This application claims benefit of priority to Korean Pat. Application No. 10-2022-0039703 filed on Mar. 30, 2022 in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
Example embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a semiconductor device and an electronic system including the same.
A semiconductor device storing high-capacity data in an electronic system requiring data storage has been necessary. Accordingly, a method for increasing a data storage capacity of a semiconductor device has been studied. For example, as one of methods for increasing the data storage capacity of a semiconductor device, a semiconductor device including memory cells arranged three-dimensionally, instead of memory cells arranged two-dimensionally, has been suggested.
It is an aspect to provide a semiconductor device having improved electrical properties and improved reliability.
It is another aspect to provide an electronic system including a semiconductor device.
According to an aspect of one or more embodiments, there is provided a semiconductor device includes a first semiconductor structure including a first substrate, circuit devices disposed on the first substrate, a lower wiring structure electrically connected to the circuit devices, and a lower bonding structure connected to the lower wiring structure; and a second semiconductor structure including a second substrate disposed on the first semiconductor structure, gate electrodes stacked and spaced apart from each other in a first direction perpendicular to a lower surface of the second substrate, channel structures penetrating the gate electrodes, extending in the first direction, and each including a channel layer, an upper wiring structure disposed below the gate electrodes and the channel structures, an upper wiring structure disposed below the gate electrodes and below the channel structures, an upper bonding structure connected to the upper wiring structure and bonded to the lower bonding structure, a plate conductive layer disposed on an upper surface of the second substrate, electrically connected to the channel layer, and including a metal material, and an isolation structure penetrating an entirety of the gate electrodes and extending in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, wherein the isolation structure includes a vertical conductive layer that extends from the plate conductive layer, that is integrated with the plate conductive layer, and that includes a same metal material as the metal material of the plate conductive layer.
According to another aspect of one or more embodiments, there is provided a semiconductor device includes a first substrate; circuit devices disposed on the first substrate; a lower wiring structure electrically connected to the circuit devices; a lower bonding structure connected to the lower wiring structure; an upper bonding structure bonded to the lower bonding structure; an upper wiring structure connected to the upper bonding structure; a plate conductive layer that is disposed on the upper wiring structure and that includes a conductive material; gate electrodes stacked and spaced apart from each other in a first direction perpendicular to a lower surface of the plate conductive layer; channel structures penetrating through the gate electrodes and each including a channel layer; and an isolation structure that penetrates an entirety of the gate electrodes, that extends in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and that includes a vertical conductive layer, wherein the vertical conductive layer is in contact with the plate conductive layer and includes a conductive material that is a same conductive material as the conductive material of the plate conductive layer.
According to yet another aspect of one or more embodiments, there is provided an electronic system comprising a semiconductor device including a first substrate, circuit devices disposed on the first substrate, a lower wiring structure electrically connected to the circuit devices, a lower bonding structure connected to the lower wiring structure, an upper bonding structure bonded to the lower bonding structure, an upper wiring structure connected to the upper bonding structure, a plate conductive layer disposed on the upper wiring structure and including a conductive material, gate electrodes stacked and spaced apart from each other in a first direction perpendicular to a lower surface of the plate conductive layer, channel structures penetrating through the gate electrodes and each including a channel layer, an isolation structure penetrating an entirety of the gate electrodes, extending in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and including a vertical conductive layer, and an input/output pad electrically connected to the circuit devices through the upper wiring structure, the vertical conductive layer being in contact with the plate conductive layer and including a conductive material that is a same conductive material as the conductive material of the plate conductive layer; and a controller electrically connected to the semiconductor device through the input/output pad and configured to control the semiconductor device.
The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of the present disclosure will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description, taken in combination with the accompanying drawings, in which:
Hereinafter, various embodiments will be described as follows with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Referring to
The peripheral circuit region PERI may include a row decoder DEC, a page buffer PB, and other peripheral circuits PC. In the peripheral circuit region PERI, the row decoder DEC may decode an input address and may generate and transmit driving signals of a word line. The page buffer PB may be connected to the memory cell array region MCA through bit lines and may read information stored in the memory cells. The other peripheral circuits PC may be regions including a control logic and a voltage generator, and may include, for example, a latch circuit, a cache circuit, and/or a sense amplifier. The peripheral circuit region PERI may further include a pad region, and in this case, the pad region may include an electrostatic discharge (ESD) device or a data input/output circuit. The ESD device or a data input/output circuit of the pad region may be electrically connected to the conductive pad 270 of the external side region OA. The various circuit regions DEC, PB, and PC in the peripheral circuit region PERI may be arranged in various forms.
Hereinafter, an example of the semiconductor device 100 will be described with reference to
Referring to
The peripheral circuit region PERI may include the first substrate 101, source/drain regions 105 in the first substrate 101, circuit devices 120 disposed on the first substrate 101, a lower wiring structure 130, the lower bonding structure 180, and a lower insulating layer 190.
