# US 2022/0045075 A1 · Integrated Assemblies and Methods of Forming Integrated Assemblies

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- Number: US 2022/0045075 A1
- Document ID: US20220045075A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 16/988,156
- Filed: 2020-08-07
- Published: 2022-02-10
- Earliest claimed: 2020-08-07
- Assignees: Micron Technology, Inc.
- Applicants: Micron Technology, Inc.
- Inventors: Jordan D. Greenlee; Nancy M. Lomeli; John D. Hopkins; Jiewei Chen; Indra V. Chary; Jun Fang; Vladimir Samara; Kaiming Luo; Rita J. Klein; Xiao Li; Vinayak Shamanna
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20220045075A1

## CPC

- G11C 16/0483: {comprising cells having several storage transistors connected in series}
- H10B 41/27: the channels comprising vertical portions, e.g. U-shaped channels
- G11C 5/025: {Geometric lay-out considerations of storage- and peripheral-blocks in a semiconductor storage device (geometrical lay-out of the components in integrated circuits, geometrical lay-out of the components in integrated circuits H10D89/10)}
- G11C 5/06: Arrangements for interconnecting storage elements electrically, e.g. by wiring
- G11C 16/0408: {comprising cells containing floating gate transistors (G11C16/0483, G11C16/0491 take precedence)}
- G11C 16/0466: {comprising cells with charge storage in an insulating layer, e.g. metal-nitride-oxide-silicon [MNOS], silicon-oxide-nitride-oxide-silicon [SONOS] (G11C16/0483, G11C16/0491 take precedence)}
- H10B 41/10: characterised by the top-view layout
- H10B 43/10: characterised by the top-view layout
- H10B 43/27: the channels comprising vertical portions, e.g. U-shaped channels
- H10B 43/30: characterised by the memory core region
- H10P 52/402: {of semiconductor materials}
- G11C: STATIC STORES (semiconductor memory devices H10B)
- H10B: ELECTRONIC MEMORY DEVICES
- H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10

## Abstract

Some embodiments include an integrated assembly having a source structure, and having a stack of alternating conductive levels and insulative levels over the source structure. Cell-material-pillars pass through the stack. The cell-material-pillars are arranged within a configuration which includes a first memory-block-region and a second memory-block-region. The cell-material-pillars include channel material which is electrically coupled with the source structure. Memory cells are along the conductive levels and include regions of the cell-material-pillars. A panel is between the first and second memory-block-regions. The panel has a first material configured as a container shape. The container shape defines opposing sides and a bottom of a cavity. The panel has a second material within the cavity. The second material is compositionally different from the first material. Some embodiments include methods of forming integrated assemblies.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An integrated assembly, comprising:
a source structure;
a stack of alternating conductive levels and insulative levels over the source structure;
cell-material-pillars passing through the stack; the cell-material-pillars being arranged within a configuration which includes a first memory-block-region and a second memory-block-region; the cell-material-pillars including channel material; the channel material being electrically coupled with the source structure;
memory cells along the conductive levels and comprising regions of the cell-material-pillars; and
a panel between the first and second memory-block-regions; the panel having a first material configured as a container shape; the container shape, along a cross-section, defining opposing sides and a bottom of an interior cavity; the panel having a second material within the interior cavity, with the second material being compositionally different from the first material.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The integrated assembly of claim 1 wherein the first material comprises conductive material.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The integrated assembly of claim 2 wherein the first material comprises metal.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

The integrated assembly of claim 2 wherein the first material comprises W.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The integrated assembly of claim 1 wherein the first material comprises semiconductor material.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The integrated assembly of claim 5 wherein the first material comprises semiconductor oxide.

### Claim 7 (depends on 5)

The integrated assembly of claim 5 wherein the first material comprises one or both of Si and Ge.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The integrated assembly of claim 1 wherein the first material comprises insulative material.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The integrated assembly of claim 8 wherein the first material comprises one or both of silicon dioxide and silicon nitride.

### Claim 10 (depends on 8)

The integrated assembly of claim 8 wherein the first material and second materials both comprise silicon dioxide; and wherein the second material has a different density than the first material.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The integrated assembly of claim 1 wherein the panel further includes a first sidewall spacer on one side of the first material and a second sidewall spacer on a second side of the first material, with the second side being in opposing relation to the first side along the cross-section.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The integrated assembly of claim 11 wherein the first and second sidewall spacers comprise one or both of silicon dioxide and silicon nitride.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The integrated assembly of claim 1 wherein the first material has an interior surface along the interior cavity, wherein the second material is a layer of oxide along the interior surface, and wherein a third material is over the layer of oxide and is spaced from the first material by at least the layer of oxide.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The integrated assembly of claim 13 wherein the first material comprises one or more of Si, Ge and W.

