Integrated circuit having a memory cell array and method of forming an integrated circuit

• US 7,642,572 B2
• Filed: 04/13/2007
• Issued: 01/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Polaris Innovations Limited (Wi-LAN Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Qimonda AG (Infineon Technologies AG)
• Inventors: Schwerin, Ulrike Gruening-von, Schloesser, Till, Popp, Martin, Weis, Rolf
• Primary Examiner(s): Mandala; Victor A
• Application Number:
  US11/735,164
• Publication Number:
  US 20080253160A1
• Time in Patent Office: 998 Days
• Field of Search: 257/71, 257/202, 257/211, 257/E27.084, 365/72
• US Class Current: 257/211
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 5/063 Voltage and signal distribution in integrated semi-conductor memory access lines, e.g. word-line, bit-line, cross-over resistance, propagation delay
• 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 12/318 the storage electrode having multiple segments
• CPC Class Codes: H10B 12/34 the transistor being at least partially in a trench in the substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H10B 12/482 Bit lines

Abstract

An integrated circuit having a memory cell array and a method of forming an integrated circuit is disclosed. One embodiment provides bitlines running along a first direction, wordlines running along a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction, active areas and bitline contacts. The bitline contacts are arranged in columns extending in the second direction and in rows extending in the first direction. A distance between neighboring bitlines is DL, and a distance between neighboring bitline contacts is DC, DC being measured parallel to the first direction. The following relation holds: 1/2.25≦DL/DC≦1/1.75.

Claims

1. An integrated circuit having a memory cell array comprising:

memory cells;

bitlines running along a first direction;

wordlines running along a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction;

active area segments; and

bitline contacts, being arranged in columns extending in the second direction and in rows extending in the first direction,

wherein a distance between neighboring bitlines is dL, and a distance between neighboring bitline contacts is dC, dC being measured parallel to the first direction, wherein 1/2.25≦

dL/dC≦

1/1.75.

2. The integrated circuit of claim 1, comprising wherein two memory cells are formed in each of the active areas segments.

3. The integrated circuit of claim 1, comprising wherein the active area segments form part of active area lines and wherein active area segments which are assigned to common active area lines are insulated from each other by isolation devices.

4. The integrated circuit of claim 3, comprising wherein the isolation device is an isolation field effect transistor.

5. The integrated circuit of claim 3, comprising wherein the isolation device is a segmentation trench filled with a dielectric material.

6. The integrated circuit of claim 3, comprising wherein the active area lines are straight lines.

7. The integrated circuit of claim 3, comprising wherein an angle between the active area lines and the bitlines is approximately 15°

to 35°

.

8. The integrated circuit of claim 1, comprising wherein each of the bitline contacts is associated with two neighboring transistors that are formed in one active area segment.

9. The integrated circuit of claim 3, comprising wherein neighboring bitline contacts that are connected with active area segments forming part of a common active area line, are connected with neighboring bitlines, respectively.

10. The integrated circuit of claim 4 further comprising isolation gate lines which are connected with isolation gate electrodes forming part of the isolation field effect transistors, the isolation gate lines being arranged between two wordlines.

11. The integrated circuit of claim 4, comprising wherein a width of the gate electrode of the isolation field effect transistor is larger than the width of the gate electrode of a memory cell.

12. The integrated circuit of claim 10, comprising wherein the isolation gate lines are wider than the wordlines.

13. The integrated circuit of claim 1, comprising wherein each of the memory cells includes a FinFET.

14. The integrated circuit of claim 10, comprising wherein two wordlines are followed by one isolation gate line and one isolation gate line is followed by two wordlines.

15. The integrated circuit of claim 10, comprising wherein active areas are formed in a semiconductor substrate having a surface, an upper surface of each of the wordlines and of each of the isolation gate lines being disposed beneath the surface of the semiconductor substrate.

16. The integrated circuit of claim 1, comprising wherein the active areas are formed in a semiconductor substrate having a surface, an upper surface of each of the wordlines being disposed beneath the surface of the semiconductor substrate.

17. The integrated circuit of claim 1, comprising wherein the bitlines are formed as straight bitlines.

18. An electronic device comprising

an interface;

and

a memory device adapted to be interfaced by the interface, wherein the memory device includes a memory cell array comprising;

memory cells;

bitlines running along a first direction;

wordlines running along a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction;

active area segments; and

bitline contacts being arranged in columns extending in the second direction and in rows extending in the first direction,

wherein a distance between neighboring bitlines is dL, and a distance between neighboring bitline contacts is dC, dC being measured parallel to the first direction, wherein 1/2.25≦

dL/dC≦

1/1.75.

19. The electronic device of claim 18, further comprising components adapted to implement an electronic system that is selected from the group consisting of a computer, a server, a router, a game console, a graphics card, a personal digital assistant, a digital camera, a cell phone, an audio system and a video system.

20. A computer system comprising DRAM components, each of the DRAM components comprising:

memory cells;

bitlines running along a first direction;

wordlines running along a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction;

active area segments; and

bitline contacts being arranged in columns extending in the second direction and in rows extending in the first direction,

wherein a distance between neighboring bitlines is dL, and a distance between neighboring bitline contacts is dC, dC being measured parallel to the first direction, wherein 1/2.25≦

dL/dC≦

1/1.75.