The first substrate 101 may have an upper surface extending in the x direction and the y direction. An active region may be defined in the first substrate 101 by device isolation layers. The source/drain regions 105 including impurities may be disposed in a portion of the active region. The first substrate 101 may include a semiconductor material, such as a group IV semiconductor, a group III-V compound semiconductor, or a group II-VI compound semiconductor. The first substrate 101 may be provided as a bulk wafer or an epitaxial layer.
The circuit devices 120 may include a planar transistor. Each of the circuit devices 120 may include a circuit gate dielectric layer 122, a spacer layer 124, and a circuit gate electrode 125. The source/drain regions 105 may be disposed in the first substrate 101 on both sides of the circuit gate electrode 125.
The lower wiring structure 130 may be electrically connected to the circuit devices 120 and the source/drain regions 105. The lower wiring structure 130 may include lower contact plugs 131 and 133 having a cylindrical shape and lower wiring lines 132 and 134 having a line shape. The lower contact plugs 131 and 133 may include a first lower contact plug 131 and a second lower contact plug 133, and the lower wiring lines 132 and 134 may include a first lower wiring line 132 and a second lower wiring line 134. The first lower contact plug 131 may be disposed on the circuit devices 120 and the source/drain regions 105, and the second lower contact plug 133 may be disposed on the first lower wiring line 132. The first lower wiring line 132 may be disposed on the first lower contact plug 131, and the second lower wiring line 134 may be disposed on the second lower contact plug 133. The lower wiring structure 130 may include a conductive material, such as, for example, tungsten (W), copper (Cu), or aluminum (Al), and each of the components may further include a diffusion barrier. However, in example embodiments, the number of layers of the lower contact plugs 131 and 133 and the lower wiring lines 132 included in the lower wiring structure 130 and 134 and the arrangement form of the lower contact plugs 131 and 133 and the lower wiring lines 132 and 134 included in the lower wiring structure 130 may be varied.
The lower bonding structure 180 may be connected to the lower wiring structure 130. The lower bonding structure 180 may be connected to the upper bonding structure 280. The lower bonding structure 180 may include a lower bonding via 181 and a lower bonding pad 182 which may be a bonding layer. The lower bonding via 181 may be disposed on the second lower wiring line 134. The lower bonding pad 182 may be disposed on the lower bonding via 181. The lower bonding structure 180 may include a conductive material, such as, for example, tungsten (W), copper (Cu), or aluminum (Al), and each of the components may further include a diffusion barrier layer. The lower bonding structure 180 may provide an electrical connection path between the peripheral circuit region PERI and the memory cell region CELL together with the upper bonding structure 280.
The lower insulating layer 190 may be disposed on the circuit devices 120 on the first substrate 101. The lower insulating layer 190 may include a plurality of insulating layers. The lower insulating layer 190 may be formed of an insulating material.
The memory cell region CELL may include the second substrate 201, first and second horizontal conductive layers 202 and 204 disposed below the second substrate 201, a plate conductive layer 206 on the second substrate 201, gate electrodes 230 stacked below the second substrate 201, an isolation structure MS that extends and penetrates through the stack structure of the gate electrodes 230 and that includes a vertical conductive layer 273 and a liner insulating layer 275, a channel structure CH penetrating the stack structure, an upper wiring structure 250 electrically connected to the gate electrodes 230, the channel structures CH, and the isolation structure MS, and the upper bonding structure 280 connected to the upper wiring structure 250. The memory cell region CELL may further include a first sacrificial layer 211, a second sacrificial layer 212, and a third horizontal sacrificial layer 213, interlayer insulating layers 220 alternately stacked with the gate electrodes 230 below the second substrate 201, and an upper insulating layer 290 covering the gate electrodes 230. The memory cell region CELL may further include a conductive pad 270 spaced apart from the second substrate 201 and forming the input/output pad.
In the memory cell array region MCA, the gate electrodes 230 may be vertically stacked and the channel structures CH may be disposed. In the staircase region SA, the gate electrodes 230 may extend to have different lengths (i.e., in the y direction in
The second substrate 201 may include a semiconductor material, such as, for example, a group IV semiconductor, a group III-V compound semiconductor, or a group II-VI compound semiconductor. For example, the group IV semiconductor may include silicon, germanium, or silicon-germanium. In some embodiments, the second substrate 201 may further include impurities. The second substrate 201 may be provided as a polycrystalline semiconductor layer such as a polycrystalline silicon layer or an epitaxial layer.
An upper end of the second substrate 201 may be disposed on substantially the same level as a level of an upper end of the channel structures CH. The second substrate 201 may be connected to the vertical conductive layer 273 through the plate conductive layer 206.
The first and second horizontal conductive layers 202 and 204 may be stacked on the lower surface of the second substrate 201 in the memory cell array region MCA. The first horizontal conductive layer 202 may function as a portion of a common source line of the semiconductor device 100, and for example, the first horizontal conductive layer 202 may function as a common source line together with the second substrate 201 and the plate conductive layer 206. The first horizontal conductive layer 202 may be directly connected to the channel layer 240 around the channel layer 240. The first horizontal conductive layer 202 may penetrate the gate dielectric layer 245 and may be in contact with the channel layer 240. In some embodiments, the first horizontal conductive layer 202 may not extend to the staircase region SA. In some embodiments, the second horizontal conductive layer 204 may also be disposed in the staircase region SA. The second horizontal conductive layer 204 may have substantially flat upper and lower surfaces in the memory cell array region MCA and the staircase region SA.
