U.S. patent application number 16/444186 was filed with the patent office on 2020-12-24 for three-dimensional memory device containing through-array contact via structures between dielectric barrier walls and methods of making the same.
The applicant listed for this patent is SANDISK TECHNOLOGIES LLC. Invention is credited to Eiji HAYASHI, Naoto HOJO, Kei NOZAWA, Yoshitaka OTSU, Masanori TERAHARA, Hirofumi TOKITA.
Application Number | 20200402905 16/444186 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000005261174 |
Filed Date | 2020-12-24 |
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United States Patent
Application |
20200402905 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
OTSU; Yoshitaka ; et
al. |
December 24, 2020 |
THREE-DIMENSIONAL MEMORY DEVICE CONTAINING THROUGH-ARRAY CONTACT
VIA STRUCTURES BETWEEN DIELECTRIC BARRIER WALLS AND METHODS OF
MAKING THE SAME
Abstract
An alternating layer stack of insulating layers and sacrificial
material layers is formed over a semiconductor substrate, and
memory stack structures are formed through the
vertically-alternating layer stack. A pair of unconnected barrier
trenches or a moat trench is formed through the alternating stack
concurrently with formation of backside trenches. Backside recesses
are formed by isotropically etching the sacrificial material layers
selective to the insulating layers while a dielectric liner covers
the barrier trenches or the moat trench. A vertically alternating
sequence of the insulating plates and the dielectric spacer plates
is provided between the pair of barrier trenches or inside the moat
trench. Electrically conductive layers are formed in the backside
recesses. A first conductive via structure is formed through the
vertically alternating sequence concurrently with formation of a
second conductive via structure through a dielectric material
portion adjacent to the alternating stack.
Inventors: |
OTSU; Yoshitaka; (Yokkaichi,
JP) ; NOZAWA; Kei; (Nagoya, JP) ; HOJO;
Naoto; (Yokkaichi, JP) ; TOKITA; Hirofumi;
(Yokkaichi, JP) ; HAYASHI; Eiji; (Nagoya, JP)
; TERAHARA; Masanori; (Yokkaichi, JP) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
SANDISK TECHNOLOGIES LLC |
ADDISON |
TX |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
1000005261174 |
Appl. No.: |
16/444186 |
Filed: |
June 18, 2019 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01L 27/11582 20130101;
H01L 29/0653 20130101; H01L 27/11556 20130101; H01L 23/5226
20130101 |
International
Class: |
H01L 23/522 20060101
H01L023/522; H01L 27/11582 20060101 H01L027/11582; H01L 27/11556
20060101 H01L027/11556; H01L 29/06 20060101 H01L029/06 |
Claims
1. A three-dimensional memory device, comprising: field effect
transistors located over a semiconductor substrate; lower-level
metal interconnect structures formed within lower-level dielectric
material layers that overlie the field effect transistors; an
alternating stack of insulating layers and composite layers located
over the lower-level metal interconnect structures and between a
pair of backside trenches that laterally extend along a first
horizontal direction, wherein each of the composite layers
comprises a respective electrically conductive layer and a
respective dielectric spacer plate, and a vertically alternating
sequence of the insulating plates and the dielectric spacer plates
is provided within a region including the dielectric spacer plates;
memory stack structures vertically extending through the
alternating stack; a pair of dielectric wall structures vertically
extending through each layer within the alternating stack which do
not contact other through another dielectric wall structure,
wherein a vertically alternating sequence of the insulating plates
and the dielectric spacer plates is located between the pair of
dielectric wall structures; and at least one conductive via
structure vertically extending through the vertically alternating
sequence and contacting a top surface of a respective one of the
lower-level metal interconnect structures.
2. The three-dimensional memory device of claim 1, wherein the
dielectric spacer plates are not completely surrounded by
dielectric wall structures.
3. The three-dimensional memory device of claim 1, wherein each of
the dielectric wall structures includes a respective uniform-width
region that laterally extend along the first horizontal direction
with a respective uniform width along a second horizontal direction
that is perpendicular to the first horizontal direction.
4. The three-dimensional memory device of claim 3, wherein: each of
the dielectric spacer plates comprises lengthwise sidewalls that
extend along the first horizontal direction and contacts a
respective one of the pair of dielectric wall structures; and each
of the pair of dielectric wall structures has a greater lateral
extent than the pair of lengthwise sidewalls of the dielectric
spacer plates.
5. The three-dimensional memory device of claim 4, wherein the pair
of dielectric wall structures has a same lateral extent along the
first horizontal direction.
6. The three-dimensional memory device of claim 4, wherein: the
pair of dielectric wall structures are laterally offset along the
second horizontal direction from a respective proximal backside
trench selected from the pair of backside trenches by unequal
lateral trench-to-dielectric spacings; and a dielectric wall
structure of the pair of dielectric wall structures having a
greater trench-to-sidewall spacing has a lateral extent along the
first horizontal direction that is less than a lateral extent along
the first horizontal direction for a dielectric wall structure of
the pair of dielectric wall structures having a lesser
trench-to-sidewall spacing.
7. The three-dimensional memory device of claim 4, wherein each of
the pair of dielectric wall structures comprises angled sidewalls
located within a respective vertical plane that is at an angle in a
range from 15 degrees to 75 degrees with respect to a vertical
plane including the first horizontal direction.
8. The three-dimensional memory device of claim 2, wherein each of
the pair of dielectric wall structures is located within a
respective elongated trench that vertically extends through each
layer of the alternating stack and has a greater lateral dimension
along the first horizontal direction than along the second
horizontal direction.
9. The three-dimensional memory device of claim 1, wherein each of
the dielectric wall structures comprises: a respective dielectric
liner comprising a dielectric material having a different material
composition than the dielectric spacer plates; and a dielectric
fill material formed within the respective dielectric liner.
10. The three-dimensional memory device of claim 9, wherein: the
insulating layers comprise a silicon oxide material; the dielectric
liner comprises a material selected from silicon oxide and a
dielectric metal oxide; and the dielectric spacer plates comprise
silicon nitride.
11. The three-dimensional memory device of claim 1, further
comprising drain-select-level isolation structures that vertically
extend through a subset of layers within the alternating stack
including a topmost one of the composite layers, wherein the
drain-select-level isolation structures divide an electrically
conductive layer within the topmost one of the composite layers
into multiple electrically conductive strips that are electrically
isolated from one another.
12. The three-dimensional memory device of claim 11, wherein each
of the multiple electrically conductive strips laterally extends
continuously from a first side of the vertically alternating
sequence, between a respective one of the pair of backside trenches
and a respective one of the dielectric wall structures, and to a
second side of the vertically alternating sequence that is
laterally spaced from the first side along the first horizontal
direction.
13. The three-dimensional memory device of claim 11, wherein at
least one of the drain-select-level isolation structures comprises
a first dielectric material segment that has a uniform width and
extends along the first horizontal direction, a second dielectric
material segment that extends along the first horizontal direction
and is laterally offset from the first dielectric material segment
by a lateral offset distance, and a connection dielectric material
segment connecting the first dielectric material segment and the
second dielectric material segment and extending horizontally along
a horizontal direction that is at an angle in a range from 15
degrees to 75 degrees with respect to the first horizontal
direction.
14. The three-dimensional memory device of claim 1, further
comprising a semiconductor material layer located between the
lower-level dielectric material layers and the alternating stack,
wherein: each of the memory stack structures comprises a vertical
semiconductor channel and a memory film; and each sidewall of the
pair of dielectric wall structures vertically extend straight from
a topmost layer of the alternating stack to a bottommost layer of
the alternating stack.
15. The three-dimensional memory device of claim 14, wherein: the
semiconductor material layer comprises an opening that underlies
the vertically alternating sequence; and the at least one
conductive via structure vertically extends through, and contacts,
a dielectric material located within the opening in the
semiconductor material layer.
16. A method for forming a three-dimensional memory device,
comprising: forming an alternating stack of insulating layers and
sacrificial material layers over a semiconductor substrate, wherein
the sacrificial material layers comprise a dielectric material;
forming memory stack structures through the alternating stack;
patterning the alternating stack by performing an anisotropic etch
process using a patterned mask layer, wherein the alternating stack
is divided into a plurality of alternating stacks of respective
insulating layers and respective sacrificial material layers by
backside trenches, and wherein a pair of unconnected barrier
trenches is formed through each of the plurality of alternating
stacks; forming backside recesses by isotropically etching portions
of the sacrificial material layers of the plurality of alternating
stacks selective to the insulating layers of the plurality of
alternating stacks by introducing an isotropic etchant into the
backside trenches while the barrier trenches are covered by a
respective dielectric liner that blocks access of the isotropic
etchant to adjacent portions of the sacrificial material layers,
wherein remaining portions of the sacrificial material layers
between each neighboring pair of barrier trenches constitute
dielectric spacer plates, and a vertically alternating sequence of
the insulating plates and the dielectric spacer plates is provided
between the pair of barrier trenches; forming electrically
conductive layers in the backside recesses; and forming at least
one conductive via structure through the vertically alternating
sequence.
17. The method of claim 16, further comprising: forming field
effect transistors on the semiconductor substrate; and forming
lower-level metal interconnect structures formed within lower-level
dielectric material layers that overlie the field effect
transistors, wherein: the vertically-alternating layer stack is
formed over the lower-level dielectric material layers; and the at
least one conductive via structure is formed on a respective one of
the lower-level metal interconnect structures.
18. The method of claim 16, further comprising: depositing a
dielectric fill material on each of the dielectric liners after
formation of the electrically conductive materials, wherein each
material portion of the dielectric fill material and a dielectric
liner that fills a respective one of the barrier trenches
constitutes a dielectric wall structure.
19. The method of claim 18, wherein each pair of dielectric wall
structures formed in a respective pair of barrier trenches has a
greater lateral extent than the pair of lengthwise sidewalls of the
dielectric spacer plates.
20. The method of claim 18, wherein each pair of dielectric wall
structures formed in a respective pair of barrier trenches
comprises angled sidewalls located within a respective vertical
plane that is at an angle in a range from 15 degrees to 75 degrees
with respect to a vertical plane including the first horizontal
direction.
Description
FIELD
[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to the field of
semiconductor devices and specifically to a three-dimensional
memory device containing through-array contact via structures
between dielectric barrier walls and methods of making the
same.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Recently, ultra-high-density storage devices using
three-dimensional (3D) memory stack structures have been proposed.
The memory stack structures overlie a substrate and extend through
an alternating stack of insulating layers and electrically
conductive layers. The memory stack structures include vertical
stacks of memory elements provided at levels of the electrically
conductive layers. Peripheral devices may be provided on the
substrate underneath the alternating stack and the memory stack
structures. A method is desired for providing interconnect via
structures through the alternating stack without incurring high
processing cost or long processing time.
SUMMARY
[0003] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a
three-dimensional memory device is provided, which comprises: field
effect transistors located over a semiconductor substrate;
lower-level metal interconnect structures formed within lower-level
dielectric material layers that overlie the field effect
transistors; an alternating stack of insulating layers and
composite layers located over the lower-level metal interconnect
structures and between a pair of backside trenches that laterally
extend along a first horizontal direction, wherein each of the
composite layers comprises a respective electrically conductive
layer and a respective dielectric spacer plate, and a vertically
alternating sequence of the insulating plates and the dielectric
spacer plates is provided within a region including the dielectric
spacer plates; memory stack structures vertically extending through
the alternating stack; a pair of dielectric wall structures
vertically extending through each layer within the alternating
stack and which do not contact other through another dielectric
wall structure, wherein a vertically alternating sequence of the
insulating plates and the dielectric spacer plates is located
between the pair of dielectric wall structures; and at least one
conductive via structure vertically extending through the
vertically alternating sequence and contacting a top surface of a
respective one of the lower-level metal interconnect
structures.
[0004] According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, a
method for forming a three-dimensional memory device is provided,
which comprises: forming an alternating stack of insulating layers
and sacrificial material layers over a semiconductor substrate,
wherein the sacrificial material layers comprise a dielectric
material; forming memory stack structures through the alternating
stack; patterning the alternating stack by performing an
anisotropic etch process using a patterned mask layer, wherein the
alternating stack is divided into a plurality of alternating stacks
of respective insulating layers and respective sacrificial material
layers by backside trenches, and wherein a pair of unconnected
barrier trenches is formed through each of the plurality of
alternating stacks; forming backside recesses by isotropically
etching portions of the sacrificial material layers of the
plurality of alternating stacks selective to the insulating layers
of the plurality of alternating stacks by introducing an isotropic
etchant into the backside trenches while the barrier trenches are
covered by a respective dielectric liner that blocks access of the
isotropic etchant to adjacent portions of the sacrificial material
layers, wherein remaining portions of the sacrificial material
layers between each neighboring pair of barrier trenches constitute
dielectric spacer plates, and a vertically alternating sequence of
the insulating plates and the dielectric spacer plates is provided
between the pair of barrier trenches; forming electrically
conductive layers in the backside recesses; and forming at least
one conductive via structure through the vertically alternating
sequence.
[0005] According to yet another aspect of the present disclosure, a
method for forming a three-dimensional memory device is provided,
which comprises: forming an alternating stack of insulating layers
and sacrificial material layers over a substrate, wherein the
sacrificial material layers comprise a dielectric material; forming
a dielectric material portion adjacent to the alternating stack and
over the substrate; forming memory stack structures through the
alternating stack; forming backside trenches and a moat trench
through the alternating stack, wherein the moat trench has a
continuous outer periphery and a continuous inner periphery,
portions of the insulating layers surrounded by the moat trench
constitute insulating plates, portions of the sacrificial material
layers surrounded by the moat trench constitute dielectric spacer
plates, and a vertically alternating sequence of the insulating
plates and the dielectric spacer plates is provided surrounded by
the moat trench; replacing portions of the sacrificial material
layers outside the moat trench with electrically conductive layers
without replacing the vertically alternating sequence of the
insulating plates and the dielectric spacer plates; and
simultaneously forming a first through-memory-level interconnection
via structure extending through the vertically alternating sequence
surrounded by the moat trench and a second through-memory-level
interconnection via structure extending through the dielectric
material portion.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0006] FIG. 1A is a vertical cross-sectional view of a first
exemplary structure after formation of semiconductor devices, lower
level dielectric layers, lower metal interconnect structures, and
in-process source level material layers on a semiconductor
substrate according to a first embodiment of the present
disclosure.
[0007] FIG. 1B is a top-down view of the first exemplary structure
of FIG. 1A. The hinged vertical plane A-A' is the plane of the
vertical cross-sectional view of FIG. 1A.
[0008] FIG. 1C is a magnified view of the in-process source level
material layers along the vertical plane C-C' of FIG. 1B.
[0009] FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the first
exemplary structure after formation of a first-tier alternating
stack of first insulating layers and first spacer material layers
according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0010] FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the first
exemplary structure after patterning a first-tier staircase region,
a first retro-stepped dielectric material portion, and an
inter-tier dielectric layer according to an embodiment of the
present disclosure.
[0011] FIG. 4A is a vertical cross-sectional view of the first
exemplary structure after formation of first-tier memory openings
and first-tier support openings according to an embodiment of the
present disclosure.
[0012] FIG. 4B is a horizontal cross-sectional view of the first
exemplary structure of FIG. 4A. The hinged vertical plane A-A'
corresponds to the plane of the vertical cross-sectional view of
FIG. 4A.
[0013] FIG. 4C is a horizontal cross-sectional view of an
alternative configuration of the first exemplary structure along a
horizontal plane that corresponds to the horizontal plane B-B' of
FIG. 4A.
[0014] FIG. 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the first
exemplary structure after formation of various sacrificial fill
structures according to an embodiment of the present
disclosure.
[0015] FIG. 6A is a vertical cross-sectional view of the first
exemplary structure after formation of a second-tier alternating
stack of second insulating layers and second spacer material
layers, second stepped surfaces, and a second retro-stepped
dielectric material portion according to an embodiment of the
present disclosure.
[0016] FIG. 6B is a top-down view of the first exemplary structure
of FIG. 6A. The hinged vertical plane A-A' corresponds to the plane
of the vertical cross-sectional view of FIG. 6A.
[0017] FIG. 7A is a vertical cross-sectional view of the first
exemplary structure after formation of second-tier memory openings
and second-tier support openings according to an embodiment of the
present disclosure.
[0018] FIG. 7B is a horizontal cross-sectional of the first
exemplary structure along the horizontal plane B-B' of FIG. 7A. The
hinged vertical plane A-A' corresponds to the plane of the vertical
cross-sectional view of FIG. 7A.
