Patent · US Expired

Method of making a memory cell with polished insulator layer

US6867097B1 · kind B1 · utility

29Cited by
8References
10Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateOct 28, 1999
Grant dateMar 15, 2005
Priority date
Expiry dateOct 28, 2019

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH01L21/022
  • WIPO fieldSemiconductors
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

An improved method of making a flash memory cell including a substrate having a floating gate of a first thickness includes depositing an insulator on the substrate and over the floating gate. The insulator is preferably a high quality oxide. A portion of the insulator not covering the floating gate has a second thickness which is greater than the first thickness of the floating gate. The method further includes polishing the insulator until the second thickness is substantially equal to the first thickness. Polishing results in a planar floating gate and insulator layer. The method further includes sequentially depositing a dielectric layer and a control gate layer on the planar floating gate and insulator layer and then etching these layers to complete the stacked gate structure of the memory cell.

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