Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 13
Claim 1
Independent Claim
129 words
A semiconductor device comprising: a substrate; an array of cells having pillars formed on said substrate, said pillars being arranged in rows and columns, each of said pillars extending upward and having an upper region doped with a first type of impurity, a middle region doped with a second type of impurity, and separated lower regions extending from the pillars' sidewalls doped with said first type of impurity, said middle region being between said upper and lower regions and being continuous with said substrate; and first and second gate regions formed on pillar sidewalls over said middle region to control the resistance between said upper and lower regions, wherein said first and second gate regions are spaced apart by said pillars and are opposite each other along said columns.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
129 words
A semiconductor device comprising: a substrate; an array of cells having pillars formed on said substrate, said pillars being arranged in rows and columns, each of said pillars extending upward and having an upper region doped with a first type of impurity, a middle region doped with a second type of impurity, and separated lower regions extending from the pillars' sidewalls doped with said first type of impurity, said middle region being between said upper and lower regions and being continuous with said substrate; and first and second gate regions formed on pillar sidewalls over said middle region to control the resistance between said upper and lower regions, wherein said first and second gate regions are spaced apart by said pillars and are opposite each other along said columns.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
18 words
The semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein said pillars along said rows are separated by an insulating material.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
37 words
The semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein said first and second gate regions along said rows are continuous to form wordlines of said cells, and said lower regions along said columns are bit lines of said cells.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
15 words
The semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein said lower regions occupy footprints of said pillars.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
35 words
The semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein each of said first and second gate regions includes a first gate oxide formed on said sidewall and a first gate electrode formed over said first gate oxide.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
38 words
The semiconductor device of claim 5, wherein each of said first and second gate regions further includes a second gate oxide formed on said first gate electrode and a second gate electrode formed over said second gate oxide.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
21 words
The semiconductor device of claim 5, wherein said first gate electrode is insulated on all sides to form a floating gate.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
25 words
The semiconductor device of claim 5, wherein a thickness of said first gate oxide is small so as to allow direct tunneling of electrons therethrough.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
25 words
The semiconductor device of claim 1 further comprising a strap located adjacent each of said lower regions to reduce a resistance of said lower regions.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
34 words
The semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein each of said first and second gate regions is common along pillars arranged in said rows, and separated from gate regions of pillars arranged in said columns.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
52 words
The semiconductor device of claim 1 further comprising a stack capacitor formed on each of said pillars over said upper regions, each of said stack capacitors having a storage electrode formed over said upper region, a dielectric layer formed over said storage node, and a plate electrode formed over said dielectric layer.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
70 words
The semiconductor device of claim 1 further comprising a trench capacitor formed around each of said pillars in trenches separating said pillars, said trenches being arranged in rows and columns, each of said trench capacitors having a storage electrode, a dielectric layer lining said trenches, and a plate electrode formed in said trenches over said dielectric layer, wherein said lower region acts as said storage electrode of said trench capacitor.