[0019] FIG. 7C is a horizontal cross-sectional view of an
alternative configuration of the first exemplary structure along a
horizontal plane that corresponds to the horizontal plane B-B' of
FIG. 7A.
[0020] FIG. 8 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the first
exemplary structure after formation of inter-tier memory openings
and inter-tier support openings according to an embodiment of the
present disclosure.
[0021] FIGS. 9A-9D illustrate sequential vertical cross-sectional
views of a memory opening during formation of a memory opening fill
structure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0022] FIG. 10 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the first
exemplary structure after formation of memory opening fill
structures and support pillar structures according to an embodiment
of the present disclosure.
[0023] FIG. 11A is a vertical cross-sectional view of the first
exemplary structure after formation of backside trenches, moat
trenches, and contact openings according to an embodiment of the
present disclosure.
[0024] FIG. 11B is a horizontal cross-sectional of the first
exemplary structure along the horizontal plane B-B' of FIG. 11A.
The hinged vertical plane A-A' corresponds to the plane of the
vertical cross-sectional view of FIG. 11A.
[0025] FIG. 11C is a horizontal cross-sectional view of a first
alternative configuration of the first exemplary structure along a
horizontal plane that corresponds to the horizontal plane B-B' of
FIG. 11A.
[0026] FIG. 11D is a horizontal cross-sectional view of a second
alternative configuration of the first exemplary structure along a
horizontal plane that corresponds to the horizontal plane B-B' of
FIG. 11A.
[0027] FIG. 11E is a horizontal cross-sectional view of a third
alternative configuration of the first exemplary structure along a
horizontal plane that corresponds to the horizontal plane B-B' of
FIG. 11A.
[0028] FIG. 11F is a horizontal cross-sectional view of a fourth
alternative configuration of the first exemplary structure along a
horizontal plane that corresponds to the horizontal plane B-B' of
FIG. 11A.
[0029] FIG. 12A is a vertical cross-sectional view of the first
exemplary structure after formation of a dielectric liner according
to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0030] FIG. 12B is a horizontal cross-sectional of the first
exemplary structure along the horizontal plane B-B' of FIG. 12A.
The hinged vertical plane A-A' corresponds to the plane of the
vertical cross-sectional view of FIG. 12A.
[0031] FIG. 13A is a vertical cross-sectional view of the first
exemplary structure after application and patterning of a
photoresist layer according to an embodiment of the present
disclosure.
[0032] FIG. 13B is a horizontal cross-sectional view of a first
alternative configuration of the first exemplary structure along a
horizontal plane that corresponds to the horizontal plane B-B' of
FIG. 13A.
[0033] FIG. 13C is a horizontal cross-sectional view of a second
alternative configuration of the first exemplary structure along a
horizontal plane that corresponds to the horizontal plane B-B' of
FIG. 13A.
[0034] FIG. 13D is a horizontal cross-sectional view of a third
alternative configuration of the first exemplary structure along a
horizontal plane that corresponds to the horizontal plane B-B' of
FIG. 13A.
[0035] FIG. 13E is a horizontal cross-sectional view of a fourth
alternative configuration of the first exemplary structure along a
horizontal plane that corresponds to the horizontal plane B-B' of
FIG. 13A.
[0036] FIG. 14 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the first
exemplary structure after patterning the dielectric liner and
removal of the photoresist layer according to an embodiment of the
present disclosure.
[0037] FIGS. 15A-15E illustrate sequential vertical cross-sectional
views of memory opening fill structures and a backside trench
during formation of source-level material layers according to an
embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0038] FIG. 16 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the first
exemplary structure after formation of source-level material layers
according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0039] FIG. 17A is a vertical cross-sectional view of the first
exemplary structure after formation of backside recesses according
to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0040] FIG. 17B is a horizontal cross-sectional view of a first
alternative configuration of the first exemplary structure along a
horizontal plane that corresponds to the horizontal plane B-B' of
FIG. 17A.
[0041] FIG. 17C is a horizontal cross-sectional view of a second
alternative configuration of the first exemplary structure along a
horizontal plane that corresponds to the horizontal plane B-B' of
FIG. 17A.
[0042] FIG. 17D is a horizontal cross-sectional view of a third
alternative configuration of the first exemplary structure along a
horizontal plane that corresponds to the horizontal plane B-B' of
FIG. 17A.
[0043] FIG. 17E is a horizontal cross-sectional view of a fourth
alternative configuration of the first exemplary structure along a
horizontal plane that corresponds to the horizontal plane B-B' of
FIG. 17A.
[0044] FIG. 18 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the first
exemplary structure after formation of electrically conductive
layers according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0045] FIG. 19A is a vertical cross-sectional view of the first
exemplary structure after formation of dielectric backside trench
fill structures and dielectric wall structures according to an
embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0046] FIG. 19B is a horizontal cross-sectional of the first
exemplary structure along the horizontal plane B-B' of FIG. 19A.
The hinged vertical plane A-A' corresponds to the plane of the
vertical cross-sectional view of FIG. 19A.
[0047] FIG. 19C is a vertical cross-sectional view of the first
exemplary structure along the vertical plane C-C' of FIG. 19B.
[0048] FIG. 19D is a horizontal cross-sectional view of a first
alternative configuration of the first exemplary structure along a
horizontal plane that corresponds to the horizontal plane B-B' of
FIG. 19A.
[0049] FIG. 19E is a horizontal cross-sectional view of a second
alternative configuration of the first exemplary structure along a
horizontal plane that corresponds to the horizontal plane B-B' of
FIG. 19A.
[0050] FIG. 19F is a horizontal cross-sectional view of a third
alternative configuration of the first exemplary structure along a
horizontal plane that corresponds to the horizontal plane B-B' of
FIG. 19A.
[0051] FIG. 19G is a horizontal cross-sectional view of a fourth
alternative configuration of the first exemplary structure along a
horizontal plane that corresponds to the horizontal plane B-B' of
FIG. 19A.
[0052] FIG. 20A is a vertical cross-sectional view of the first
exemplary structure after formation of contact via cavities
according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0053] FIG. 20B is a horizontal cross-sectional view of a first
alternative configuration of the first exemplary structure along a
horizontal plane that corresponds to the horizontal plane B-B' of
FIG. 20A.
[0054] FIG. 20C is a horizontal cross-sectional view of a second
alternative configuration of the first exemplary structure along a
horizontal plane that corresponds to the horizontal plane B-B' of
FIG. 20A.
[0055] FIG. 20D is a horizontal cross-sectional view of a third
alternative configuration of the first exemplary structure along a
horizontal plane that corresponds to the horizontal plane B-B' of
FIG. 20A.
[0056] FIG. 20E is a horizontal cross-sectional view of a fourth
alternative configuration of the first exemplary structure along a
horizontal plane that corresponds to the horizontal plane B-B' of
FIG. 20A.
[0057] FIG. 20F is a vertical cross-sectional view of another
alternative configuration of the first exemplary structure at the
processing steps of FIGS. 20A-20E.
[0058] FIG. 21A is a vertical cross-sectional view of the first
exemplary structure after formation of conductive via structures
according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0059] FIG. 21B is a horizontal cross-sectional of the first
exemplary structure along the horizontal plane B-B' of FIG. 21A.
The hinged vertical plane A-A' corresponds to the plane of the
vertical cross-sectional view of FIG. 21A.
[0060] FIG. 21C is a horizontal cross-sectional view of a first
alternative configuration of the first exemplary structure along a
horizontal plane that corresponds to the horizontal plane B-B' of
FIG. 21A.
[0061] FIG. 21D is a horizontal cross-sectional view of a second
alternative configuration of the first exemplary structure along a
horizontal plane that corresponds to the horizontal plane B-B' of
FIG. 21A.
[0062] FIG. 21E is a horizontal cross-sectional view of a third
alternative configuration of the first exemplary structure along a
horizontal plane that corresponds to the horizontal plane B-B' of
FIG. 21A.
[0063] FIG. 21F is a horizontal cross-sectional view of a fourth
alternative configuration of the first exemplary structure along a
horizontal plane that corresponds to the horizontal plane B-B' of
FIG. 21A.
[0064] FIG. 21G is a horizontal cross-sectional view of a fourth
alternative configuration of the first exemplary structure along a
horizontal plane that corresponds to the horizontal plane B-B' of
FIG. 21A.
