P-N junction in a vertical memory cell that creates a high resistance load

Claim 2

A structure consisting of a portion of an integrated circuit device, comprising: a first transistor, disposed over a substrate, having a gate electrode and a source region and a drain region; a first dielectric layer, disposed over the first transistor, having a first and second opening therethrough to expose a portion of the gate electrode and a portion of one of the source and drain regions; a first and a second interconnect disposed over a portion of the first dielectric layer and in the first and second openings; a second dielectric layer disposed over the first dielectric layer and the first and second interconnects, wherein the second dielectric layer has a third opening to expose a portion of the second interconnect; a second transistor disposed over the second dielectric layer and in the third opening; a third dielectric layer disposed over the second transistor, wherein the third dielectric layer has a fourth opening to expose a first source/drain region of the second transistor and a fifth opening to expose a second source/drain region of the second transistor; a first conductive layer disposed over a portion of the third dielectric layer and in the fourth opening, wherein the first conductive layer has a first conductivity type opposite to a second conductivity type of the first source/drain region of the second transistor exposed in the fourth opening, wherein a P-N junction is defined to provide a high resistance load device for the integrated circuit device; a fourth dielectric layer, disposed over the third dielectric layer and the first conductive layer, and having a sixth opening to expose the fifth opening; and a second conductive layer disposed over the fourth dielectric layer and in the fifth and sixth openings to contact the second transistor second source/drain region.

Claim 3

The structure of claim 1, wherein the first transistor is planar and wherein the source and drain regions of the first transistor are in the substrate.

Claim 4

The structure of claim 1, further comprising: a pillar of silicon substrate extending upward from the substrate, wherein the first transistor is a surrounding gate transistor having a gate electrode adjacent to the pillar and having source and drain regions in the pillar and the substrate.

Claim 5

The structure of claim 1, wherein the first transistor comprises an n-channel transistor and the first and second interconnects are N-type.

Claim 6

The structure of claim 1, wherein the first transistor comprises a p-channel transistor and the first and second interconnects are P-type.

Claim 7

The structure of claim 4, wherein the second transistor comprises a p-channel transistor and the first conductive layer is N-type.

Claim 8

The structure of claim 5, wherein the second transistor comprises a p-channel transistor and wherein the first conductive layer comprises a P-type doped upper portion and an N-type doped lower portion in the fourth opening.

Claim 9

The structure of claim 5, wherein the second transistor comprises an n-channel transistor and wherein the first conductive layer is P-type.

Claim 10

The structure of claim 4, wherein the second transistor comprises an n-channel transistor and wherein the first conductive layer comprises an N-type doped upper portion and a P-type doped lower portion in the fourth opening.

Claim 11

A structure for an integrated circuit device, comprising: a first transistor formed on a surface of a semiconductor substrate, and having first and second source/drain regions formed within the substrate and a gate electrode separated from a channel region thereof by a gate insulating layer; a first dielectric layer over the first transistor; a first polysilicon interconnect layer over the first dielectric layer and extending through a first opening in the first dielectric layer to contact the first transistor first source/drain region; a second dielectric layer over the first dielectric layer and the first interconnect layer; a second polysilicon interconnect layer over the first dielectric layer and extending through an opening in the second dielectric layer to contact the first interconnect layer, the second polysilicon interconnect layer having a lightly doped channel region between first and second highly doped source/drain regions each having a first conductivity type; a gate electrode over the second polysilicon interconnect layer channel region and separated therefrom by a gate oxide layer; a third dielectric layer over the gate electrode, second polysilicon layer and second dielectric layer; a first conductive layer over the third dielectric layer and extending through a first opening in the third dielectric layer to contact the second interconnect layer highly doped first source/drain region, wherein a portion of the first conductive layer has a second conductivity type opposite the first conductivity type, wherein a reverse biased P-N junction is formed at a junction between the portion having a second conductivity type and the first source/drain region in the second interconnect layer; and a second conductive layer over the third dielectric layer and contacting the second interconnect layer second source/drain region through a second opening in the third dielectric layer.

Claim 12

A structure for an integrated circuit device, comprising: a first transistor formed on a surface of a semiconductor substrate, and having first and second source/drain regions formed within the substrate and a gate electrode separated from a channel region thereof by a gate insulating layer; a first dielectric layer over the first transistor; a first polysilicon interconnect layer over the first dielectric layer and extending through a first opening in the first dielectric layer to contact the first transistor first source/drain region; a second dielectric layer over the first dielectric layer and the first interconnect layer; a second polysilicon interconnect layer over the first dielectric layer and extending through an opening in the second dielectric layer to contact the first interconnect layer, the second polysilicon interconnect layer having a lightly doped channel region between first and second highly doped source/drain regions each having a first conductivity type; a gate electrode over the second polysilicon interconnect layer channel region and separated therefrom by a gate oxide layer; a third dielectric layer over the gate electrode, second polysilicon layer and second dielectric layer; a first conductive layer over the third dielectric layer and extending through a first opening in the third dielectric layer to contact the second interconnect layer highly doped first source/drain region, wherein a portion of the first conductive layer has a second conductivity type opposite the first conductivity type, wherein a reverse biased P-N junction is formed at a junction between the portion having a second conductivity type and the first source/drain region in the second interconnect layer; and a second conductive layer over the third dielectric layer and contacting the second interconnect layer second source/drain region through a second opening in the third dielectric layer.

Claim 13

The structure of claim 10, wherein the first conductivity type is P-type and the second conductivity type is N-type.

Claim 14

The structure of claim 10, wherein the first conductivity type is N-type and the second conductivity type is P-type.

Claim 15

The structure of claim 10, wherein the first transistor comprises a planar transistor formed in a planar surface of the substrate.

Claim 16

The structure of claim 10, wherein the first transistor comprises a surrounding gate transistor formed around a vertically projecting portion of the substrate.

Claim 17

The structure of claim 10, wherein the first conductive layer comprises polysilicon.

Claim 18

The structure of claim 15, wherein a portion of the first conductive layer lies over the channel region in the second interconnect layer and its overlying gate electrode, and is separated from the gate electrode by a portion of the third dielectric layer.

Claim 19

The structure of claim 10, further comprising a portion of the second dielectric layer in contact with the first transistor gate electrode through a second opening through the first insulating layer.

Claim 20

The structure of claim 10, further comprising a fourth dielectric layer overlying the first conductive layer and the third dielectric layer, wherein the portion of the second conductive layer which contacts the second interconnect layer second source/drain region extends through an opening in the fourth dielectric layer which is aligned with the second opening through the third dielectric layer.