Three-dimensional memory device with gated contact via structures and method of making thereof
AssigneeSanDisk Technologies LLC
InventorsMasanori TSUTSUMI, Naohiro HOSODA
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A three-dimensional memory device includes laterally spaced apart vertically alternating stacks of insulating strips and word line electrically conductive strips located over a substrate, memory stack structures extending through the multiple vertically alternating stacks, word line contact via structures contacting a top surface of the respective word line electrically conductive strips, field effect transistors overlying the word line contact via structures, and connector line structures which are electrically connected to respective subsets of the word line electrically conductive strips in different vertically alternating stacks through the field effect transistors.
Claims20
A three-dimensional memory device comprising:
- multiple vertically alternating stacks of insulating strips and word line electrically conductive strips located over a substrate, wherein the multiple vertically alternating stacks are laterally spaced from each other;
- memory stack structures extending through the multiple vertically alternating stacks, wherein each of the memory stack structures extends through a respective one of the multiple vertically alternating stacks and each of the memory stack structures comprises a memory film and a vertical semiconductor channel contacting an inner sidewall of the memory film;
- word line contact via structures contacting a top surface of the respective word line electrically conductive strips;
- field effect transistors overlying the word line contact via structures, each field effect transistor comprising a semiconductor channel, a gate dielectric and a gate electrode;
- and
- connector line structures which are electrically connected to respective subsets of the word line electrically conductive strips in different vertically alternating stacks through a subset of the semiconductor channels.
A method of forming a three-dimensional memory device, comprising:
- forming a continuous alternating stack of continuous insulating layers and continuous sacrificial material layers;
- forming memory openings through the continuous alternating stack;
- forming memory stack structures comprising a memory film and a vertical semiconductor channels in the memory openings;
- forming backside trenches laterally extending along a first horizontal direction through the continuous alternating stack, wherein the continuous alternating stack is divided into multiple in-process vertically alternating stacks;
- replacing remaining portions of the continuous sacrificial material layers with word line conductive material strips through the backside trenches to form multiple alternating stacks;
- forming word line contact via structures on top surfaces of the respective word line electrically conductive strips;
- forming field effect transistors over and electrically connected to the word line contact via structures;
- and
- forming connector line structures which are electrically connected to respective subsets of the word line electrically conductive strips in different alternating stacks through a subset of the semiconductor channels.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.