[0065] FIG. 21H is a vertical cross-sectional view of another
alternative configuration of the first exemplary structure at the
processing steps of FIGS. 21A-21G.
[0066] FIG. 22 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the first
exemplary structure after formation of a second contact level
dielectric layer, various additional contact via structures, a
line-level dielectric layer, and various metal line structures
according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0067] FIG. 23A is a vertical cross-sectional view of a memory
array region of a first configuration of a second exemplary
structure after formation of backside trenches and moat trenches
according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
Drain-select-level isolation structures are not illustrated for
clarity.
[0068] FIG. 23B is a vertical cross-sectional view of a staircase
region of a second configuration of the second exemplary structure
after formation of backside trenches and moat trenches according to
an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0069] FIG. 23C is a vertical cross-sectional view of a peripheral
region of the second exemplary structure of FIG. 23A and/or FIG.
23B.
[0070] FIG. 23D is a vertical cross-sectional view of the second
exemplary structure of FIGS. 23A and 23C or FIGS. 23B and 23C.
[0071] FIG. 23E is a horizontal cross-sectional of the first
configuration of the second exemplary structure along the
horizontal plane E-E' of FIG. 23A. The vertical plane A-A'
corresponds to the plane of the vertical cross-sectional view of
FIG. 23A.
[0072] FIG. 23F is a horizontal cross-sectional of the second
configuration of the second exemplary structure along the
horizontal plane F-F' of FIG. 23B. The vertical plane B-B'
corresponds to the plane of the vertical cross-sectional view of
FIG. 23B.
[0073] FIG. 24A is a vertical cross-sectional view of the first
configuration of the second exemplary structure after formation of
a dielectric liner according to an embodiment of the present
disclosure.
[0074] FIG. 24B is a vertical cross-sectional view of the second
configuration of the second exemplary structure after formation of
the dielectric liner according to an embodiment of the present
disclosure.
[0075] FIG. 24C is a vertical cross-sectional view of the second
exemplary structure in the peripheral region at the processing
steps of FIGS. 24A and 24B.
[0076] FIG. 25A is a vertical cross-sectional view of the first
configuration of the second exemplary structure after application
and patterning of a photoresist layer according to an embodiment of
the present disclosure.
[0077] FIG. 25B is a vertical cross-sectional view of the second
configuration of the second exemplary structure after application
and patterning of a photoresist layer according to an embodiment of
the present disclosure.
[0078] FIG. 25C is a vertical cross-sectional view of the second
exemplary structure in the peripheral region at the processing
steps of FIGS. 25A and 25B.
[0079] FIG. 26A is a vertical cross-sectional view of the first
configuration of the second exemplary structure after removal of
unmasked portions of the dielectric liner according to an
embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0080] FIG. 26B is a vertical cross-sectional view of the second
configuration of the second exemplary structure after removal of
unmasked portions of the dielectric liner according to an
embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0081] FIG. 26C is a vertical cross-sectional view of the second
exemplary structure in the peripheral region at the processing
steps of FIGS. 26A and 26B.
[0082] FIG. 27A is a vertical cross-sectional view of the first
configuration of the second exemplary structure after formation of
source-level material layers and removal of the patterned
photoresist layer according to an embodiment of the present
disclosure.
[0083] FIG. 27B is a vertical cross-sectional view of the second
configuration of the second exemplary structure after formation of
source-level material layers and removal of the patterned
photoresist layer according to an embodiment of the present
disclosure.
[0084] FIG. 27C is a vertical cross-sectional view of the second
exemplary structure in the peripheral region at the processing
steps of FIGS. 27A and 27B.
[0085] FIG. 28A is a vertical cross-sectional view of the first
configuration of the second exemplary structure after removal of
sacrificial material layers and formation of backside recesses
according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0086] FIG. 28B is a vertical cross-sectional view of the second
configuration of the second exemplary structure after removal of
sacrificial material layers and formation of backside recesses
according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0087] FIG. 28C is a vertical cross-sectional view of the second
exemplary structure in the peripheral region at the processing
steps of FIGS. 28A and 28B.
[0088] FIG. 29A is a vertical cross-sectional view of the first
configuration of the second exemplary structure after formation of
electrically conductive layers according to an embodiment of the
present disclosure.
[0089] FIG. 29B is a vertical cross-sectional view of the second
configuration of the second exemplary structure after formation of
electrically conductive layers according to an embodiment of the
present disclosure.
[0090] FIG. 29C is a vertical cross-sectional view of the second
exemplary structure in the peripheral region at the processing
steps of FIGS. 29A and 29B.
[0091] FIG. 30A is a vertical cross-sectional view of the first
configuration of the second exemplary structure after formation of
dielectric backside trench fill structures and dielectric fill
material portions according to an embodiment of the present
disclosure.
[0092] FIG. 30B is a vertical cross-sectional view of the second
configuration of the second exemplary structure after formation of
dielectric backside trench fill structures and dielectric fill
material portions according to an embodiment of the present
disclosure.
[0093] FIG. 30C is a vertical cross-sectional view of the second
exemplary structure in the peripheral region at the processing
steps of FIGS. 30A and 30B.
[0094] FIG. 31A is a vertical cross-sectional view of the first
configuration of the second exemplary structure after formation of
device-region interconnection via cavities and source contact via
cavities according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0095] FIG. 31B is a vertical cross-sectional view of the second
configuration of the second exemplary structure after formation of
device-region interconnection via cavities and source contact via
cavities according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0096] FIG. 31C is a vertical cross-sectional view of the second
exemplary structure in the peripheral region after formation of
peripheral-region interconnection via cavities, which is performed
concurrently with formation of the device-region interconnection
via cavities and the source contact via cavities at the processing
steps of FIGS. 31A and 31B.
[0097] FIG. 32A is a vertical cross-sectional view of the first
configuration of the second exemplary structure after formation of
through-memory-level interconnection via structures according to an
embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0098] FIG. 32B is a vertical cross-sectional view of the second
configuration of the second exemplary structure after formation of
after formation of through-memory-level interconnection via
structures according to an embodiment of the present
disclosure.
[0099] FIG. 32C is a vertical cross-sectional view of the second
exemplary structure in the peripheral region at the processing
steps of FIGS. 32A and 32B.
[0100] FIG. 32D is a vertical cross-sectional view of the second
exemplary structure of FIGS. 32A and 32C or FIGS. 32B and 32C.
[0101] FIG. 32E is a horizontal cross-sectional of the first
configuration of the second exemplary structure along the
horizontal plane E-E' of FIG. 32A. The vertical plane A-A'
corresponds to the plane of the vertical cross-sectional view of
FIG. 32A.
[0102] FIG. 32F is a horizontal cross-sectional of the second
configuration of the second exemplary structure along the
horizontal plane F-F' of FIG. 32B. The vertical plane B-B'
corresponds to the plane of the vertical cross-sectional view of
FIG. 32B.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0103] The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a
three-dimensional memory device using liner-less through-array
contact via structures and methods of making the same, the various
embodiments of which are described herein in detail. The drawings
are not drawn to scale. Multiple instances of an element may be
duplicated where a single instance of the element is illustrated,
unless absence of duplication of elements is expressly described or
clearly indicated otherwise.
[0104] Ordinals such as "first," "second," and "third" are used
merely to identify similar elements, and different ordinals may be
used across the specification and the claims of the instant
disclosure. The same reference numerals refer to the same element
or similar element. Unless otherwise indicated, elements having the
same reference numerals are presumed to have the same composition
and the same function. Unless otherwise indicated, a "contact"
between elements refers to a direct contact between elements that
provides an edge or a surface shared by the elements. As used
herein, a first element located "on" a second element may be
located on the exterior side of a surface of the second element or
on the interior side of the second element. As used herein, a first
element is located "directly on" a second element if there exist a
physical contact between a surface of the first element and a
surface of the second element. As used herein, a "prototype"
structure or an "in-process" structure refers to a transient
structure that is subsequently modified in the shape or composition
of at least one component therein.
[0105] As used herein, a "layer" refers to a material portion
including a region having a thickness. A layer may extend over the
entirety of an underlying or overlying structure, or may have an
extent less than the extent of an underlying or overlying
structure. Further, a layer may be a region of a homogeneous or
inhomogeneous continuous structure that has a thickness less than
the thickness of the continuous structure. For example, a layer may
be located between any pair of horizontal planes between or at a
top surface and a bottom surface of the continuous structure. A
layer may extend horizontally, vertically, and/or along a tapered
surface. A substrate may be a layer, may include one or more layers
therein, and/or may have one or more layer thereupon, thereabove,
and/or therebelow.
