Nonvolatile memory structures and fabrication methods
US6355524B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 15, 2000 |
| Grant date | Mar 12, 2002 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 15, 2020 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH10D84/038
- WIPO fieldSemiconductors
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
In a nonvolatile memory, select gates are self-aligned spacers formed on sidewalls of floating/control gate stacks. The same mask (1710) is used to remove the select gate layer from over the source lines (144), to etch trench insulation in the source line regions, and to dope the source lines. The memory can be formed in and over an isolated substrate region. The source lines can be doped at least partially before the trench insulation is etched, to prevent a short before the source lines and a region isolating the isolated substrate region from below. The memory can be erased by sectors, or alternatively a chip erase operation can be performed to erase all the cells in parallel. Peripheral transistor gates can be formed from the same layer as the select gates. The select gate spacers have extensions to which low resistance contacts can be made from overlying metal lines.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.