This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from prior Japanese Patent Application No. 2009-194525, filed on Aug. 25, 2009, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a non-volatile memory semiconductor device and a manufacturing method thereof.
2. Background Art
To manufacture a non-volatile memory semiconductor device such as an NAND type flash memory, there is used a method of forming a plurality of memory cells in a memory cell array portion and a plurality of transistors (MOS transistors) in a transistor region portion such as a selective gate portion and a peripheral circuit portion together.
However, to form each of the memory cells and each of the transistors having different structures and pitches together, the manufacture of the non-volatile memory semiconductor device has an EI (Etching Interpoly) process for forming EI holes and a process for forming a mask pattern by a side wall remaining method while protecting a resist pattern over a predetermined region of the non-volatile memory semiconductor device with a protective film (which is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-305970, for example).
Further, the development of the non-volatile memory semiconductor device is expected to increase an operating speed and to reduce power consumption. Then, the non-volatile memory semiconductor device is shrinking, in particular, the memory cells is finer. The manufacture of the non-volatile memory semiconductor device is formed higher-precision and fine memory cells.
According to an aspect of embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a manufacturing method of a non-volatile memory semiconductor device which has a first region having memory cells and a second region having transistors, comprising: in the first region and the second region will be formed, stacking a gate insulating film layer, a floating gate electrode layer, an interelectrode insulating film layer, a control gate electrode layer, and a first mask layer, on a silicon substrate, sequentially; and etching the control gate electrode layer to expose a surface of the interelectrode insulating film layer by using the first mask as mask, in order to form control gate electrodes having the same width with width of the memory cell, the first mask comprising a line portion having a width corresponding to the width of the memory cell; in the first region, etching the interelectrode insulating film layer and the floating gate electrode layer by using the first mask as mask; and in the second region, forming a third mask covering at a transistor unit determining a predetermined number of the control gate electrodes as the transistor unit; etching the interelectrode insulating film layer and the floating gate electrode layer by using the third mask as a mask; removing the first mask and the third mask; in the first region and the second region, forming an interlayer insulating film; etching the interlayer insulating film and etching the interelectrode insulating film and the upper portion of the floating gate electrode in the transistor unit to form a contact hole; and burying a conductive material into the contact hole, the conductive material making the control gate electrodes and the floating gate electrodes electrically conducts to form a gate electrode in which the control gate electrodes and the floating gate electrodes are electrically integrated.
According to another aspect of embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a non-volatile memory semiconductor device comprising: a memory cell array portion having memory cells, and a transistor region portion having transistors, wherein each of the memory cells has a first gate insulating film disposed on a silicon substrate, a first floating gate electrode disposed on the first gate insulating film, a first ineterelectrode insulating film disposed on the first floating gate electrode, and a first control gate electrode disposed on the first interelectrode insulating film, each of the transistors having a second gate insulating film disposed on the silicon substrate and a gate electrode disposed on the second gate insulating film, the gate electrode having a second floating gate electrode formed on the second gate insulating film, a second interelectrode insulating film formed on the second floating gate electrode, second control gate electrodes formed on the second interelectrode insulating film, and a conductive material, wherein the second control gate electrodes of the gate electrode having the same width as that of the first control gate electrode of the memory cell, and the conductive material being buried into a contact hole penetrated the second interelectrode insulating film and the second floating gate electrode disposed between a pair of adjacent second control gate electrodes so that the gate electrode are formed by the second floating gate electrode, the second control gate electrodes, and the conductive material.
Before describing an embodiment of the present invention, details in which the present inventor has made the present invention will be described.
First, a non-volatile memory semiconductor device manufacturing method of the related art will be briefly described. Here, this will be described by taking a NAND type flash memory manufacturing method as an example.
A NAND type flash memory has a memory cell array portion having memory cells, and a transistor region portion, such as a selective gate portion and a peripheral circuit portion, having transistors.
Each of the memory cells and each of the transistors in the NAND type flash memory of the related art, which are manufactured together, have the following structures.
Each of the transistors basically has the same stacked structure as that of each of the memory cells, in detail, a structure in which a gate insulating film, a floating gate electrode, an interelectrode insulating film, and a control gate electrode are successively stacked. In order to make each of the transistors has not the memory cell structure but the MOS transistor structure, after the interelectrode insulating film layer is stacked during the formation of the stacked structure, a process for forming holes (in this specification, hereinafter, these holes will be called EI (Etching Interpoly) holes) in the interelectrode insulating film layer is added, and then, the control gate electrode layer is stacked. In that case, the control gate electrodes are buried into the EI holes, thereby making the floating gate electrodes and the control gate electrodes electrically connect. In other words, the floating gate electrodes and the control gate electrodes electrically connected by using the control gate electrodes in the EI holes, thereby making each of the floating gate electrodes and each of the control gate electrodes electrically integrated, to form each of gate electrodes in the MOS transistor structure.