[0106] As used herein, a first surface and a second surface are
"vertically coincident" with each other if the second surface
overlies or underlies the first surface and there exists a vertical
plane or a substantially vertical plane that includes the first
surface and the second surface. A substantially vertical plane is a
plane that extends straight along a direction that deviates from a
vertical direction by an angle less than 5 degrees. A vertical
plane or a substantially vertical plane is straight along a
vertical direction or a substantially vertical direction, and may,
or may not, include a curvature along a direction that is
perpendicular to the vertical direction or the substantially
vertical direction.
[0107] As used herein, a "memory level" or a "memory array level"
refers to the level corresponding to a general region between a
first horizontal plane (i.e., a plane parallel to the top surface
of the substrate) including topmost surfaces of an array of memory
elements and a second horizontal plane including bottommost
surfaces of the array of memory elements. As used herein, a
"through-stack" element refers to an element that vertically
extends through a memory level.
[0108] As used herein, a "semiconducting material" refers to a
material having electrical conductivity in the range from
1.0.times.10.sup.-5 S/m to 1.0.times.10.sup.5 S/m. As used herein,
a "semiconductor material" refers to a material having electrical
conductivity in the range from 1.0.times.10.sup.-5 S/m to 1.0 S/m
in the absence of electrical dopants therein, and is capable of
producing a doped material having electrical conductivity in a
range from 1.0 S/m to 1.0.times.10.sup.7 S/m upon suitable doping
with an electrical dopant. As used herein, an "electrical dopant"
refers to a p-type dopant that adds a hole to a valence band within
a band structure, or an n-type dopant that adds an electron to a
conduction band within a band structure. As used herein, a
"conductive material" refers to a material having electrical
conductivity greater than 1.0.times.10.sup.5 S/m. As used herein,
an "insulator material" or a "dielectric material" refers to a
material having electrical conductivity less than
1.0.times.10.sup.-5 S/m. As used herein, a "heavily doped
semiconductor material" refers to a semiconductor material that is
doped with electrical dopant at a sufficiently high atomic
concentration to become a conductive material either as formed as a
crystalline material or if converted into a crystalline material
through an anneal process (for example, from an initial amorphous
state), i.e., to provide electrical conductivity greater than
1.0.times.10.sup.5 S/m. A "doped semiconductor material" may be a
heavily doped semiconductor material, or may be a semiconductor
material that includes electrical dopants (i.e., p-type dopants
and/or n-type dopants) at a concentration that provides electrical
conductivity in the range from 1.0.times.10.sup.-5 S/m to
1.0.times.10.sup.7 S/m. An "intrinsic semiconductor material"
refers to a semiconductor material that is not doped with
electrical dopants. Thus, a semiconductor material may be
semiconducting or conductive, and may be an intrinsic semiconductor
material or a doped semiconductor material. A doped semiconductor
material may be semiconducting or conductive depending on the
atomic concentration of electrical dopants therein. As used herein,
a "metallic material" refers to a conductive material including at
least one metallic element therein. All measurements for electrical
conductivities are made at the standard condition.
[0109] A monolithic three-dimensional memory array is a memory
array in which multiple memory levels are formed above a single
substrate, such as a semiconductor wafer, with no intervening
substrates. The term "monolithic" means that layers of each level
of the array are directly deposited on the layers of each
underlying level of the array. In contrast, two dimensional arrays
may be formed separately and then packaged together to form a
non-monolithic memory device. For example, non-monolithic stacked
memories have been constructed by forming memory levels on separate
substrates and vertically stacking the memory levels, as described
in U.S. Pat. No. 5,915,167 titled "Three-dimensional Structure
Memory." The substrates may be thinned or removed from the memory
levels before bonding, but as the memory levels are initially
formed over separate substrates, such memories are not true
monolithic three-dimensional memory arrays. The various
three-dimensional memory devices of the present disclosure include
a monolithic three-dimensional NAND string memory device, and may
be fabricated using the various embodiments described herein.
[0110] The various three-dimensional memory devices of the present
disclosure include a monolithic three-dimensional NAND string
memory device, and may be fabricated using the various embodiments
described herein. The monolithic three-dimensional NAND string is
located in a monolithic, three-dimensional array of NAND strings
located over the substrate. At least one memory cell in the first
device level of the three-dimensional array of NAND strings is
located over another memory cell in the second device level of the
three-dimensional array of NAND strings.
[0111] Generally, a semiconductor package (or a "package") refers
to a unit semiconductor device that may be attached to a circuit
board through a set of pins or solder balls. A semiconductor
package may include a semiconductor chip (or a "chip") or a
plurality of semiconductor chips that are bonded throughout, for
example, by flip-chip bonding or another chip-to-chip bonding. A
package or a chip may include a single semiconductor die (or a
"die") or a plurality of semiconductor dies. A die is the smallest
unit that may independently execute external commands or report
status. Typically, a package or a chip with multiple dies is
capable of simultaneously executing as many external commands as
the total number of dies therein. Each die includes one or more
planes. Identical concurrent operations may be executed in each
plane within a same die, although there may be some restrictions.
In case a die is a memory die, i.e., a die including memory
elements, concurrent read operations, concurrent write operations,
or concurrent erase operations may be performed in each plane
within a same memory die. In a memory die, each plane contains a
number of memory blocks (or "blocks"), which are the smallest unit
that may be erased by in a single erase operation. Each memory
block contains a number of pages, which are the smallest units that
may be selected for programming. A page is also the smallest unit
that may be selected to a read operation.
[0112] Referring to FIGS. 1A-1C, a first exemplary structure
according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure is
illustrated. FIG. 1C is a magnified view of an in-process
source-level material layers 10' illustrated in FIGS. 1A and 1B.
The first exemplary structure includes a semiconductor substrate 8
and semiconductor devices 710 formed thereupon. The semiconductor
substrate 8 may include a substrate semiconductor layer 9 at least
at an upper portion thereof. Shallow trench isolation structures
720 may be formed in an upper portion of the substrate
semiconductor layer 9 to provide electrical isolation between the
semiconductor devices 710. The semiconductor devices 710 may
include, for example, field effect transistors including respective
transistor active regions 742 (i.e., source regions and drain
regions), channel regions 746, and gate structures 750. The field
effect transistors may be arranged in a CMOS configuration. Each
gate structure 750 may include, for example, a gate dielectric 752,
a gate electrode 754, a dielectric gate spacer 756 and a gate cap
dielectric 758. The semiconductor devices 710 may include any
semiconductor circuitry to support operation of a memory structure
to be subsequently formed, which is typically referred to as a
driver circuitry, which is also known as peripheral circuitry. As
used herein, a peripheral circuitry refers to any, each, or all, of
word line decoder circuitry, word line switching circuitry, bit
line decoder circuitry, bit line sensing and/or switching
circuitry, power supply/distribution circuitry, data buffer and/or
latch, or any other semiconductor circuitry that may be implemented
outside a memory array structure for a memory device. For example,
the semiconductor devices may include word line switching devices
for electrically biasing word lines of three-dimensional memory
structures to be subsequently formed.
[0113] Dielectric material layers may be formed over the
semiconductor devices, which are herein referred to as lower-level
dielectric material layers 760. The lower-level dielectric material
layers 760 may include, for example, a dielectric liner 762 (such
as a silicon nitride liner that blocks diffusion of mobile ions
and/or apply appropriate stress to underlying structures), first
dielectric material layers 764 that overlie the dielectric liner
762, a silicon nitride layer (e.g., hydrogen diffusion barrier) 766
that overlies the first dielectric material layers 764, and at
least one second dielectric layer 768. The dielectric layer stack
including the lower-level dielectric material layers 760 may
function as a matrix for lower-level metal interconnect structures
780 that provide electrical wiring to and from the various nodes of
the semiconductor devices and landing pads for through-memory-level
interconnection via structures to be subsequently formed. The
lower-level metal interconnect structures 780 may be formed within
the dielectric layer stack of the lower-level dielectric material
layers 760 and overlies the field effect transistors. The
lower-level metal interconnect structures 780 may comprise a
lower-level metal line structure located under and optionally
contacting a bottom surface of the silicon nitride layer 766.
[0114] For example, the lower-level metal interconnect structures
780 may be formed within the first dielectric material layers 764.
