# US 2014/0191291 A1 · Method of manufacturing a non-volatile memory

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- Number: US 2014/0191291 A1
- Document ID: US20140191291A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 14/148,257
- Filed: 2014-01-06
- Published: 2014-07-10
- Earliest claimed: 2013-01-07
- Assignees: STMicroelectronics (Rousset) SAS
- Applicants: STMicroelectronics (Rousset) SAS
- Inventors: Francesco La Rosa; Stephan Niel; Arnaud Regnier; Hélène Dalle-Houilliez
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140191291A1

## CPC

- H10B 41/27: the channels comprising vertical portions, e.g. U-shaped channels
- G11C 16/0433: {comprising cells containing a single floating gate transistor and one or more separate select transistors}
- H10B 41/35: with a cell select transistor, e.g. NAND
- H10D 30/025: {of vertical IGFETs (of VDMOS H10D30/0291; of vertical TFTs H10D30/0318)}
- H10D 30/63: Vertical IGFETs (H10D30/66 {, H10D30/6728, H10D30/689, H10D30/693} take precedence)
- H10B: ELECTRONIC MEMORY DEVICES
- G11C: STATIC STORES (semiconductor memory devices H10B)
- H10D: INORGANIC ELECTRIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES

## Abstract

The disclosure relates to a method of manufacturing vertical gate transistors in a semiconductor substrate, comprising implanting, in the depth of the substrate, a doped isolation layer, to form a source region of the transistors; forming, in the substrate, parallel trench isolations and second trenches perpendicular to the trench isolations, reaching the isolation layer, and isolated from the substrate by a first dielectric layer; depositing a first conductive layer on the surface of the substrate and in the second trenches; etching the first conductive layer to form the vertical gates of the transistors, and vertical gate connection pads between the extremity of the vertical gates and an edge of the substrate, while keeping a continuity zone in the first conductive layer between each connection pad and a vertical gate; and implanting doped regions on each side of the second trenches, to form drain regions of the transistors.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method, comprising:
manufacturing an integrated circuit in a semiconductor substrate, the integrated circuit comprising vertical gate transistors, the manufacturing including:
forming a source region of the transistors, the forming including implanting, in the substrate, a doped isolation layer;
forming, in the substrate, parallel trench isolations;
forming, in the substrate, trenches perpendicular to the trench isolations, reaching the doped isolation layer, each trench comprising an extremity distanced from edges of the substrate;
forming a first dielectric layer on a surface of the substrate and in the trenches;
depositing a first conductive layer on the first conductive layer and in the trenches, the first conductive layer being isolated from the substrate by the first dielectric layer;
etching the first conductive layer, the etching forming:
trench conductors in the trenches, the trench conductors being vertical gates of the transistors, and
gate connection pads each extending between an extremity of a respective trench of the trenches and an edge of the substrate, while keeping a continuity zone in the first conductive layer between the trenches and the connection pads; and
implanting doped regions on opposite sides of each of the trenches, the implanting forming drain regions of the transistors.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, comprising:
depositing, on the first conductive layer, a second dielectric layer and a second conductive layer, the second dielectric layer and the second conductive layer being etched with the first conductive layer to form the trench conductors and the connection pads;
etching portions of the connection pads by removing portions of the second conductive layer and the second isolating layer, thereby forming openings in the connection pads; and
forming contacts on the first conductive layer in of the openings in the connection pads.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method according to claim 2, wherein etching the first conductive layer, the second isolating layer, and the second conductive layer forms at the surface of substrate and parallel to the trenches:
floating gates and control gates of charge accumulation transistors, each charge accumulation transistor forming a memory cell with a respective one of the vertical gate transistors; and
conductive lines interconnecting the control gates, wherein implanting the doped regions includes forming drain and source regions of the charge accumulation transistors.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The method according to claim 3, wherein the floating gates, the control gates, and the conductive lines extend parallel to the trenches on the surface of the substrate, with two of the conductive lines per trench conductor, one of the two of the conductive lines being left of the trench conductor, and another of the two of the conductive lines being to the right of the trench conductor.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein forming the trenches includes selectively etching dielectric material of the trench isolation structures and selectively etching semiconductor material of the substrate between and below the trench isolations, in order to provide each of the trenches with a bottom having undulations that include shallower portions between the trench isolations, separated by portions reaching the isolation layer under the etched portions of the trench isolations.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein forming the connection pads includes forming the connection pads with a width greater than a width of the trenches.