The first and second horizontal conductive layers 202 and 204 may include a semiconductor material, such as, for example, polycrystalline silicon. In this case, at least the first horizontal conductive layer 202 may be doped with impurities of the same conductivity type as that of the second substrate 201, and the second horizontal conductive layer 204 may be a doped layer or may include impurities diffused from the first horizontal conductive layer 202. However, the material of the second horizontal conductive layer 204 is not limited to the semiconductor material, and may be replaced with an insulating layer.
The first to third horizontal sacrificial layers 211, 212, and 213 may be disposed below the second substrate 201 in parallel with the first horizontal conductive layer 202 in a portion of the staircase region SA. The first to third horizontal sacrificial layers 211, 212, and 213 may be stacked in sequence below the second substrate 201. The first to third horizontal sacrificial layers 211, 212, and 213 may be layers remaining after a portion of the first to third horizontal sacrificial layers 211, 212, and 213 are replaced with the first horizontal conductive layer 202 in the process of manufacturing the semiconductor device 100. However, in example embodiments, the arrangement of regions of the staircase region SA in which the first to third horizontal sacrificial layers 211, 212, and 213 remain may be varied.
The first and third horizontal sacrificial layers 211 and 213, and the second horizontal sacrificial layer 212 may include different insulating materials. That is, in some embodiments, the second horizontal sacrificial layer 212 may have a different insulating material from an insulating material of the first horizontal sacrificial layer 212 and from an insulating material of the third horizontal sacrificial layer 213. The first and third horizontal sacrificial layers 211 and 213 may include the same material. For example, the first and third horizontal sacrificial layers 211 and 213 may be formed of the same material as a metal material of the interlayer insulating layers 220, and the second horizontal sacrificial layer 212 may be formed of the same material as a metal material of sacrificial insulating layers 218 (described below).
The gate electrodes 230 may be vertically stacked and spaced apart from each other below the second substrate 201 and may form a stack structure. The gate electrodes 230 may be disposed between the second substrate 201 and the upper wiring structure 250. The gate electrodes 230 may include electrodes forming a ground selection transistor, memory cells, and a string selection transistor from the second substrate 201 in sequence. The number of gate electrodes 230 included in the memory cells may be determined depending on capacity of the semiconductor device 100. In example embodiments, the number of gate electrodes 230 included in the string selection transistor and the ground selection transistor may be one or two or more, and the gate electrodes 230 included in the string selection transistor and the ground selection transistor may have a structure the same as or different from the gate electrodes 230 of the memory cells. In some embodiments, the gate electrodes 230 may further include a gate electrode 230 disposed below the gate electrodes 230 included in the string selection transistor and on the gate electrode 230 included in a ground select transistor and included in an erase transistor used for an erase operation using a gate induced drain leakage (GIDL) phenomenon. In some embodiments, a portion of the gate electrodes 230, for example, the gate electrodes 230 adjacent to the gate electrodes 230 included in the string select transistor and the ground select transistor may be dummy gate electrodes.
The gate electrodes 230 may be vertically stacked and spaced apart from each other in the memory cell array region MCA, may extend from the memory cell array region MCA to the staircase region SA by different lengths and may form a step difference. As illustrated in
The gate electrodes 230 may form a lower gate stacking group and an upper gate stacking group on the lower gate stacking group. The interlayer insulating layers 220 disposed between the lower gate stacking group and the upper gate stacking group may have a relatively thick thickness, but example embodiments thereof are not limited thereto. In
The gate electrodes 230 may include a metal material, such as, for example, tungsten (W), copper (Cu), or aluminum (Al).
According to an example embodiment, the gate electrodes 230 may include polycrystalline silicon or a metal silicide material. In example embodiments, the gate electrodes 230 may further include a diffusion barrier layer, and for example, the diffusion barrier layer may include tungsten nitride (WN), tantalum nitride (TaN), or titanium nitride (TiN), or a combination thereof.
The interlayer insulating layers 220 may be disposed between the gate electrodes 230. Similarly to the gate electrodes 230, the interlayer insulating layers 220 may be spaced apart from each other in a direction perpendicular to the lower surface of the second substrate 201 (i.e., the z direction in
The plate conductive layer 206 may be disposed on the upper surface of the second substrate 201 in the memory cell array region MCA and the staircase region SA. The plate conductive layer 206 may include a conductive material, such as, for example, a metal material such as tungsten (W), copper (Cu), or aluminum (Al), or a semiconductor material such as polycrystalline silicon, and the plate conductive layer 206 may further include a diffusion barrier layer.
The plate conductive layer 206 may be connected to the second substrate 201 and the vertical conductive layer 273. The plate conductive layer 206 may be in contact with the second substrate 201 and the vertical conductive layer 273 through the lower surface of the plate conductive layer 206. The plate conductive layer 206 may be electrically connected to the channel layer 240 through the second substrate 201. Only the vertical conductive layer 273 may be provided as a structure directly connected to the plate conductive layer 206 to apply an electrical signal. The plate conductive layer 206 may receive an electrical signal through the vertical conductive layer 273 and may function as a portion of a common source line of the semiconductor device 100, and may function as, for example, a common source line together with the second substrate 201 and the conductive layer 202.
The isolation structure MS may be disposed to extend in the x direction by penetrating through the gate electrodes 230 in the memory cell array region MCA and the staircase region SA. The isolation structure MS may penetrate the entirety of the gate electrodes 230 stacked below the second substrate 201 and may be connected to the second substrate 201. The isolation structure MS may extend in the x direction and may isolate the gate electrodes 230 from each other in the y direction. The isolation structure MS may include the vertical conductive layer 273 and the liner insulating layer 275. The liner insulating layer 275 may surround an external side surface of the vertical conductive layer 273. The vertical conductive layer 273 may have a shape in which a width of the upper region thereof may be smaller than a width of the lower region thereof due to a high aspect ratio, as illustrated in
Each of the channel structures CH may form a memory cell string, and may be spaced apart from each other while forming rows and columns in the memory cell array region MCA. The channel structures CH may be disposed to form a grid pattern in the X-Y plane or may be disposed in a zigzag pattern in one direction. The channel structures CH may extend in the Z direction, may have a columnar shape, and may have inclined side surfaces of which a width may decrease toward the second substrate 201 depending on an aspect ratio.
Each of the channel structures CH may have a form in which lower and upper channel structures penetrating the lower gate stacking group and the upper gate stacking group, respectively, of the gate electrodes are connected to each other, and may have a bent portion formed due to a difference or changes in the width in the connection region.
As illustrated in
A channel pad 249 may be disposed below the channel layer 240 in the channel structures CH. The channel pad 249 may cover the lower surface of the filling insulating layer 247 and may be in contact with the channel layer 240. The channel pad 249 may include, for example, doped polycrystalline silicon.
The gate dielectric layer 245 may be disposed between the gate electrodes 230 and the channel layer 240. The gate dielectric layer 245 may include a tunneling layer 241, a charge storage layer 242, and a blocking layer 243 stacked in sequence from the channel layer 240 outward. The tunneling layer 241 may tunnel electric charges into the charge storage layer 242, and may include, for example, silicon oxide (SiO2), silicon nitride (Si3N4), or silicon oxynitride (SiON), or a combination thereof. The charge storage layer 242 may be a charge trap layer or a floating gate conductive layer. The blocking layer 243 may include silicon oxide (SiO2), silicon nitride (Si3N4), silicon oxynitride (SiON), or a high-k dielectric material, or a combination thereof. In example embodiments, at least a portion of the gate dielectric layer 245 may extend in a horizontal direction along the gate electrodes 230.
The upper wiring structure 250 may be electrically connected to the gate electrodes 230, the channel layer 240 of the channel structures CH, and the vertical conductive layer 273. The upper wiring structure 250 may include a contact plug 251′ having a cylindrical shape, connection contacts 252′ and 253′, gate contacts 251a, 252a, and 253a, channel contacts 252b and 253b, source contacts 252c and 253c, and upper contact plug 255, and may include upper wiring lines 254 and 256 having a line shape. The gate contacts 251a, 252a, and 253a may include a first gate contact 251a, a second gate contact 252a on the first gate contact 251a, and a third gate contact 253a on the second gate contact 252a. The channel contacts 252b and 253b may include a first channel contact 252b and a second channel contact 253b. The source contacts 252c and 253c may include a first source contact 252c and a second source contact 253c. The upper wiring lines 254 and 256 may include a first upper wiring line 254 and a second upper wiring line 256. The contact plug 251′ may be electrically connected to the upper wiring lines 254 and 256 through connection contacts 252′ and 253′ disposed therebelow.
The contact plug 251′ may be directly connected to the conductive pad 270 in the external side region OA. The contact plug 251′ may have, for example, a column shape, and may have a width decreasing toward the upper portion depending on an aspect ratio. For example, in some embodiments, the width of the upper end of the contact plug 251′ may be smaller than the width of the lower end. For example, the width of the contact plug 251′ may decrease toward the conductive pad 270 or in a direction of being away from the first substrate 101.
The gate contacts 251a, 252a, and 253a may be connected to the gate electrodes 230 in the staircase region SA. The gate contacts 251a, 252a, and 253a may be disposed to be connected to each of the gate electrodes 230 penetrating at least a portion of the upper insulating layer 290 and exposed upwardly. The channel contacts 252b and 253b may be electrically connected to the channel layer 240 through the channel pad 249 of the channel structures CH in the memory cell array region MCA.
