3d memory device with top wordline contact located in protected region during planarization

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed towards a memory device including a top wordline contact located in a region that is protected from erosion during a planarization process, e.g., chemical mechanical polish (CMP). In embodiments, a plurality of wordlines are formed in a stack of multiple layers and a plurality of wordline contacts are formed to intersect with the plurality of wordlines. In embodiments, the stack forms a staircase and each of the plurality of wordline contacts lands on a corresponding each of the wordlines proximate to an edge of the staircase such that a top wordline contact lands in a region on a top wordline previously covered by a sacrificial layer. In some embodiments, the region is proximate to a raised notch at an edge of the staircase. Other embodiments may be described and claimed.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.