# US 10,483,323 B2 · Three-dimensional semiconductor device

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- Number: US 10,483,323 B2
- Document ID: US10483323B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/178,860
- Filed: 2018-11-02
- Published: 2019-03-14
- Granted: 2019-11-19
- Earliest claimed: 2015-03-31
- Assignees: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Joyoung Park; Seok-Won Lee; Seongjun Seo
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10483323B2

## CPC

- H10B 63/84: {arranged in a direction perpendicular to the substrate, e.g. 3D cell arrays}
- H10B 41/10: characterised by the top-view layout
- H10B 41/27: the channels comprising vertical portions, e.g. U-shaped channels
- H10B 41/50: characterised by the boundary region between the core region and the peripheral circuit region
- H10B 43/10: characterised by the top-view layout
- H10B 43/27: the channels comprising vertical portions, e.g. U-shaped channels
- H10B 43/50: characterised by the boundary region between the core and peripheral circuit regions
- H10D 88/00: Three-dimensional [3D] integrated devices
- H10B: ELECTRONIC MEMORY DEVICES
- H10D: INORGANIC ELECTRIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES

## Abstract

A three-dimensional semiconductor device is provided as follows. A substrate includes a contact region, a dummy region, and a cell array region. A stack structure includes electrodes vertically stacked on the substrate. The electrodes are stacked to have a first stepwise structure on the contact region and a second stepwise structure in the dummy region. Ends of at least two adjacent electrodes in the second stepwise structure have first sidewalls vertically aligned so that horizontal positions of the first sidewalls are substantially the same.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A three-dimensional semiconductor device, comprising:
a substrate including a cell array region, a contact region, and a dummy region, the contact region being adjacent to the cell array region in a first direction, the dummy region being adjacent to the cell array region in a second direction, the second direction being perpendicular to the first direction;
a first stack structure including a plurality of first electrodes vertically stacked on the substrate, the first stack structure extending along the first direction on the cell array region and the contact region; and
a second stack structure including a plurality of second electrodes vertically stacked on the substrate, the second stack structure being disposed on the dummy region,
wherein the first stack structure has a first sidewall on the contact region and the second stack structure has a second sidewall on the dummy region respectively, the first sidewall is formed by m number of stepwise stacks of the plurality of first electrodes in the first direction, and the second sidewall is formed by n number of stepwise stacks of the plurality of second electrodes in the second direction, the m and n are natural numbers equal to or greater than two, and the m is greater than n.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The three-dimensional semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein the second stack structure includes at least two adjacent second electrodes which are vertically aligned on the dummy region.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The three-dimensional semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein the second stack structure includes at least two adjacent second electrodes vertically aligned to form an independent step in the n number of stepwise stacks of the plurality of second electrodes.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The three-dimensional semiconductor device of claim 1, further including an overlapped region, the overlapped region being adjacent to the contact region in the second direction and adjacent to the dummy region in the first direction, and at least a portion of the second stack structure further extending to the overlapped region.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The three-dimensional semiconductor device of claim 4, wherein the plurality of first electrodes comprises m number of first electrodes, thereby each first electrode forms an independent step in the m number of stepwise stacks of the plurality of first electrodes.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The three-dimensional semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of first electrodes is electrically separated from adjacent one of the plurality of first electrodes by an insulating layer, and each of the plurality of second electrodes is electrically separated from adjacent one of the plurality of second electrodes by the insulating layer.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The three-dimensional semiconductor device of claim 1, further comprising vertical structures penetrating the first stack structure on the cell array region and forming memory elements between the vertical structures and the plurality of first electrodes.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The three-dimensional semiconductor device of claim 1, further comprising a capping insulating layer covering the first stack structure and the second stack structure.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The three-dimensional semiconductor device of claim 8, further comprising a contact plug penetrating the capping insulating layer and contacting one of the plurality of the first electrodes.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The three-dimensional semiconductor device of claim 9, wherein the contact plug is not formed in the dummy region, and none of the plurality of the second electrodes is in contact with the contact plug.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The three-dimensional semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein the first sidewall and the second sidewall form a first slope and a second slope with respect to the substrate respectively, and the second slope is steeper than the first slope.

### Claim 12

A three-dimensional semiconductor device, comprising:
a substrate; and
a cell array comprising:
a plurality of electrodes vertically stacked on the substrate, the plurality of electrodes forming m number of stepwise stacks at ends of the plurality of electrodes in a first direction;
a plurality of dummy electrodes vertically stacked and adjacent to the plurality of electrodes in a second direction, the second direction being perpendicular to the first direction, the plurality of dummy electrodes forming n number of stepwise stacks in the second direction;
a capping insulating layer covering the plurality of electrodes and the plurality of dummy electrodes; and
a plurality of contact plugs penetrating the capping insulating layer and contacting the plurality of electrodes at each step of the m number of stepwise stacks,
wherein the m and n are natural numbers equal to or greater than two, and the m is greater than n.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The three-dimensional semiconductor device of claim 12, wherein at least two adjacent dummy electrodes are vertically aligned, thereby not forming a step between the two adjacent dummy electrodes.

### Claim 14 (depends on 12)

The three-dimensional semiconductor device of claim 12, wherein at least two adjacent dummy electrodes are vertically aligned, and forming an independent step among the n number of stepwise stacks of the plurality of dummy electrodes.

### Claim 15 (depends on 12)

The three-dimensional semiconductor device of claim 12, wherein the plurality of electrodes comprises m number of electrodes, thereby each electrode forms an independent step in the m number of stepwise stacks of the plurality of electrodes.

### Claim 16 (depends on 12)

The three-dimensional semiconductor device of claim 12, wherein the cell array further includes an overlapped region, the overlapped region is adjacent to the plurality of electrodes in the second direction and adjacent to the plurality of dummy electrodes in the first direction, and the plurality of dummy electrodes extends to the overlapped region.

### Claim 17 (depends on 12)

The three-dimensional semiconductor device of claim 12, wherein each of the plurality of electrodes is electrically separated from adjacent one of the plurality of electrodes by an insulating layer, and each of the plurality of dummy electrodes is electrically separated from adjacent one of the plurality of dummy electrodes by the insulating layer.

### Claim 18 (depends on 12)

The three-dimensional semiconductor device of claim 12, further comprising vertical structures penetrating the plurality of electrodes, and thereby forming a plurality of memory elements.

### Claim 19 (depends on 12)

The three-dimensional semiconductor device of claim 12, wherein none of the plurality of contact plugs are formed on the plurality of dummy electrodes.

### Claim 20 (depends on 12)

The three-dimensional semiconductor device of claim 12, wherein a first slope formed by the m number of stepwise stacks of the plurality of electrodes is less steep than a second slope formed by the n number of stepwise stacks of the plurality of dummy electrodes.