The first dielectric material layers 764 may be a plurality of
dielectric material layers in which various elements of the
lower-level metal interconnect structures 780 are sequentially
formed. Each dielectric material layer selected from the first
dielectric material layers 764 may include any of doped silicate
glass, undoped silicate glass, organosilicate glass, silicon
nitride, silicon oxynitride, and dielectric metal oxides (such as
aluminum oxide). In one embodiment, the first dielectric material
layers 764 may comprise, or consist essentially of, dielectric
material layers having dielectric constants that do not exceed the
dielectric constant of undoped silicate glass (silicon oxide) of
3.9. The lower-level metal interconnect structures 780 may include
various device contact via structures 782 (e.g., source and drain
electrodes which contact the respective source and drain nodes of
the device or gate electrode contacts), intermediate lower-level
metal line structures 784, lower-level metal via structures 786,
and landing-pad-level metal line structures 788 that are configured
to function as landing pads for through-memory-level
interconnection via structures to be subsequently formed.
[0115] The landing-pad-level metal line structures 788 may be
formed within a topmost dielectric material layer of the first
dielectric material layers 764 (which may be a plurality of
dielectric material layers). Each of the lower-level metal
interconnect structures 780 may include a metallic nitride liner
and a metal fill structure. Top surfaces of the landing-pad-level
metal line structures 788 and the topmost surface of the first
dielectric material layers 764 may be planarized by a planarization
process, such as chemical mechanical planarization. The silicon
nitride layer 766 may be formed directly on the top surfaces of the
landing-pad-level metal line structures 788 and the topmost surface
of the first dielectric material layers 764.
[0116] The at least one second dielectric material layer 768 may
include a single dielectric material layer or a plurality of
dielectric material layers. Each dielectric material layer selected
from the at least one second dielectric material layer 768 may
include any of doped silicate glass, undoped silicate glass, and
organosilicate glass. In one embodiment, the at least one first
second material layer 768 may comprise, or consist essentially of,
dielectric material layers having dielectric constants that do not
exceed the dielectric constant of undoped silicate glass (silicon
oxide) of 3.9.
[0117] An optional layer of a metallic material and a layer of a
semiconductor material may be deposited over, or within patterned
recesses of, the at least one second dielectric material layer 768,
and is lithographically patterned to provide an optional conductive
plate layer 6 and in-process source-level material layers 10'. The
optional conductive plate layer 6, if present, provides a high
conductivity conduction path for electrical current that flows
into, or out of, the in-process source-level material layers 10'.
The optional conductive plate layer 6 includes a conductive
material such as a metal or a heavily doped semiconductor material.
The optional conductive plate layer 6, for example, may include a
tungsten layer having a thickness in a range from 3 nm to 100 nm,
although lesser and greater thicknesses may also be used. A metal
nitride layer (not shown) may be provided as a diffusion barrier
layer on top of the conductive plate layer 6. The conductive plate
layer 6 may function as a special source line in the completed
device. In addition, the conductive plate layer 6 may comprise an
etch stop layer and may comprise any suitable conductive,
semiconductor or insulating layer. The optional conductive plate
layer 6 may include a metallic compound material such as a
conductive metallic nitride (e.g., TiN) and/or a metal (e.g., W).
The thickness of the optional conductive plate layer 6 may be in a
range from 5 nm to 100 nm, although lesser and greater thicknesses
may also be used.
[0118] The in-process source-level material layers 10' may include
various layers that are subsequently modified to form source-level
material layers. The source-level material layers, upon formation,
include a source contact layer that functions as a common source
region for vertical field effect transistors of a three-dimensional
memory device. In one embodiment, the in-process source-level
material layers 10' may include, from bottom to top, a lower
source-level material layer 112, a lower sacrificial liner 103, a
source-level sacrificial layer 104, an upper sacrificial liner 105,
an upper source-level semiconductor layer 116, a source-level
insulating layer 117, and an optional source-select-level
conductive layer 118.
[0119] The lower source-level material layer 112 and the upper
source-level semiconductor layer 116 may include a doped
semiconductor material such as doped polysilicon or doped amorphous
silicon. The conductivity type of the lower source-level material
layer 112 and the upper source-level semiconductor layer 116 may be
the opposite of the conductivity of vertical semiconductor channels
to be subsequently formed. For example, if the vertical
semiconductor channels to be subsequently formed have a doping of a
first conductivity type, the lower source-level material layer 112
and the upper source-level semiconductor layer 116 have a doping of
a second conductivity type that is the opposite of the first
conductivity type. The thickness of each of the lower source-level
material layer 112 and the upper source-level semiconductor layer
116 may be in a range from 10 nm to 300 nm, such as from 20 nm to
150 nm, although lesser and greater thicknesses may also be
used.
[0120] The source-level sacrificial layer 104 includes a
sacrificial material that may be removed selective to the lower
sacrificial liner 103 and the upper sacrificial liner 105. In one
embodiment, the source-level sacrificial layer 104 may include a
semiconductor material such as undoped amorphous silicon or a
silicon-germanium alloy with an atomic concentration of germanium
greater than 20%. The thickness of the source-level sacrificial
layer 104 may be in a range from 30 nm to 400 nm, such as from 60
nm to 200 nm, although lesser and greater thicknesses may also be
used.
[0121] The lower sacrificial liner 103 and the upper sacrificial
liner 105 include materials that may function as an etch stop
material during removal of the source-level sacrificial layer 104.
For example, the lower sacrificial liner 103 and the upper
sacrificial liner 105 may include silicon oxide, silicon nitride,
and/or a dielectric metal oxide. In one embodiment, each of the
lower sacrificial liner 103 and the upper sacrificial liner 105 may
include a silicon oxide layer having a thickness in a range from 2
nm to 30 nm, although lesser and greater thicknesses may also be
used.
[0122] The source-level insulating layer 117 includes a dielectric
material such as silicon oxide. The thickness of the source-level
insulating layer 117 may be in a range from 20 nm to 400 nm, such
as from 40 nm to 200 nm, although lesser and greater thicknesses
may also be used. The optional source-select-level conductive layer
118 may include a conductive material that may be used as a
source-select-level gate electrode. For example, the optional
source-select-level conductive layer 118 may include a doped
semiconductor material such as doped polysilicon or doped amorphous
silicon that may be subsequently converted into doped polysilicon
by an anneal process. The thickness of the optional
source-select-level conductive layer 118 may be in a range from 30
nm to 200 nm, such as from 60 nm to 100 nm, although lesser and
greater thicknesses may also be used.
[0123] The in-process source-level material layers 10' may be
formed directly above a subset of the semiconductor devices on the
semiconductor substrate 8 (e.g., silicon wafer). As used herein, a
first element is located "directly above" a second element if the
first element is located above a horizontal plane including a
topmost surface of the second element and an area of the first
element and an area of the second element has an areal overlap in a
plan view (i.e., along a vertical plane or direction perpendicular
to the top surface of the semiconductor substrate 8.
[0124] The optional conductive plate layer 6 and the in-process
source-level material layers 10' may be patterned to provide
openings in areas in which through-memory-level interconnection via
structures and through-dielectric contact via structures are to be
subsequently formed. Patterned portions of the stack of the
conductive plate layer 6 and the in-process source-level material
layers 10' are present in each memory array region 100 in which
three-dimensional memory stack structures are to be subsequently
formed.
[0125] The optional conductive plate layer 6 and the in-process
source-level material layers 10' may be patterned such that an
opening extends over a staircase region 200 in which contact via
structures contacting word line electrically conductive layers are
to be subsequently formed. In one embodiment, the staircase region
200 may be laterally spaced from the memory array region 100 along
a first horizontal direction hd1. A horizontal direction that is
perpendicular to the first horizontal direction hd1 is herein
referred to as a second horizontal direction hd2. In one
embodiment, additional openings in the optional conductive plate
layer 6 and the in-process source-level material layers 10' may be
formed within the area of a memory array region 100, in which a
three-dimensional memory array including memory stack structures is
to be subsequently formed. A peripheral device region 400 that may
be subsequently filled with a field dielectric material portion may
be provided adjacent to the staircase region 200.
[0126] The region of the semiconductor devices 710 and the
combination of the lower-level dielectric material layers 760 and
the lower-level metal interconnect structures 780 is herein
referred to an underlying peripheral device region 700, which is
located underneath a memory-level assembly to be subsequently
formed and includes peripheral devices for the memory-level
assembly. The lower-level metal interconnect structures 780 may be
formed in the lower-level dielectric material layers 760.