The source contacts 252c and 253c may be connected to the vertical conductive layer 273. The source contacts 252c and 253c may be electrically connected to the plate conductive layer 206 through the vertical conductive layer 273.
The first upper wiring line 254 may be disposed below the third gate contact 253a, the second channel contact 253b, and the second source contact 253c, and the second upper wiring line 256 may be disposed below the upper contact plug 255. The upper contact plug 255 may be disposed below the first upper wiring line 254. The upper wiring structure 250 may include a conductive material, such as, for example, tungsten (W), copper (Cu), or aluminum (Al), and each of the components may further include a diffusion barrier layer. However, in example embodiments, the number of layers of the contacts 251a, 252a, 252b, 252c, 253a, 253b, 253c, and 255 and the upper wiring lines 254 and 256 included in the upper wiring structure 250 and the arrangement form thereof may be varied.
The conductive pad 270 may be an input/output pad of the semiconductor device 100 and may be electrically connected to a controller. The conductive pad 270 may be in direct contact with the upper surface of the contact plug 251′. The conductive pad 270 may be electrically connected to the circuit devices 120 in the peripheral circuit region PERI.
The upper bonding structure 280 may be connected to the upper wiring structure 250. The upper bonding structure 280 may be connected to the lower bonding structure 180. The upper bonding structure 280 may include an upper bonding via 281 and an upper bonding pad 282 which may be a bonding layer. The upper bonding via 281 may be disposed below the second upper wiring line 256. The upper bonding pad 282 may be disposed below the upper bonding via 281. The upper bonding structure 280 may include a conductive material, such as, for example, tungsten (W), copper (Cu), or aluminum (Al), and each of the components may further include a diffusion barrier layer.
The upper insulating layer 290 may be disposed to cover the second substrate 201, the gate electrodes 230 disposed below the second substrate 201, and the lower insulating layer 190. The upper insulating layer 290 may include a plurality of insulating layers. The upper insulating layer 290 may be formed of an insulating material.
Referring to
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The epitaxial layer 207 may be disposed to be in contact with the plate conductive layer 206 on an upper end of the channel structures CH, and may be disposed on a side surface of at least one gate electrode 230. The level of the lower surface of the epitaxial layer 207 may be lower than a level of the lower surface of the uppermost gate electrode 230 and higher than the upper surface of a gate electrode 230 immediately below the uppermost gate electrode 230, but example embodiments thereof are not limited thereto. The epitaxial layer 207 may be connected to the channel layer 240 through a lower surface of the epitaxial layer 207. A gate insulating layer 208 may be further disposed between the epitaxial layer 207 and the gate electrode 230 adjacent to the epitaxial layer 207.
Referring to
Referring to
First, device isolation layers may be formed in the first substrate 101, and a circuit gate dielectric layer 122 and a circuit gate electrode 125 may be formed in sequence on the first substrate 101. The device isolation layers may be formed by, for example, a shallow trench isolation (STI) process. The circuit gate dielectric layer 122 and the circuit gate electrode 125 may be formed using atomic layer deposition (ALD) or chemical vapor deposition (CVD). The circuit gate dielectric layer 122 may be formed of silicon oxide, and the circuit gate electrode 125 may be formed of at least one of polycrystalline silicon or a metal silicide layer, but an example embodiment thereof is not limited thereto. Thereafter, a spacer layer 124 and source/drain regions 105 may be formed on both sidewalls of the circuit gate dielectric layer 122 and the circuit gate electrode 125. In example embodiments, the spacer layer 224 may include a plurality of layers.
The lower contact plugs 131 and 133 of the lower wiring structure 130 may be formed by forming a portion of the lower insulating layer 190, removing a portion by etching, and filling a conductive material therein. The lower wiring lines 132 and 134 may be formed by, for example, depositing a conductive material and patterning the material.
The lower bonding via 181 of the lower bonding structure 180 may be formed by forming a portion of the lower insulating layer 190, removing a portion by etching, and filling a conductive material therein. The lower bonding pad 182 may be formed by, for example, depositing a conductive material and patterning the material. The lower bonding structure 180 may be formed by, for example, a deposition process or a plating process. When the bonding layer is formed by a plating process, a seed layer may be formed preferentially.
The lower insulating layer 190 may include a plurality of insulating layers. A portion of the lower insulating layer 190 may be formed in each of the processes of forming the lower wiring structure 130 and the lower bonding structure 180. Accordingly, the peripheral circuit region PERI may be formed.
Referring to
First, a portion of the upper insulating layer 290 may be formed on the base substrate 301, and a ground via 260 penetrating therethrough may be formed. The base substrate 301 may include a semiconductor material, such as, for example, a group IV semiconductor, a group III-V compound semiconductor, or a group II-VI compound semiconductor. The base substrate 301 may be provided to control the thickness of the second substrate 201 in a subsequent process of removing the base substrate 301. For example, a portion of the upper insulating layer 290 may be disposed between the base substrate 301 and the second substrate 201. The ground via 260 may be formed by forming via holes penetrating a portion of the upper insulating layer 290 and filling the via holes with a semiconductor material.
