Semiconductor devices and electronic systems comprising floating gate transistors
First Claim
1. A semiconductor device having at least one transistor comprising:
- a source;
a drain;
a control gate; and
a floating gate comprising;
a first end portion proximate the source and the drain;
a second end portion proximate the control gate; and
an intermediate portion including a single nanowire extending between the first end portion and the second end portion, wherein the single nanowire has an average width less than about 50 nanometers, and wherein the intermediate portion has a smaller average cross-section than an average cross section of the first end portion.
8 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Semiconductor devices include one or more transistors having a floating gate and a control gate. In at least one embodiment, the floating gate comprises an intermediate portion extending between two end portions. The intermediate portion has an average cross-sectional area less than one or both of the end portions. In some embodiments, the intermediate portion may comprise a single nanowire. In additional embodiments, semiconductor devices have one or more transistors having a control gate and a floating gate in which a surface of the control gate opposes a lateral side surface of a floating gate that defines a recess in the floating gate. Electronic systems include such semiconductor devices. Methods of forming semiconductor devices include, for example, forming a floating gate having an intermediate portion extending between two end portions, and configuring the intermediate portion to have an average cross-sectional area less than one or both of the end portions.
75 Citations
44 Claims
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1. A semiconductor device having at least one transistor comprising:
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a source; a drain; a control gate; and a floating gate comprising; a first end portion proximate the source and the drain; a second end portion proximate the control gate; and an intermediate portion including a single nanowire extending between the first end portion and the second end portion, wherein the single nanowire has an average width less than about 50 nanometers, and wherein the intermediate portion has a smaller average cross-section than an average cross section of the first end portion. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A semiconductor device having at least one transistor comprising:
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a source; a drain; a control gate; and a floating gate, comprising; a first end portion proximate the source and the drain; a second end portion proximate the control gate; and an intermediate portion including a single nanowire extending between the first end portion and the second end portion, wherein the single nanowire has an average width less than about 50 nanometers; wherein at least a portion of the control gate has a shape substantially complementary to a shape of at least a portion of the second end portion of the floating gate. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12)
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13. A semiconductor device having at least one transistor comprising:
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a source; a drain; a control gate; and a floating gate, comprising; a first end portion proximate the source and the drain; a second end portion proximate the control gate; and an intermediate portion including a single nanowire extending between the first end portion and the second end portion, wherein the single nanowire has an average width less than about 50 nanometers, and wherein the floating gate has a dumbbell shape.
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- 14. A semiconductor device having at least one transistor comprising an electrically isolated floating gate and a control gate capacitively coupled with the floating gate, the control gate having at least one surface opposing an upper surface of an end portion of the floating gate and at least one surface opposing a lateral side surface of a single nanowire of the floating gate, the lateral side surface of the single nanowire of the floating gate defining a recess in the floating gate wherein the single nanowire has an average width less than about 50 nanometers.
- 21. A semiconductor device having at least one transistor comprising an electrically isolated floating gate and a control gate capacitively coupled with the floating gate, the floating gate comprising a single nanowire extending between a first end portion of the floating gate and a second end portion of the floating gate, the control gate disposed at least partially over and around the second end portion of the floating gate and at least partially around a portion of the single nanowire, wherein the single nanowire has an average width less than about 50 nanometers.
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26. An electronic system comprising:
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at least one electronic signal processor; at least one semiconductor device configured to communicate electrically with the at least one electronic signal processor; and at least one of an input device and an output device configured to communicate electrically with the at least one electronic signal processor, at least one of the at least one electronic signal processor and the at least one semiconductor device having at least one transistor comprising an electrically isolated floating gate and a control gate capacitively coupled with the floating gate, the control gate having at least one surface opposing an upper surface of an end portion of the floating gate and at least one surface opposing a lateral side surface of the floating gate, the lateral side surface of the floating gate defining a recess in the floating gate, wherein the floating gate of the at least one transistor further comprises; an additional end portion proximate a source and a drain; and an intermediate portion comprising a single nanowire disposed between the end portion and the additional end portion, wherein the single nanowire has an average width less than about 50 nanometers. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
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34. An electronic system comprising:
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at least one electronic signal processor; at least one semiconductor device configured to communicate electrically with the at least one electronic signal processor; and at least one of an input device and an output device configured to communicate electrically with the at least one electronic signal processor, at least one of the at least one electronic signal processor and the at least one semiconductor device having at least one transistor comprising an electrically isolated floating gate and a control gate capacitively coupled with the floating gate, the floating gate comprising a single nanowire having an average width less than about 50 nanometers extending between a first end portion of the floating gate and a second end portion of the floating gate, the control gate disposed at least partially over and around the second end portion of the floating gate and at least partially around a portion of the single nanowire. - View Dependent Claims (35, 36, 37)
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38. A method of forming a semiconductor device having at least one transistor, comprising:
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forming a source and a drain; forming a floating gate having a first end portion proximate to the source and the drain, a second end portion, and an intermediate portion including a single nanowire having an average width of less than about 50 nm extending between the first end portion and the second end portion, wherein the intermediate portion has an average cross-sectional area less than an average cross-sectional area of the first end portion; and forming a control gate at least partially over and around at least the second end portion of the floating gate. - View Dependent Claims (39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44)
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Specification