Sacrificial nitride and gate replacement

US8329598B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Spansion LLC. · US

Inventors

• Chungho Lee · Sunnyvale, US
• Kuo-Tung Chang · Saratoga, US
• Hiroyuki Kinoshita · San Jose, US
• Huaqiang Wu · Nanhu, CN
• Fred Cheung · San Jose, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Jun 6, 2011
• Grant date: Dec 11, 2012
• Expiry date: Jun 6, 2031

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H10D30/697

Abstract

Methods of forming a top oxide around a charge storage material layer of a memory cell and methods of improving quality of a top oxide around a charge storage material layer of a memory cell are provided. The method can involve providing a charge storage layer on a semiconductor substrate, a nitride layer on the charge storage layer, and a first poly layer on the nitride layer, and converting at least a portion of the nitride layer to a top oxide. By converting at least a portion of a nitride layer to a top oxide layer, the quality of the resultant top oxide layer can be improved.