Thereafter, a second substrate 201 may be formed, and first to third horizontal sacrificial layers 211, 212, and 213 and a second horizontal conductive layer 204 may be formed on the second substrate 201. The second substrate 201 may be spaced apart from the base substrate 301 by a portion of the upper insulating layer 290. The first to third horizontal sacrificial layers 211, 212, and 213 may be stacked in sequence on the second substrate 201. The first to third horizontal sacrificial layers 211, 212, and 213 in the memory cell array region MCA may be replaced with a first horizontal conductive layer 202 (in
First and second mold structures may be formed by alternately stacking the sacrificial insulating layers 218 and the interlayer insulating layers 220. Specifically, a second horizontal conductive layer 204 may be formed, a first mold structure may be formed, a vertical sacrificial layer 219 penetrating the first mold structure may be formed, and the second mold structure may be formed.
The sacrificial insulating layers 218 may be partially replaced with gate electrodes 230 (in
A photolithography process and an etching process for the sacrificial insulating layers 218 may be repeatedly performed using a mask layer such that the upper sacrificial insulating layers 218 may extend shorter than the lower sacrificial insulating layers 218 in the staircase region SA. Accordingly, the sacrificial insulating layers 218 may form a stepped structure in a predetermined unit.
Thereafter, an upper insulating layer 290 covering the stack structure of the sacrificial insulating layers 218 and the interlayer insulating layers 220 may be formed.
Referring to
The channel structures CH may be formed by anisotropically etching the sacrificial insulating layers 218 and the interlayer insulating layers 220 using a mask layer, and may be formed by forming channel holes having a hole shape and filling the holes. The vertical sacrificial layer 219 (in
Due to the height of the stack structure, sidewalls of the channel structures CH may not be perpendicular to the upper surface of the second substrate 201. The channel structures CH may be formed to recess a portion of the second substrate 201.
The gate dielectric layer 245 may be formed to have a uniform thickness using an ALD or CVD process. In this process, an entirety or a portion of the gate dielectric layer 245 may be formed, and a portion extending perpendicularly to the second substrate 201 along the channel structures CH may be formed in this process. The channel layer 240 may be formed on the gate dielectric layer 245 in the channel structures CH. The channel filling insulating layer 247 may fill the channel structures CH, and may be an insulating material. The channel pad 249 may be formed of a conductive material, such as, for example, polycrystalline silicon.
Thereafter, the openings OS may penetrate through the stack structure of the sacrificial insulating layers 218 and the interlayer insulating layers 220, and may penetrate through the second horizontal conductive layer 204 and the first to third horizontal sacrificial layers 211, 212, and 213.
Referring to
First, the second horizontal sacrificial layer 212 may be exposed by an etch-back process while forming sacrificial spacer layers in the openings. The second horizontal sacrificial layer 212 may be selectively removed from the exposed region in the memory cell array region MCA, and the upper and lower first and third horizontal sacrificial layers 211 and 213 may be removed.
The first to third horizontal sacrificial layers 211, 212, and 213 may be removed by, for example, a wet etching process. In the process of removing the first and third horizontal sacrificial layers 211 and 213, a portion of the gate dielectric layer 245 exposed in the region from which the second horizontal sacrificial layer 212 is removed may also be removed. The first horizontal conductive layer 202 may be formed by depositing a conductive material in the region from which the first to third horizontal sacrificial layers 211, 212, and 213 are removed, and the sacrificial spacer layers may be removed from the openings. Through this process, the first horizontal conductive layer 202 may be formed in the memory cell array region MCA, and first to third horizontal sacrificial layers 211, 212, and 213 may be formed in the staircase region SA.
Thereafter, tunnel portions may be formed by removing the sacrificial insulating layers 218 through the openings OS, and gate electrodes 230 may be formed by filling the tunnel portions with a conductive material. The conductive material may include a metal, polycrystalline silicon, or a metal silicide material. The gate electrodes 230 may be formed, the conductive material deposited in the openings may be removed through an additional process, and the insulating layer 277 may be formed by filling the insulating material.
Referring to
The first gate contact 251a of the gate contacts 251a, 252a, and 253a may be formed to be connected to the gate electrodes 230 in the staircase region SA, the first channel contact 252b of the first gate contact 251a of the gate contacts 252b and 253b may be formed to be connected to the channel pad 249, and the first source contact 252c of the source contacts 252c and 253c may be connected to the vertical conductive layer 273.
The gate contacts 251a, 252a, and 253a, the channel contacts 252b and 253b, the source contacts 252c and 253c, the upper contact plug 255, the upper wiring lines 254 and 256, and the contact plugs 251′ may have different depths, and may be formed by simultaneously forming contact holes using an etch stop layer and filling the contact holes with a conductive material. However, in example embodiments, a portion of the gate contacts 251a, 252a, and 253a, the channel contacts 252b and 253b, the source contacts 252c and 253c, the upper contact plug 255, the upper wiring lines 254 and 256, and the contact plugs 251′ may be formed in different processes.
