Patent · US Expired

Method of making a non-volatile memory cell utilizing polycrystalline silicon spacer tunnel region

US5108939A · kind A · utility

52Cited by
6References
13Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateOct 16, 1990
Grant dateApr 28, 1992
Priority date
Expiry dateOct 16, 2010

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH10B69/00
  • WIPO fieldSemiconductors
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A method and structure for forming in an EEPROM memory transistor a tunnel dielectric region having an extremely small surface area. A floating gate region is formed in the conventional manner above a gate dielectric layer. The drain region is exposed utilizing photolithographic techniques and the gate dielectric removed therefrom. A thin layer of tunnel dielectric is then formed on the exposed drain region. A thin layer of polycrystalline silicon is then formed and etched in order to create very narrow floating gate extensions of polycrystalline silicon along the edge of the previously formed floating gate. The floating gate extension formed in this manner which overlies the drain region is separated from the drain region by thin tunnel dielectric. A dielectric is then formed on the device in order to provide a dielectric over the drain region which has a greater thickness than the tunnel dielectric underlying the floating gate extension.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.