[0127] The lower-level metal interconnect structures 780 may be
electrically connected to active nodes (e.g., transistor active
regions 742 or gate electrodes 754) of the semiconductor devices
710 (e.g., CMOS devices), and may be located at the level of the
lower-level dielectric material layers 760. Through-memory-level
interconnection via structures may be subsequently formed directly
on the lower-level metal interconnect structures 780 to provide
electrical connection to memory devices that are also to be
subsequently formed. In one embodiment, the pattern of the
lower-level metal interconnect structures 780 may be selected such
that the landing-pad-level metal line structures 788 (which are a
subset of the lower-level metal interconnect structures 780 located
at the topmost portion of the lower-level metal interconnect
structures 780) may provide landing pad structures for the
through-memory-level interconnection via structures to be
subsequently formed.
[0128] Referring to FIG. 2, an alternating stack of first material
layers and second material layers may be formed. Each first
material layer may include a first material, and each second
material layer may include a second material that is different from
the first material. In embodiments where at least another
alternating stack of material layers is subsequently formed over
the alternating stack of the first material layers and the second
material layers, the alternating stack is herein referred to as a
first-tier alternating stack. The level of the first-tier
alternating stack is herein referred to as a first-tier level, and
the level of the alternating stack to be subsequently formed
immediately above the first-tier level is herein referred to as a
second-tier level, etc.
[0129] The first-tier alternating stack may include first
insulating layers 132 as the first material layers, and first
spacer material layers as the second material layers. In one
embodiment, the first spacer material layers may be sacrificial
material layers that are subsequently replaced with electrically
conductive layers. In another embodiment, the first spacer material
layers may be electrically conductive layers that are not
subsequently replaced with other layers. While the present
disclosure is described using embodiments in which sacrificial
material layers are replaced with electrically conductive layers,
embodiments in which the spacer material layers are formed as
electrically conductive layers (thereby obviating the need to
perform replacement processes) are expressly contemplated
herein.
[0130] In one embodiment, the first material layers and the second
material layers may be first insulating layers 132 and first
sacrificial material layers 142, respectively. In one embodiment,
each first insulating layer 132 may include a first insulating
material, and each first sacrificial material layer 142 may include
a first sacrificial material. An alternating plurality of first
insulating layers 132 and first sacrificial material layers 142 is
formed over the in-process source-level material layers 10'. As
used herein, a "sacrificial material" refers to a material that is
removed during a subsequent processing step.
[0131] As used herein, an alternating stack of first elements and
second elements refers to a structure in which instances of the
first elements and instances of the second elements alternate. Each
instance of the first elements that is not an end element of the
alternating plurality is adjoined by two instances of the second
elements on both sides, and each instance of the second elements
that is not an end element of the alternating plurality is adjoined
by two instances of the first elements on both ends. The first
elements may have the same thickness throughout, or may have
different thicknesses. The second elements may have the same
thickness throughout, or may have different thicknesses. The
alternating plurality of first material layers and second material
layers may begin with an instance of the first material layers or
with an instance of the second material layers, and may end with an
instance of the first material layers or with an instance of the
second material layers. In one embodiment, an instance of the first
elements and an instance of the second elements may form a unit
that is repeated with periodicity within the alternating
plurality.
[0132] The first-tier alternating stack (132, 142) may include
first insulating layers 132 composed of the first material, and
first sacrificial material layers 142 composed of the second
material, which is different from the first material. The first
material of the first insulating layers 132 may be at least one
insulating material. Insulating materials that may be used for the
first insulating layers 132 include, but are not limited to silicon
oxide (including doped or undoped silicate glass), silicon nitride,
silicon oxynitride, organosilicate glass (OSG), spin-on dielectric
materials, dielectric metal oxides that are commonly known as high
dielectric constant (high-k) dielectric oxides (e.g., aluminum
oxide, hafnium oxide, etc.) and silicates thereof, dielectric metal
oxynitrides and silicates thereof, and organic insulating
materials. In one embodiment, the first material of the first
insulating layers 132 may be silicon oxide.
[0133] The second material of the first sacrificial material layers
142 may be a sacrificial material that may be removed selective to
the first material of the first insulating layers 132. As used
herein, a removal of a first material is "selective to" a second
material if the removal process removes the first material at a
rate that is at least twice the rate of removal of the second
material. The ratio of the rate of removal of the first material to
the rate of removal of the second material is herein referred to as
a "selectivity" of the removal process for the first material with
respect to the second material.
[0134] The first sacrificial material layers 142 may comprise an
insulating material, a semiconductor material, or a conductive
material. The second material of the first sacrificial material
layers 142 may be subsequently replaced with electrically
conductive electrodes which may function, for example, as control
gate electrodes of a vertical NAND device. In one embodiment, the
first sacrificial material layers 142 may be material layers that
comprise silicon nitride.
[0135] In one embodiment, the first insulating layers 132 may
include silicon oxide, and sacrificial material layers may include
silicon nitride sacrificial material layers. The first material of
the first insulating layers 132 may be deposited, for example, by
chemical vapor deposition (CVD). For example, if silicon oxide is
used for the first insulating layers 132, tetraethylorthosilicate
(TEOS) may be used as the precursor material for the CVD process.
The second material of the first sacrificial material layers 142
may be formed, for example, CVD or atomic layer deposition
(ALD).
[0136] The thicknesses of the first insulating layers 132 and the
first sacrificial material layers 142 may be in a range from 20 nm
to 50 nm, although lesser and greater thicknesses may be used for
each first insulating layer 132 and for each first sacrificial
material layer 142. The number of repetitions of the pairs of a
first insulating layer 132 and a first sacrificial material layer
142 may be in a range from 2 to 1,024, and typically from 8 to 256,
although a greater number of repetitions may also be used. In one
embodiment, each first sacrificial material layer 142 in the
first-tier alternating stack (132, 142) may have a uniform
thickness that is substantially invariant within each respective
first sacrificial material layer 142.
[0137] A first insulating cap layer 170 may be subsequently formed
over the first-tier alternating stack (132, 142). The first
insulating cap layer 170 includes a dielectric material, which may
be any dielectric material that may be used for the first
insulating layers 132. In one embodiment, the first insulating cap
layer 170 includes the same dielectric material as the first
insulating layers 132. The thickness of the first insulating cap
layer 170 may be in a range from 20 nm to 300 nm, although lesser
and greater thicknesses may also be used.
[0138] Referring to FIG. 3, the first insulating cap layer 170 and
the first-tier alternating stack (132, 142) may be patterned to
form first stepped surfaces in the staircase region 200. The
staircase region 200 may include a respective first stepped area in
which the first stepped surfaces are formed, and a second stepped
area in which additional stepped surfaces are to be subsequently
formed in a second-tier structure (to be subsequently formed over a
first-tier structure) and/or additional tier structures. The first
stepped surfaces may be formed, for example, by forming a mask
layer with an opening therein, etching a cavity within the levels
of the first insulating cap layer 170, and iteratively expanding
the etched area and vertically recessing the cavity by etching each
pair of a first insulating layer 132 and a first sacrificial
material layer 142 located directly underneath the bottom surface
of the etched cavity within the etched area. In one embodiment, top
surfaces of the first sacrificial material layers 142 may be
physically exposed at the first stepped surfaces. The cavity
overlying the first stepped surfaces is herein referred to as a
first stepped cavity.
[0139] A dielectric fill material (such as undoped silicate glass
or doped silicate glass) may be deposited to fill the first stepped
cavity. Excess portions of the dielectric fill material may be
removed from above the horizontal plane including the top surface
of the first insulating cap layer 170. A remaining portion of the
dielectric fill material that fills the region overlying the first
stepped surfaces constitute a first retro-stepped dielectric
material portion 165. As used herein, a "retro-stepped" element
refers to an element that has stepped surfaces and a horizontal
cross-sectional area that increases monotonically as a function of
a vertical distance from a top surface of a substrate on which the
element is present. The first-tier alternating stack (132, 142) and
the first retro-stepped dielectric material portion 165
collectively constitute a first-tier structure, which is an
in-process structure that is subsequently modified.
