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US6893922B2
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Non-volatile memory device and manufacturing method thereof
Assignee: SK Hynix Inc
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Filing: 2002-04-15
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Granted: 2005-05-17
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Expires: 2022-04-15
Abstract
Abstract A non-volatile memory device and a manufacturing method thereof are disclosed. The non-volatile memory device includes a gate insulating film formed on a semiconductor substrate, a floating gate formed on the gate insulating film, a dielectric film comprising a (TaO) 1−x (TiO) x N film on the floating gate, and a control gate formed on the dielectric film. Thus, large charge capacitance values can be obtained compared to a similarly sized device using an ONO or Ta 2 O 5 thin film dielectric while simultaneously simplifying the manufacturing process.
Inventors
- 👤 Kwang Chul Joo
- 👤 Kee Jeung Lee
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-03 11:09
CPC Classifications
H; H10; H10B; H10B69/00; H10D; H10D64/00; H10D64/60; H10D64/66; H10D64/68; H10D64/681; H10D30/00; H10D30/60; H10D30/68; H10D30/6891; H10D64/01; H10D64/031; H10D64/035; H10D64/013; H10D64/01302; H10D64/01332; H10D64/01336; H10D64/01342
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 15
Claim 1
Independent Claim
116 words
A method of manufacturing a non-volatile memory device comprising the steps of: providing a semiconductor substrate; forming a gate insulating film on the semiconductor substrate; forming a floating gate on the gate insulating film, the floating gate comprising a stacked structure of an inner polysilicon layer and an outer hemispherical grain polysilicon layer; nitrifying the hemispherical grain polysilicon layer; forming a dielectric film by depositing (TaO) 1−x (TiO) x N on the nitrified hemispherical grain polysilicon layer; inducing crystallization of the dielectric film through a thermal process using an electric furnace or a metal thermal process of the surface of the dielectric film; and forming a conductive layer for a control gate on the dielectric film.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
116 words
A method of manufacturing a non-volatile memory device comprising the steps of: providing a semiconductor substrate; forming a gate insulating film on the semiconductor substrate; forming a floating gate on the gate insulating film, the floating gate comprising a stacked structure of an inner polysilicon layer and an outer hemispherical grain polysilicon layer; nitrifying the hemispherical grain polysilicon layer; forming a dielectric film by depositing (TaO) 1−x (TiO) x N on the nitrified hemispherical grain polysilicon layer; inducing crystallization of the dielectric film through a thermal process using an electric furnace or a metal thermal process of the surface of the dielectric film; and forming a conductive layer for a control gate on the dielectric film.
Claim 3
Independent Claim
62 words
A method for manufacturing a non-volatile memory device comprising the steps of: providing a semiconductor substrate; forming a gate insulating film on the semiconductor substrate; forming a floating gate on the gate insulating film; forming a dielectric film by depositing (TaO) 1−x (TiO) x N on the floating gate; and forming a conductive layer for a control gate on the dielectric film.
Claim 4
Independent Claim
62 words
A method for manufacturing a non-volatile memory device comprising the steps of: providing a semiconductor substrate; forming a gate insulating film on the semiconductor substrate; forming a floating gate on the gate insulating film; forming a dielectric film by depositing (TaO) 1−x (TiO) x N on the floating gate; and forming a conductive layer for a control gate on the dielectric film.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the dielectric film is formed by using tantalum ethylate as a precursor.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
35 words
The method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the floating gate is obtained by forming a conductive layer on the gate insulating film and a hemispherical grain (HSG) polysilicon layer on the conductive layer.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
48 words
The method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the (TaO) 1−x (TiO) x N (0.01≦×≦0.09) thin film is deposited using a chemical vapor deposition method such that the mole composition ratio between Ti and Ta of the (TaO) 1−x (TiO) x N thin film should be 0.01-1.0:1.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
86 words
The method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the step of forming a dielectric film by depositing (TaO) 1−x (TiO) x N further comprises vaporizing a predetermined amount of a Ta(OC 2 H 5 ) solution at a temperature between 140-200° C.; vaporizing a predetermined amount of a Ti-containing solution at a temperature between 200-300° C., the Ti-containing solution comprising a solution of one or more compounds from the group consisting of Ti[OCH(CH 3 ) 2 ] 4 , TiCl 4 , TDMAT and TDEAT.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
127 words
The method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the step of forming a dielectric film by depositing (TaO) 1−x (TiO) x N further comprises supplying a predetermined amount of a Ta chemical vapor to the LPCVD chamber; supplying a predetermined amount of a Ti chemical vapor to the LPCVD chamber, the predetermined amounts of the Ta chemical vapor and the Ti chemical vapor being adjusted to provide a Ti:Ta mole ratio of between 1:100 and 1:1; supplying a predetermined amount of reaction gases NH 3 and O 2 to the LPCVD chamber, the predetermined amount being between 10 and 1000 sccm; and maintaining conditions within the LPCVD chamber to generate a surface reaction between the Ta chemical vapor, the Ti chemical vapor, and the reaction gases.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method as claimed in claim 2 , further comprising a step of nitrifying the surface of the floating gate before forming the dielectric film.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
96 words
The method as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the step of nitrifying the floating gate further comprises one treatment step selected from a group consisting of treating the floating gate in a plasma reactor at a temperature between 300-600° C. in an atmosphere of NH 3 or N 2 /H 2 for 1-5 minutes; treating the floating gate in a rapid thermal process unit at a temperature between 600-950° C. in an NH 3 atmosphere; and treating the floating gate in an electric furnace at a temperature between 500-1000° C. in an NH 3 atmosphere.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
37 words
The method as claimed in claim 2 , further comprising the step of removing a natural oxide film from the floating gate, the step of removing the natural oxide film being completed before forming the dielectric film.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
58 words
The method as claimed in claim 10 , further comprising the step of cleaning the surface of the floating gate using a NH 4 0 H solution or a H 2 SO 4 solution, the step of cleaning the surface of the floating gate being performed immediately before or after the step of removing a natural oxide film.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
38 words
The method as claimed in claim 2 , further comprising a thermal treatment of the dielectric layer, the thermal treatment being sufficient to induce crystallization of the dielectric film and to remove organic impurities from the dielectric film.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
44 words
The method as claimed in claim 12 , where in the thermal treatment is performed at a temperature between 650-950° C. in an atmosphere comprising at least one gas selected from a group consisting of N 2 O, O 2 and N 2 .
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
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| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2008-05-16 | 2008-11-15 | 2009-05-17 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2012-05-16 | 2012-11-15 | 2013-05-17 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2016-05-16 | 2016-11-15 | 2017-05-17 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |