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US 11,706,925 B2Granted
Methods of forming electronic devices with channel openings or pillars extending through a tier stack
AssigneeMicron Technology, Inc.
InventorsJohn D. Hopkins, Nancy M. Lomeli, Justin B. Dorhout, Damir Fazil
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Device, systems, and structures include a stack of vertically-alternating tiers of materials arranged in one or more decks of tiers. A channel opening, in which a channel pillar may be formed, extends through the stack. The pillar includes a “shoulder portion” extending laterally into an “undercut portion” of the channel opening, which undercut portion is defined along at least a lower tier of at least one of the decks of the stack.
Claims20
A method of forming a semiconductor device, the method comprising:
- forming a stack of vertically-alternating tiers of insulative material and other material over a base material, a sacrificial material disposed in the base material, and a soft plug material disposed in the sacrificial material;
- forming an opening extending through the stack and through the soft plug material, leaving remnants of the soft plug material along sidewalls of the opening;
- forming a liner in the opening;
- exposing, through the liner, a portion of the sacrificial material;
- without removing the liner, removing the sacrificial material and the remnants of the soft plug material to define a gap between the liner and a sidewall of the base material, the gap exposing a portion of a lower tier of the stack;
- etching into the portion of the lower tier of the stack to define an undercut portion in the lower tier of the stack;
- and
- removing the liner to form a channel opening extending through the stack and into the base material, the channel opening exposing a source region of the base material at a base of the channel opening, the channel opening defined by sidewalls comprising the undercut portion.
5 more elements
A method of forming a semiconductor device, the method comprising:
- forming a first deck of vertically-alternating tiers of insulative material and other material over a base material and a sacrificial material disposed in the base material;
- forming an opening extending through the first deck and into the sacrificial material;
- forming a liner and a fill material within the opening;
- forming a second deck of vertically-alternating tiers of the insulative material and the other material over the first deck, the liner, and the fill material;
- forming another opening extending through the second deck to the fill material within the opening;
- forming another liner within the other opening;
- exposing a portion of the fill material through the other liner;
- without removing the liner or the other liner, removing the fill material and the sacrificial material to form an extended opening exposing at least a portion of a lower tier of each of the first deck and the second deck;
- isotropically etching the portion of the lower tier of each of the first deck and the second deck to define undercut portions;
- and
- removing the liner and the other liner to form a channel opening defined by sidewalls comprising the undercut portions.
8 more elements
A method of forming an electronic device, comprising:
- forming a deck above at least one sacrificial material, the deck comprising insulative structures vertically alternating with other structures and arranged in tiers;
- forming an opening through the deck and to or into the at least one sacrificial material;
- forming a liner in the opening along sidewalls of the deck;
- without substantially removing sidewalls of the liner, removing at least a portion of the at least one sacrificial material to expose a portion of a lower surface of a lowest insulative structure of the insulative structures of the deck;
- etching into the portion of the lower surface of the lowest insulative structure of the insulative structures of the deck;
- and
- removing the liner to form a channel opening tapering through the tiers of the deck above the lowest insulative structure, the channel opening broadening at the lowest insulative structure.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.