High density floating gate flash memory and fabrication processes therefor

US6660588B1 · kind B1 · utility

Assignee

• Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. · US

Inventors

• Nian Yang · San Jose, US
• Zhigang Wang · Lexington, US
• Hyeon-Seag Kim · Sunnyvale, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Sep 16, 2002
• Grant date: Dec 9, 2003
• Expiry date: Sep 16, 2022

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H10D64/035

Abstract

A process for fabrication of a floating gate flash memory device, and the device made thereby, including providing a semiconductor substrate; forming a pad dielectric layer overlying the substrate; forming a hard mask layer overlying the pad dielectric layer; forming an initial trench through the hard mask layer, wherein the initial trench has an initial lateral extent Li defined by opposite hard mask sidewalls in the hard mask layer; reducing the initial lateral extent Li of the initial trench to define a reduced trench having a reduced lateral extent Lrx, wherein x is at least one; and filling the reduced trench with a floating gate material.