Accordingly, the NAND type flash memory of the related art has the EI process for forming the EI holes in order to manufacture each of the memory cells and each of the transistors together.
Further, in the NAND type flash memory manufacturing method, each of the memory cells is formed so as to have a pitch finer than the limit of the exposure accuracy of the lithography method. Accordingly, a mask pattern for forming such fine memory cell is formed by a method called a side wall remaining method.
The side wall remaining method is as follows.
A mask pattern including a resist film and having a rough pitch is formed over a processed substrate by the lithography method.
An underlayer for forming the mask pattern (e.g., silicon nitride film) is etched by using the resist film in order to form the mask pattern. The mask pattern has in itself a width and a pitch corresponding to the desired pitch. A side wall film (e.g., a silicon oxide film) is stacked so as to cover at least the side walls of the mask pattern. The side wall film is etched, whereby the etched side wall films remain only on both sides of the mask pattern so that the mask pattern is sandwiched between the side wall films from both sides. At the same time, a gap with the desired pitch is formed between the adjacent side wall films. The mask pattern is then selectively removed so that only the side wall films remain over the processed substrate. Thus, the side wall films are aligned over the processed substrate at the desired pitch. In other words, the side wall films are formed over the processed substrate, as mask pattern having a pitch finer than that of the initially formed mask pattern, that is, a pitch corresponding to the fine memory cell.
To form a mask pattern having a finer pitch, a slimming method (process) which reduces the width of a mask pattern having a rough pitch to stack the side wall film can be added to the side wall remaining method.
The side wall remaining method has the advantage that the mask pattern having a pitch finer than the limit of the exposure accuracy of the lithography method can be uniformly and simply formed on the entire surface of the processed substrate.
By forming each of the memory cells and each of the transistors together by using the mask pattern formed by the side wall remaining method, the mask pattern can obtain each of the memory cells in the desired shape. However, each of the transistors in the desired shape cannot obtain with the mask pattern due to the fine pitch. In other words, to obtain each of the transistors in the desired shape, a mask pattern is a rough pitch.
Accordingly, in the NAND type flash memory manufacturing method of the related art, to form each of the memory cells and each of the transistors together, a method of forming a mask pattern using the side wall remaining method by covering the transistor region portion with the protective film is adopted. Such process for forming the protective film is called a GP process.
The side wall remaining method to which the GP process is added will be described below.
The above side wall remaining method is used to form mask pattern including fine side wall films in the memory cell array portion and the transistor region portion. At this time, the mask pattern sandwiched between the side wall films is in the remaining state. A gap having a predetermined width exists in the mask pattern while the mask pattern is sandwiched between the side wall films from both sides of the mask pattern.
In the transistor region portion, the protective film (e.g., resist film) is stacked so as to cover the upper surfaces of the mask pattern and the upper surfaces of the side wall films and to bury the gap in the mask pattern sandwiched between the side wall films.
The mask pattern is selectively removed while the protective film is stacked. Thus, the mask pattern is removed in the memory cell array portion while the mask pattern covered with the protective film is not removed in the transistor region portion.
When the protective film is removed, fine mask pattern including only the side wall films appear in the memory cell array portion. And rough mask pattern including the mask pattern and the side wall films integrally configure a rough pitch appear in the transistor region portion.
By the above method, the mask pattern having appropriate pitches for the memory cell array portion and the transistor region portion, respectively, can be manufactured. Using the mask pattern, the memory cell and the transistor in the desired shape can be formed together.
As described above, the present inventor has considered whether higher-precision and fine memory cells and high-performance transistors can be formed by the NAND type flash memory manufacturing method. In addition, the present inventor has considered a method of shortening the manufacturing process by integrating a plurality of processes into one process. This is because the manufacturing time and the manufacturing cost of the NAND type flash memory are reduced.
Further, the present inventor has found that when the mask pattern formed by the side wall remaining method with the GP process are used to form each of the memory cells and each of the transistors together, the processing accuracy of the fine memory cell is difficult. The mask pattern formed by the side wall remaining method with the GP process are mask pattern having a non-uniform pitch so as to have a fine pitch in the memory cell array portion, but to have a rough pitch in the transistor region portion. Typically, when such mask pattern having a non-uniform pitch are used for processing, the processing accuracy of such mask pattern is lower than that of the mask pattern having a uniform pitch.
