each comprise; a dielectric layer having a planar surface; a memory device and an access device located above the planar surface of the dielectric layer, wherein the memory device has a channel region provided on a first surface of a semiconductor layer, a gate structure above the channel region, and a threshold voltage; and the access device has a channel region provided on a second surface of the semiconductor layer, and a gate structure above the channel region, the second surface being provided on an opposite side of the semiconductor layer relative to the first surface, wherein the semiconductor layer is thick enough to isolate a portion of the gate structure of the memory device from the gate structure of the access device, such that the threshold voltage of the memory device is substantially unchanged over a predetermined range of voltages applied on the gate structure of the access device that renders the access device conducting.
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Specification