Staircase bridge structures for word line contacts in three-dimensional memory
AssigneeYangtze Memory Technologies Co., Ltd.
InventorQiang Tang
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Embodiments of three-dimensional (3D) memory devices and methods for forming the 3D memory devices are disclosed. In an example, the 3D memory device includes a film stack having a plurality of conductive and dielectric layer pairs vertically stacked on a substrate. Each conductive and dielectric layer pair includes a dielectric layer and a conductive layer. The 3D memory device also includes a staircase region having a first and a second staircase structure formed in the film stack, where the first and second staircase structures each extends laterally in a first direction and includes the plurality of conductive and dielectric layer pairs. The staircase region further includes a staircase bridge connecting the first and second staircase structures.
Claims12
A semiconductor device, comprising:
- a channel structure region and a staircase region arranged at a side of the channel structure region in a first direction;
- a stack, comprising a first top select gate (TSG) and a second top select gate-TSG arranged in the first direction;
- slit structures extending through the stack and extending in the first direction across the channel structure region and the staircase region;
- a TSG cut structure extending through an upper portion of the stack and extending in the first direction, wherein the TSG cut structure is between adjacent slit structures in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction;
- and
- a bridge structure extending in the first direction and connecting the first and second top select gates the bridge structure comprises a width in the second direction smaller than a distance between the adjacent slit structures.
A semiconductor device, comprising:
- a channel structure region and a staircase region arranged at a side of the channel structure region in a first direction;
- a stack, comprising a first top select gate (TSG) and a second top select gate TSG arranged in the first direction and extending through an upper portion of the stack;
- slit structures extending through the stack and extending in the first direction across the channel structure region and the staircase region, wherein the first and second TSGs are arranged between adjacent slit structures in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction;
- a top select gate cut structure extending through the upper portion of the stack and extending in the first direction;
- a first staircase structure in the stack;
- a second staircase structure in the stack, wherein the first and second staircase structures each extends in the first direction;
- and
- a bridge structure extending in the first direction and connecting the first and second staircase structures, wherein the bridge structure connects the first and second TSGs, and the bridge structure comprises a width in the second direction less than a total width of the first staircase structure and the second staircase structure in the second direction.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.