Accordingly, the present inventor devised the present invention which is able to have each transistor of a structure different from that of the related art to form higher-precision and fine memory cells and high-performance transistors and integrate a plurality of processes into one process.
In detail, the structure of the transistor according to the present invention is different from that of the transistor of the related art as follows.
The transistor of the present invention does not have the EI holes unlike the related art. In place of that, the transistor of the present invention has a conductive material (contact body portion). The conductive material penetrates from an interconnecting layer through an insulating film such as a TEOS film and an SiN film to a control gate electrode, and furthermore, the conductive material comprises the portions of the conductive material (contact leg portion). The portions of the conductive material penetrated through an interelectrode insulating film formed under the control gate electrode to a floating gate electrode. In other words, in place of the EI holes, the control gate electrode and the floating gate electrode are electrically connected by the conductive material so as to be an electrically integrated gate electrode.
In addition, the present inventor has made the transistor of the present invention have a structure in which the area of the conductive material contacted with the control gate electrode and the floating gate electrode is increased. In detail, the transistor of the present invention has a plurality of the conductive material portions (contact leg portions) penetrated through the interelectrode insulating film and connecting the control gate electrode and the floating gate electrode according to the size of the transistor. Thus, the area of the conductive material contacted with the control gate electrode and the floating gate electrode is increased to reduce the resistance between the control gate electrode and the floating gate electrode to make the transistor high-performance. Such shape is formed using the control gate electrode processed with high precision. Thus, the conductive material can be formed with high precision.
Each of the transistors has such structure so that the EI process for forming the EI holes to electrically connect the floating gate electrode and the control gate electrode, which has been performed in the NAND type flash memory manufacturing method of the related art, need not be performed. In case the conductive material (contact body portion) connecting the interconnect and the control gate electrode is formed, in place of the EI hole, the conductive material portion (contact leg portion) electrically connecting the control gate electrode and the floating gate electrode can also be formed at the same time. According to the present invention, a plurality of processes can be integrated into one process.
In the NAND type flash memory manufacturing method according to the present invention, mask pattern having a uniformly fine pitch are formed once by the side wall remaining method, and using the mask pattern, each memory cell and each transistor are processed together. Thus, the fine memory cell can be processed with higher precision.
An embodiment of the present invention will be described.
First, the plane structure of an NAND type flash memory of the present invention will be briefly described.
The NAND type flash memory of the present invention has a memory cell array portion MCP, a selective gate portion (transistor region portion) SGP shown in
In more detail, bit lines 50 are formed along an up-down direction of the sheet of
The selective gate portion SGP is arranged on at least one end side of the memory cell array portion MCP. Transistors (MOS transistors) T are disposed in the selective gate portion SGP. Each of the transistors T is connected to the plurality of corresponding memory cells MC. Each of the transistors T is connected to the transistor T adjacent thereto by a selective gate line 70 formed so as to be orthogonal to the bit lines 50 seen in a plane.
The peripheral circuit portion PCP is arranged around the memory cell array portion MCP and the selective gate portion SGP. The peripheral circuit portion PCP has the transistors (MOS transistors) T. In detail, as shown in
The sectional structure of the NAND type flash memory of the present invention will be described using
Each of the memory cells MC of the memory cell array portion has, over a silicon substrate 10, a gate insulating film (silicon oxide film) (a first gate insulating film) 11, a floating gate electrode (polysilicon film) 12, an IPD (Inter poly Dielectric) film (silicon oxide film) 13 as an interelectrode insulating film, and a control gate electrode (polysilicon film) 14.
As in the above memory cell MC, each of the transistors T of the selective gate portion SGP and the peripheral circuit portion PCP has a gate insulating film (a second gate insulating film) 11, a floating gate electrode 12, an IPD film 13, and a control gate electrode 14.
A silicon oxide film (interlayer insulating film) 25 is formed so as to cover the gate insulating film 11, the floating gate electrode 12, the IPD film (interelectrode insulating film layer) 13, and the control gate electrode 14 provided in each of the memory cells MC and each of the transistors T. A SiN film 26 and a TEOS (Tetraethoxysilane) film 27 are formed over the silicon oxide film 25.
Each of the transistors T has a conductive material 29 penetrated through the TEOS film 27, the SiN film 26, the control gate electrode 14, and the IPD film 13 to the floating gate electrode 12.