### Claim 7

An integrated circuit comprising:
vertical gate transistors in a semiconductor substrate;
a doped isolation layer implanted in the substrate and forming a source region of the transistors;
parallel trench isolations;
trench conductors formed perpendicularly to the trench isolations, and reaching the isolation layer, the trench conductors forming vertical gates of the transistors;
first dielectric layers respectively isolating the trench conductors from the substrate;
first doped regions implanted on opposite sides of the trench isolations, and forming drain regions of the transistors; and
gate connection pads, each extending between an extremity of a respective one of the trench conductors and an edge of the substrate, with an electrical continuity zone between the connection pad and the respective trench conductor.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The integrated circuit according to claim 7, comprising:
charge accumulation transistors forming respective memory cells with the vertical gate transistors, respectively;
conductive lines forming control gates of the charge accumulation transistors and control gate interconnection lines; and
second doped regions forming drain regions of the charge accumulation transistors, the first doped regions also forming source regions of the charge accumulation transistors.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The integrated circuit according to claim 8, wherein each charge accumulation transistor includes:
a floating gate;
a second dielectric layer that isolates the floating gate of the charge accumulation transistor from the substrate; and
a third dielectric layer that isolates the control gate of the charge accumulation transistor from floating gate of the charge accumulation transistor.

### Claim 10 (depends on 7)

The integrated circuit according to claim 7, comprising:
a second dielectric layer formed on the connection pads;
a conductive layer formed on the second dielectric layer; and
contacts extending through the conductive layer and the second dielectric layer and electrically contacting the connection pads, respectively.

### Claim 11 (depends on 7)

The integrated circuit according to claim 7, wherein the trench conductors comprise a bottom forming undulations presenting shallow portions between the trench isolations and portions reaching the isolation layer, between the shallow portions.

### Claim 12 (depends on 7)

The integrated circuit according to claim 7, wherein the connection pads present a width greater than a width of the trench conductors.

### Claim 13

An electronic device, comprising:
a memory that includes plural memory cells in a semiconductor substrate, each memory cell including a vertical gate transistor and a charge accumulation transistor, the substrate including a doped isolation layer forming a source region of the vertical gate transistors, the memory including:
parallel trench isolations formed in the substrate;
trench conductors formed perpendicularly to the trench isolations, and reaching the isolation layer, the trench conductors forming vertical gates of the vertical gate transistors;
first dielectric layers respectively isolating the trench conductors from the substrate;
first doped regions implanted on opposite sides of the trench isolations, and forming drain regions of the transistors; and
gate connection pads, each extending between an extremity of a respective one of the trench conductors and an edge of the substrate, with an electrical continuity zone between the connection pad and the respective trench conductor;
conductive lines forming control gates of the charge accumulation transistors and control gate interconnection lines; and
second doped regions forming drain regions of the charge accumulation transistors, the first doped regions also forming source regions of the charge accumulation transistors.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The electronic device according to claim 13, wherein each charge accumulation transistor includes:
a floating gate;
a second dielectric layer that isolates the floating gate of the charge accumulation transistor from the substrate; and
a third dielectric layer that isolates the control gate of the charge accumulation transistor from floating gate of the charge accumulation transistor.

### Claim 15 (depends on 13)

The electronic device according to claim 13, comprising:
a second dielectric layer formed on the connection pads;
a conductive layer formed on the second dielectric layer; and
contacts extending through the conductive layer and the second dielectric layer and electrically contacting the connection pads, respectively.

### Claim 16 (depends on 13)

The electronic device according to claim 13, wherein the trench conductors comprise a bottom forming undulations presenting shallow portions between the trench isolations and portions reaching the isolation layer, between the shallow portions.

### Claim 17 (depends on 13)

The electronic device according to claim 13, wherein the connection pads present a width greater than a width of the trench conductors.

### Claim 18 (depends on 13)

The electronic device according to claim 13, further comprising a processor and a communication interface circuit that are coupled to the memory.