# US 2025/0169080 A1 · Vertical memory device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2025/0169080 A1 - Document ID: US20250169080A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 18/924,249 - Filed: 2024-10-23 - Published: 2025-05-22 - Earliest claimed: 2023-11-20 - Assignees: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. - Applicants: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. - Inventors: Bonjae KOO; Seulji SONG; Youngsun SONG - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20250169080A1 ## CPC - H10B 63/24: {of the Ovonic threshold switching type} - H10B 63/845: {the switching components being connected to a common vertical conductor} - H10B 80/00: Assemblies of multiple devices comprising at least one memory device covered by this subclass - H10N 70/231: {based on solid-state phase change, e.g. between amorphous and crystalline phases, Ovshinsky effect} - H10N 70/826: {adapted for essentially vertical current flow, e.g. sandwich or pillar type devices} - H10W 90/00: Package configurations - H10W 90/792: {between multiple chips} - H10B: ELECTRONIC MEMORY DEVICES - H10N: ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - H10W: GENERIC PACKAGES, INTERCONNECTIONS, CONNECTORS OR OTHER CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10 ## Abstract A vertical memory device includes a substrate; a stack structure comprising a plurality of isolation insulating layers and a plurality of word line plates which are alternately stacked on the substrate along a vertical direction; and a plurality of electrode structures disposed on the substrate. Each of the plurality of electrode structures includes a single-crystal silicon filler extending on the substrate along the vertical direction, penetrating the plurality of isolation insulating layers and the plurality of word line plates, and contacting the substrate; and a plurality of variable resistance layers spaced apart from each other along the vertical direction, and partially covering a sidewall of the single-crystal silicon filler. Each variable resistance layer is arranged between the single-crystal silicon filler and two of the word line plates. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A vertical memory device comprising: a substrate; a stack structure comprising a plurality of isolation insulating layers and a plurality of word line plates which are alternately stacked on the substrate along a vertical direction; and a plurality of electrode structures disposed on the substrate, wherein each of the plurality of electrode structures comprises: a single-crystal silicon filler extending on the substrate along the vertical direction, penetrating the plurality of isolation insulating layers and the plurality of word line plates, and contacting the substrate; and a plurality of variable resistance layers spaced apart from each other along the vertical direction, and partially covering a sidewall of the single-crystal silicon filler, wherein each variable resistance layer is arranged between the single-crystal silicon filler and two of the word line plates. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The vertical memory device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of variable resistance layers comprise an ovonic threshold switching (OTS) material layer. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The vertical memory device of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of variable resistance layers comprises: a switching material layer contacting a portion of the sidewall of the single-crystal silicon filler; and a first carbon layer spaced apart from the single-crystal silicon filler with the switching material layer therebetween, and wherein the first carbon layer is disposed between the switching material layer and a corresponding word line plate among the plurality of word line plates. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The vertical memory device of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of variable resistance layers comprises: a switching material layer; a first carbon layer disposed between the switching material layer and a corresponding word line plate among the plurality of word line plates; and a second carbon layer contacting a portion of the sidewall of the single-crystal silicon filler, wherein the second carbon layer is disposed between the switching material layer and the single-crystal silicon filler. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The vertical memory device of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of variable resistance layers comprises: a switching material layer; a first carbon layer disposed between the switching material layer and a corresponding word line plate among the plurality of word line plates; and a dielectric layer contacting a portion of the sidewall of the single-crystal silicon filler, wherein the dielectric layer is disposed between the switching material layer and the single-crystal silicon filler. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The vertical memory device of claim 1, further comprising a lower wiring structure disposed between the substrate and the stack structure, wherein the lower wiring structure comprises: an interlayer insulating layer disposed on the substrate; a plurality of first bit lines disposed on the interlayer insulating layer; and an etch stop layer between the plurality of first bit lines and the stack structure, and the single-crystal silicon filler penetrates the lower wiring structure along the vertical direction and contacts the substrate. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The vertical memory device of claim 6, further comprising a dielectric layer disposed between the plurality of variable resistance layers and the single-crystal silicon filler, wherein the dielectric layer partially surrounds the sidewall of the single-crystal silicon filler, extends along the vertical direction, and contacts an upper surface of the etch stop layer. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The vertical memory device of claim 6, further comprising a plurality of second bit lines disposed on the plurality of electrode structures, wherein the plurality of second bit lines extend along a direction crossing the plurality of first bit lines. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The vertical memory device of claim 1, wherein the single-crystal silicon filler has a cylindrical shape extending along the vertical direction, and wherein the plurality of variable resistance layers comprise two arc-shaped elements that are spaced apart from each other with the single-crystal silicon filler therebetween. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The vertical memory device of claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises single-crystal silicon. ### Claim 11 A vertical memory device comprising: a single-crystal silicon substrate; a plurality of single-crystal silicon fillers that are repeatedly disposed along a first horizontal direction and a second horizontal direction and extend along a vertical direction, wherein an end portion of each of the plurality of single-crystal silicon fillers along the vertical direction is connected to the single-crystal silicon substrate, and wherein the first horizontal direction and the second horizontal direction cross each other; a plurality of word line plates that are spaced apart from each other on the single-crystal silicon substrate along the vertical direction, overlap each other along the vertical direction, and at least partially surround a portion of a sidewall of each of the plurality of single-crystal silicon fillers; and a plurality of ovonic threshold switching (OTS) material layers respectively disposed between the plurality of single-crystal silicon fillers and the plurality of word line plates, wherein the OTS material layer are spaced apart from each other along the vertical direction. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The vertical memory device of claim 11, wherein each of the plurality of word line plates comprises a first segment and a second segment that are spaced apart from each other along a horizontal direction and positioned at a same vertical level, wherein the first segment and the second segment have comb shapes each comprising a plurality of protruding electrode portions to form interdigitated electrodes, and wherein the plurality of single-crystal silicon fillers respectively extend along the vertical direction and are disposed between the plurality of protruding electrode portions of the first segment and the plurality of protruding electrode portions of the second segment. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The vertical memory device of claim 12, further comprising a plurality of first insulating blocks respectively arranged between two single-crystal silicon fillers that are adjacent to each other along the first horizontal direction, wherein the plurality of first insulating blocks respectively extend along the vertical direction and are disposed between the plurality of protruding electrode portions of the first segment and the plurality of protruding electrode portions of the second segment. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The vertical memory device of claim 13, further comprising an etch stop layer disposed between the single-crystal silicon substrate and the plurality of word line plates, wherein the plurality of single-crystal silicon fillers penetrate the etch stop layer and contact the single-crystal silicon substrate, and wherein the plurality of first insulating blocks contact an upper surface of the etch stop layer. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The vertical memory device of claim 13, wherein each of the plurality of single-crystal silicon fillers has a circular planar shape, and wherein the plurality of first insulating blocks comprise concave portions on opposite sides along the first horizontal direction, wherein the concave portions contact a corresponding single-crystal silicon filler. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The vertical memory device of claim 15, wherein each of the plurality of OTS material layers comprises a first element and a second element that are spaced apart from each other and disposed at a same vertical level, wherein the first element and the second element are spaced apart from each other with a first single-crystal silicon filler and two first insulating blocks therebetween, and wherein the first element and the second element have arc shapes that face each other. ### Claim 17 A vertical memory device comprising: a substrate; a first interlayer insulating layer on the substrate; a plurality of first bit lines disposed on the first interlayer insulating layer and extending in parallel to each other along a first horizontal direction; an etch stop layer on the plurality of first bit lines; a stack structure disposed on the etch stop layer and comprising a plurality of isolation insulating layers and a plurality of word line plates which are alternately stacked along a vertical direction; and a plurality of electrode structures disposed on the substrate, wherein each of the plurality of electrode structures comprises: a single-crystal silicon filler disposed on the substrate and extending along the vertical direction, penetrating the stack structure, the etch stop layer, the plurality of first bit lines, and the first interlayer insulating layer along the vertical direction, and contacting the substrate; and a plurality of variable resistance layers spaced apart from each other along the vertical direction, partially covering a sidewall of the single-crystal silicon filler, and respectively disposed between the single-crystal silicon filler and the plurality of word line plates, and the vertical memory device further comprises a plurality of second bit lines disposed on the plurality of electrode structures and extending along a second horizontal direction orthogonal to the first horizontal direction. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The vertical memory device of claim 17, wherein each of the plurality of variable resistance layers comprises: a switching material layer contacting a portion of the sidewall of the single-crystal silicon filler and comprising an ovonic threshold switching (OTS) material; and a first carbon layer spaced apart from the single-crystal silicon filler with the switching material layer therebetween and disposed between the switching material layer and a corresponding word line plate among the plurality of word line plates. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The vertical memory device of claim 17, wherein the substrate comprises single-crystal silicon. ### Claim 20 (depends on 17) The vertical memory device of claim 17, wherein each of the plurality of word line plates comprises a first segment and a second segment that are spaced apart from each other along a horizontal direction and positioned at a same vertical level, wherein the first segment and the second segment have comb shapes each comprising a plurality of protruding electrode portions to form interdigitated electrodes, and wherein the single-crystal silicon filler extends along the vertical direction and is disposed between the plurality of protruding electrode portions of the first segment and the plurality of protruding electrode portions of the second segment.