A portion (contact leg portion) of the conductive material 29 penetrated through the IPD film 13 and connecting the control gate electrode 14 and the floating gate electrode 12 is configured with a plurality of portions according to the size of the transistor.
In other words, the control gate electrodes 14 provided in each of the transistors T have the same width of that of the control gate electrodes 14 in the memory cell array portion MCP. Further, the conductive material 29 is buried into a contact hole penetrated from the control gate electrode 14 through the IPD film 13 to the floating gate electrode 12 along the gap between the adjacent control gate electrodes 14. The conductive material 29 may be an electrically conductive film having a resistivity lower than that of the control gate electrode 14 including a polysilicon film, e.g., a tungsten film.
Thus, the control gate electrode 14 and the floating gate electrode 12 are electrically conductive so as to be the electrically integrated gate electrode. In addition, the resistance between the control gate electrode and the floating gate electrode can be reduced, thereby making the transistor high-performance.
A diffusion layer K as a source/drain region of the memory cell transistors and the transistors T are formed in the silicon substrate 10 adjacent to the floating gate electrode 12.
An NAND type flash memory manufacturing method of the present invention will be described with reference to
As shown in
As shown in
With the first resist pattern 32 as masks, the forming mask film 18 is etched by RIE (Reactive Ion Etching). As shown in
As shown in
A slimming method is then performed. As shown in
To form fine side wall film mask pattern 33, the side wall remaining method is performed. In detail, as shown in
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
In order to perform etching at a fine and uniform width over the entire surface of the control gate electrodes, the control gate electrode 14 and the like can be etched with higher precision than etching at a non-uniform width, which is performed in the NAND type flash memory manufacturing method of the related art. The groove G1 between the memory cell array portion MCP and the selective gate portion SGP may be larger than the groove G1 between the memory cell array portions MCP or the groove G1 between the selective gate portions SGP. The groove G1 between the region formed with the HV-MOS transistor and the region formed with the LV-MOS transistor may be larger than the groove G1 in the region formed with the HV-MOS transistor or the groove G1 in the region formed with the LV-MOS transistor.
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
The grooves G1 are extended downward in the memory cell array portion MCP and grooves G2 extended from the SiN films 17 to the upper surface of the silicon substrate 10 are formed. Each of the memory cells MC is formed by the grooves G2. Since the SiN films 17 and the control gate electrodes 14 integrated in a pillar manner have been already processed with high precision, these are used as masks for etching so that the grooves G2, that is, the memory cell MC can be processed with high precision.
At the same time, in the selective gate portion SGP and the peripheral circuit portion PCP, a groove G3 from the SiN film 17 to the upper surface of the silicon substrate 10 is formed so that the predetermined groove G1 is extended further downward. The gate electrode of each of the transistors T is separated by the groove G3.
As shown in
An ion implantation process for forming the diffusion layer K of the memory cells MC and each of the transistors T is performed as a mask of the control gate electrodes 14 and the floating gate electrodes 12.
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
With the third resist pattern 38 as a mask, in the selective gate portion SGP and the peripheral circuit portion PCP, the TEOS film 27 and the SiN film 26 are etched by RIE (Reactive Ion Etching).
Using the control gate electrodes 14 as masks, the silicon oxide film 25, the IPD film 13, and the floating gate electrode 12 are successively etched, for example, by RIE (Reactive Ion Etching) along the grooves G1 between the control gate electrodes. The contact holes CH in the third resist pattern 38 exposed a top surface of the floating gate electrode 12 shown in
As shown in
The third resist pattern 38 are then removed to stack interconnect. Finally, the NAND type flash memory according to the present invention can be obtained.
As a modification example of this embodiment, the NAND type flash memory of a structure as shown in
The detail of the modification example will be described with reference to
As in the embodiment described with reference to
However, as shown,
The NAND type flash memory manufacturing method according to the modification example of this embodiment shown in
In the present invention, each of the transistors provided in the NAND type flash memory has the above structure, therefore, each of the transistors can be made high-performance and a plurality of different processes can be integrated into one process. In this way, the manufacturing time and the manufacturing cost of the NAND type flash memory can be reduced.
In the present invention, mask pattern having a uniformly fine pitch are formed once by the side wall remaining method, and using the mask pattern, each of the memory cells and each of the transistors are processed together. Therefore, the fine memory cells can be processed with higher precision.
Additional advantages and modifications will readily occur to those skilled in the art.
Therefore, the invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific details and representative embodiments shown and described herein.
Accordingly, various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the general inventive concepts as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009-194525 | Aug 2009 | JP | national |