Thereafter, the upper bonding structure 280 may be formed in a manner similar to that of forming the lower bonding structure 180. Accordingly, the memory cell region CELL may be formed. However, during the process of manufacturing the semiconductor device, the memory cell region CELL may include the base substrate 301.
Referring to
The peripheral circuit region PERI and the memory cell region CELL may be connected by bonding the lower bonding pad 182 to the upper bonding pad 282 by pressing. The memory cell region CELL may be disposed upside down on the peripheral circuit region PERI and may be bonded such that upper bonding pad 282 may fact downwardly. The peripheral circuit region PERI and the memory cell region CELL may be directly bonded to each other without providing an adhesive such as a separate adhesive layer. For example, in some embodiments, the peripheral circuit region PERI and the memory cell region CELL may be bonded to each other by copper (Cu)-to-copper (Cu) bonding.
Referring to
The base substrate 301 and the ground via 260 may be removed by, for example, a polishing process such as a grinding process. Accordingly, upper surfaces of the second substrate 201 and the contact plug 251′ may be exposed. In this case, the blocking layer 243 disposed on an upper end of the channel structures CH may be used as a polishing stop layer. The upper end of the second substrate may be disposed on substantially the same level as a level of the upper end of the channel structures CH.
Referring to
The insulating layer 277 may be removed by performing a photolithography process and an etching process. In this case, the first source contact 252c may be used as an etch stop layer. As illustrated in
Referring to
The liner insulating layer 275 may be formed by depositing an insulating material in the isolation structure and removing a portion of the insulating material by performing a photolithography process and an etching process. In this case, the first source contact 252c may be used as an etch stop layer.
Referring to
The vertical conductive layer 273 and the plate conductive layer 206 may be formed by a process of depositing a conductive material or consecutive processes of depositing a conductive material. In this case, the vertical conductive layer 273 may include the same conductive material as a conductive material of the plate conductive layer 206, and may extend from a lower portion of the plate conductive layer 206 to be integrated with the plate conductive layer 206.
Thereafter, the conductive pad 270 may be formed by forming the upper insulating layer 290, removing a portion of the upper insulating layer 290 and filling the portion with a conductive material. Accordingly, the semiconductor device in
Referring to
The semiconductor device 1100 may be implemented as a non-volatile memory device, such as, for example, the NAND flash memory device described above with reference to
In the second structure 1100S, each of the memory cell strings CSTR may include lower transistors LT1 and LT2 adjacent to the common source line CSL, upper transistors UT1 and UT2 adjacent to the bit line BL, and a plurality of memory cell transistors MCT disposed between the lower transistors LT1 and LT2 and the upper transistors UT1 and UT2. The number of lower transistors LT1 and LT2 and the number of upper transistors UT1 and UT2 may be varied in example embodiments.
In example embodiments, the upper transistors UT1 and UT2 may include a string select transistor, and the lower transistors LT1 and LT2 may include a ground select transistor. The gate lower lines LL1 and LL2 may be configured as gate electrodes of the lower transistors LT1 and LT2, respectively. The word lines WL may be configured as gate electrodes of the memory cell transistors MCT, and the gate upper lines UL1 and UL2 may be configured as gate electrodes of the upper transistors UT1 and UT2, respectively.
In example embodiments, the lower transistors LT1 and LT2 may include a lower erase control transistor LT1 and a ground select transistor LT2 connected to each other in series. The upper transistors UT1 and UT2 may include a string select transistor UT1 and an upper erase control transistor UT2 connected to each other in series. At least one of the lower erase control transistor LT1 and the upper erase control transistor UT1 may be used in an erase operation for erasing data stored in the memory cell transistors MCT using a GIDL phenomenon.
The common source line CSL, the first and second gate lower lines LL1 and LL2, the word lines WL, and the first and second gate upper lines UL1 and UL2 may be electrically connected to the decoder circuit 1110 through first connection wires 1115 extending from the first structure 1100F to the second structure 1100S. The bit lines BL may be electrically connected to the page buffer 1120 through second connection wires 1125 extending from the first structure 110F to the second structure 1100S.
In the first structure 1100F, the decoder circuit 1110 and the page buffer 1120 may perform a control operation on at least one selected memory cell transistor among the plurality of memory cell transistors MCT. The decoder circuit 1110 and the page buffer 1120 may be controlled by the logic circuit 1130. The semiconductor device 1000 may communicate with the controller 1200 through the input/output pad 1101 electrically connected to the logic circuit 1130. The input/output pad 1101 may be electrically connected to the logic circuit 1130 through an input/output connection line 1135 extending from the first structure 1100F to the second structure 1100S.
The controller 1200 may include a processor 1210, a NAND controller 1220, and a host interface 1230. In example embodiments, the electronic system 1000 may include a plurality of semiconductor devices 1100, and in this case, the controller 1200 may control the plurality of semiconductor devices 1000.