### Claim 15 (depends on 13)

The integrated assembly of claim 13 wherein the third material is compositionally different from the first material.

### Claim 16 (depends on 13)

The integrated assembly of claim 13 wherein the third material is compositionally the same as the first material.

### Claim 17 (depends on 1)

The integrated assembly of claim 1 wherein the container shape has a first width along the cross-section; wherein the interior cavity has a second width along the cross-section; and wherein the second width is from about 5% to about 95% of the first width.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The integrated assembly of claim 17 wherein the second width is from about 10% to about 50% of the first width.

### Claim 19 (depends on 1)

The integrated assembly of claim 1 wherein the memory cells are within a memory array region, and further comprising a staircase region proximate the memory array region; and wherein the panel extends into both the memory array region and the staircase region.

### Claim 20

A method of forming an integrated assembly, comprising:
forming a construction to include a slit which extends through a stack of alternating insulative levels and conductive levels;
forming a first material within the slit to partially fill the slit, a cavity remaining within the partially-filled slit;
widening an upper region of the cavity; and
after the widening, filling the cavity with a second material.

### Claim 21 (depends on 20)

The method of claim 20 wherein the widening comprises one or both of chemical-mechanical polishing and dry etching.

### Claim 22 (depends on 20)

The method of claim 20 wherein the first and second materials include one or more of semiconductor material, metal, silicon dioxide and silicon nitride.

### Claim 23 (depends on 20)

The method of claim 20 wherein the first and second materials include one or more of Ge, Si, W, SiO and SiN, where the chemical formulas indicate primary compositions rather than specific stoichiometries.

### Claim 24 (depends on 20)

The method of claim 20 wherein the second material is a different composition than the first material.

### Claim 25 (depends on 20)

The method of claim 20 wherein the second material is a different density than the first material.

### Claim 26 (depends on 20)

The method of claim 20 wherein the second material is a same composition as the first material.

### Claim 27 (depends on 20)

The method of claim 20 wherein an outer periphery of the cavity includes a surface of the first material, and further comprising oxidizing the surface of the first material prior to filling the cavity with the second material.

### Claim 28 (depends on 27)

The method of claim 27 wherein the first material comprises one or more of Si, Ge and W.

### Claim 29 (depends on 20)

The method of claim 20 wherein the slit is between a first memory-block-region and a second memory-block-region.

### Claim 30 (depends on 20)

The method of claim 20 wherein the second material overfills the cavity; and further comprising utilizing chemical-mechanical polishing to remove excess second material from outside of the cavity.

### Claim 31

A method of forming an integrated assembly, comprising:
forming a construction to include a slit between a first memory-block-region and a second memory-block-region; the slit having first and second opposing sidewalls; the slit having a bottom which is along a conductive source structure;
forming first and second sidewall spacers along the first and second sidewalls of the slit to narrow the slit;
forming a first material within the narrowed slit to partially fill the narrowed slit, a cavity remaining within the partially-filled narrowed slit; the first material within the narrowed slit being configured as a container shape; a bottom region of the container shape being directly against the conductive source structure; the cavity being an interior region of the container shape;
widening an upper region of the cavity; and
after the widening, forming a second material within the cavity.

### Claim 32 (depends on 31)

The method of claim 31 wherein an outer periphery of the cavity includes a surface of the first material, and further comprising oxidizing the surface of the first material prior to forming the second material within the cavity.

### Claim 33 (depends on 32)

The method of claim 32 wherein the first material comprises one or more of Si, Ge and W.

### Claim 34 (depends on 31)

The method of claim 31 wherein the widening comprises one or both of chemical-mechanical polishing and dry etching.

### Claim 35 (depends on 31)

The method of claim 31 wherein the first and second materials include one or more of semiconductor material, metal, silicon dioxide and silicon nitride.

### Claim 36 (depends on 31)

The method of claim 31 wherein the first and second materials include one or more of Ge, Si, W, SiO and SiN, where the chemical formulas indicate primary compositions rather than specific stoichiometries.

### Claim 37 (depends on 31)

The method of claim 31 wherein the second material is a different composition than the first material.

### Claim 38 (depends on 31)

The method of claim 31 wherein the second material is a different density than the first material.

### Claim 39 (depends on 31)

The method of claim 31 wherein the second material is a same composition as the first material.