The processor 1210 may control overall operation of the electronic system 1000 including the controller 1200. The processor 1210 may operate according to a predetermined firmware, and may access the semiconductor device 1100 by controlling the NAND controller 1220. The NAND controller 1220 may include a NAND interface 1221 processing communication with the semiconductor device 1100. Through the NAND interface 1221, a control command for controlling the semiconductor device 1100, data to be written to the memory cell transistors MCT of the semiconductor device 1100, and data to be read from the memory cell transistors MCT of the semiconductor device 1100 may be transmitted. The host interface 1230 may provide a communication function between the electronic system 1000 and an external host. When a control command from an external host is received through the host interface 1230, the processor 1210 may control the semiconductor device 1100 in response to the control command.
Referring to
The main board 2001 may include a connector 2006 including a plurality of pins coupled to an external host. The number and arrangement of the plurality of pins in the connector 2006 may vary depending on a communication interface between the electronic system 2000 and the external host. In example embodiments, the electronic system 2000 may communicate with an external host according to one of interfaces from among universal serial bus (USB), peripheral component interconnect express (PCI-Express), serial advanced technology attachment (SATA), M-Phy for universal flash storage (UFS). In example embodiments, the electronic system 2000 may operate by power supplied from an external host through the connector 2006. The electronic system 2000 may further include a power management integrated circuit (PMIC) for distributing power supplied from the external host to the controller 2002 and the semiconductor package 2003.
The controller 2002 may write data to or may read data from the semiconductor package 2003, and may improve an operating speed of the electronic system 2000.
The DRAM 2004 may be configured as a buffer memory for alleviating a difference in speeds between the semiconductor package 2003, which is a data storage space, and an external host. The DRAM 2004 included in the electronic system 2000 may operate as a cache memory, and may provide a space for temporarily storing data in a control operation for the semiconductor package 2003. When the electronic system 2000 may include the DRAM 2004, the controller 2002 may further include a DRAM controller for controlling the DRAM 2004 in addition to the NAND controller for controlling the semiconductor package 2003.
The semiconductor package 2003 may include first and second semiconductor packages 2003a and 2003b spaced apart from each other. Each of the first and second semiconductor packages 2003a and 2003b may be configured as a semiconductor package including a plurality of semiconductor chips 2200. Each of the first and second semiconductor packages 2003a and 2003b may include a package substrate 2100, semiconductor chips 2200 on the package substrate 2100, adhesive layers 2300 disposed on lower surfaces of the semiconductor chips 2200, respectively, a connection structure 2400 electrically connecting the semiconductor chips 2200 to the package substrate 2100, and a molding layer 2500 covering the semiconductor chips 2200 and the connection structure 2400 on the package substrate 2100.
The package substrate 2100 may be configured as a printed circuit board including package upper pads 2130. Each semiconductor chip 2200 may include an input/output pad 2210. The input/output pad 2210 may correspond to the input/output pad 1101 in
In example embodiments, the connection structure 2400 may be configured as a bonding wire electrically connecting the input/output pad 2210 to the upper package pads 2130. Accordingly, in each of the first and second semiconductor packages 2003a and 2003b, the semiconductor chips 2200 may be electrically connected to each other by a bonding wire method, and may be electrically connected to the package upper pads 2130 of the package substrate 2100. In example embodiments, in each of the first and second semiconductor packages 2003a and 2003b, the semiconductor chips 2200 may be electrically connected to each other by a connection structure including a through-electrode (TSV) instead of the connection structure 2400 of a bonding wire method.
In example embodiments, the controller 2002 and the semiconductor chips 2200 may be included in a single package. In an example embodiment, the controller 2002 and the semiconductor chips 2200 may be mounted on a separate interposer substrate different from the main substrate 2001, and the controller 2002 and the semiconductor chips 2200 may be connected to each other wiring formed on the interposer substrate.
Referring to
The first semiconductor structure 4100 may include a peripheral circuit region including a peripheral wiring 4110 and a lower bonding structure 4150. The second semiconductor structure 4200 may include a common source line 4205, a gate stack structure 4210 disposed between the common source line 4205 and the first semiconductor structure 4100, channel structures 4220 and an isolation structure 4230 penetrating through the gate stack structure 4210, and an upper bonding structure 4250 electrically connected to the word lines WL (in
As illustrated in the enlarged diagram, the second semiconductor structure 4200 may further include a plate conductive layer 206, a vertical conductive layer 273, and a liner insulating layer 275. Each of the semiconductor chips 2200a may further include an input/output pad 2210 and an input/output connection line 4265 disposed below the input/output pad 2210. The input/output connection line 4265 may be electrically connected to a portion of the second bonding structures 4210.
The semiconductor chips 2200a in
According to the aforementioned example embodiments, by disposing the plate conductive layer 206 and the isolation structure MS including the metal material to be electrically connected to the channel layer CH through the second substrate 201, a semiconductor device having improved electrical properties and improved reliability and an electronic system including the same may be provided.
While the example embodiments have been illustrated and described above, it will be configured as apparent to those skilled in the art that modifications and variations may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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10-2022-0039703 | Mar 2022 | KR | national |