[0140] An inter-tier dielectric layer 180 may be optionally
deposited over the first-tier structure (132, 142, 170, 165). The
inter-tier dielectric layer 180 includes a dielectric material such
as silicon oxide. In one embodiment, the inter-tier dielectric
layer 180 may include a doped silicate glass having a greater etch
rate than the material of the first insulating layers 132 (which
may include an undoped silicate glass). For example, the inter-tier
dielectric layer 180 may include phosphosilicate glass. The
thickness of the inter-tier dielectric layer 180 may be in a range
from 30 nm to 300 nm, although lesser and greater thicknesses may
also be used.
[0141] Referring to FIGS. 4A-4C, various first-tier openings (149,
129) may be formed through the inter-tier dielectric layer 180 and
the first-tier structure (132, 142, 170, 165) and into the
in-process source-level material layers 10'. A photoresist layer
(not shown) may be applied over the inter-tier dielectric layer
180, and may be lithographically patterned to form various openings
therethrough. The pattern of openings in the photoresist layer may
be transferred through the inter-tier dielectric layer 180 and the
first-tier structure (132, 142, 170, 165) and into the in-process
source-level material layers 10' by a first anisotropic etch
process to form the various first-tier openings (149, 129)
concurrently, i.e., during the first isotropic etch process. The
various first-tier openings (149, 129) may include first-tier
memory openings 149 and first-tier support openings 129. Locations
of steps S in the first-tier alternating stack (132, 142) are
illustrated as dotted lines in FIG. 4B.
[0142] The first-tier memory openings 149 may be openings that are
formed in the memory array region 100 through each layer within the
first-tier alternating stack (132, 142) and are subsequently used
to form memory stack structures therein. The first-tier memory
openings 149 may be formed in clusters 319 of first-tier memory
openings 149 that are laterally spaced apart along the second
horizontal direction hd2. Each cluster 319 of first-tier memory
openings 149 may be formed as a two-dimensional array of first-tier
memory openings 149.
[0143] A subset of the first-tier support openings 129 may be
formed in sections of the memory array region 100 that are not
filled with the first-tier memory openings 149. The sections of the
memory array region 100 that are not filled with the first-tier
memory openings 149 may be distributed over multiple areas within
the memory array region 100. The first-tier support openings 129
may include a first subset of first-tier support openings 129 that
are formed in the staircase region 200, and a second subset of
first-tier support openings 129 that are formed between clusters of
first-tier memory openings 149 which are laterally spaced apart
along the first horizontal direction hd1 in the memory array region
100. A first subset of the first-tier support openings 129 that is
formed through the first retro-stepped dielectric material portion
165 may be formed through a respective horizontal surface of the
first stepped surfaces. Further, each of the first subset of the
first-tier support openings 129 may be formed directly above (i.e.,
above, and with an areal overlap with) a respective one of the
lower-level metal interconnect structure 780.
[0144] The second subset of the first-tier support openings 129 may
be formed between a respective pair of clusters 319 of first-tier
memory openings 149 that are laterally spaced apart along the first
horizontal direction hd1. In one embodiment, some of the first-tier
support openings 129 within the second subset of the first-tier
support openings 129 may be arranged in rows that extend along the
first direction hd1. Additional first-tier support openings may be
provided outside the rows of the first-tier support openings 129.
Generally, a unit pattern UP of a combination of first-tier memory
openings 149 and first-tier support openings 129 may be repeated
along the second horizontal direction hd2. Each unit pattern UP
includes a plurality of clusters 419 of first-tier memory openings
149 that are laterally spaced apart along the second horizontal
direction hd2 and/or laterally spaced apart along the first
horizontal direction hd1.
[0145] Discrete areas free of first-tier memory openings 149 and
first-tier support openings 129 may be provided in the memory array
region 100. First-tier support openings 129 between two groups 339
of clusters 319 of first-tier support openings 129 may be arranged
such that an opening-free area (OFA) that is free of first-tier
memory openings 149 and free of first-tier support openings 129 may
be provided within each unit pattern (UP). In one embodiment, the
OFA includes a pair of rectangular areas that laterally extend
along the first horizontal direction hd1 and a connecting
rectangular area that connects the pair of rectangular areas and
has a lesser lateral extent along the first horizontal direction
hd1 than the pair of rectangular areas.
[0146] In one embodiment, the first anisotropic etch process may
include an initial step in which the materials of the first-tier
alternating stack (132, 142) are etched concurrently with the
material of the first retro-stepped dielectric material portion
165. The chemistry of the initial etch step may alternate to
optimize etching of the first and second materials in the
first-tier alternating stack (132, 142) while providing a
comparable average etch rate to the material of the first
retro-stepped dielectric material portion 165. The first
anisotropic etch process may use, for example, a series of reactive
ion etch processes or a single reaction etch process (e.g.,
CF.sub.4/O.sub.2/Ar etch). The sidewalls of the various first-tier
openings (149, 129) may be substantially vertical, or may be
tapered.
[0147] After etching through the alternating stack (132, 142) and
the first retro-stepped dielectric material portion 165, the
chemistry of a terminal portion of the first anisotropic etch
process may be selected to etch through the dielectric material(s)
of the at least one second dielectric layer 768 with a higher etch
rate than an average etch rate for the in-process source-level
material layers 10'. For example, the terminal portion of the
anisotropic etch process may include a step that etches the
dielectric material(s) of the at least one second dielectric layer
768 selective to a semiconductor material within a component layer
in the in-process source-level material layers 10'. In one
embodiment, the terminal portion of the first anisotropic etch
process may etch through the source-select-level conductive layer
118, the source-level insulating layer 117, the upper source-level
semiconductor layer 116, the upper sacrificial liner 105, the
source-level sacrificial layer 104, and the lower sacrificial liner
103, and at least partly into the lower source-level semiconductor
layer 112. The terminal portion of the first anisotropic etch
process may include at least one etch chemistry for etching the
various semiconductor materials of the in-process source-level
material layers 10'. The photoresist layer may be subsequently
removed, for example, by ashing.
[0148] Optionally, the portions of the first-tier memory openings
149 and the first-tier support openings 129 at the level of the
inter-tier dielectric layer 180 may be laterally expanded by an
isotropic etch. In this case, the inter-tier dielectric layer 180
may comprise a dielectric material (such as borosilicate glass)
having a greater etch rate than the first insulating layers 132
(that may include undoped silicate glass) in dilute hydrofluoric
acid. An isotropic etch (such as a wet etch using HF) may be used
to expand the lateral dimensions of the first-tier memory openings
149 at the level of the inter-tier dielectric layer 180. The
portions of the first-tier memory openings 149 located at the level
of the inter-tier dielectric layer 180 may be optionally widened to
provide a larger landing pad for second-tier memory openings to be
subsequently formed through a second-tier alternating stack (to be
subsequently formed prior to formation of the second-tier memory
openings).
[0149] Referring to FIG. 5, sacrificial first-tier opening fill
portions (148, 128) may be formed in the various first-tier
openings (149, 129). For example, a sacrificial first-tier fill
material may be deposited concurrently deposited in each of the
first-tier openings (149, 129). The sacrificial first-tier fill
material includes a material that may be subsequently removed
selective to the materials of the first insulating layers 132 and
the first sacrificial material layers 142.
[0150] In one embodiment, the sacrificial first-tier fill material
may include a semiconductor material such as silicon (e.g., a-Si or
polysilicon), a silicon-germanium alloy, germanium, a III-V
compound semiconductor material, or a combination thereof.
Optionally, a thin etch stop liner (such as a silicon oxide layer
or a silicon nitride layer having a thickness in a range from 1 nm
to 3 nm) may be used prior to depositing the sacrificial first-tier
fill material. The sacrificial first-tier fill material may be
formed by a non-conformal deposition or a conformal deposition
method.
[0151] In another embodiment, the sacrificial first-tier fill
material may include a silicon oxide material having a higher etch
rate than the materials of the first insulating layers 132, the
first insulating cap layer 170, and the inter-tier dielectric layer
180. For example, the sacrificial first-tier fill material may
include borosilicate glass or porous or non-porous organosilicate
glass having an etch rate that is at least 100 times higher than
the etch rate of densified TEOS oxide (i.e., a silicon oxide
material formed by decomposition of tetraethylorthosilicate glass
in a chemical vapor deposition process and subsequently densified
in an anneal process) in a 100:1 dilute hydrofluoric acid. In this
case, a thin etch stop liner (such as a silicon nitride layer
having a thickness in a range from 1 nm to 3 nm) may be used prior
to depositing the sacrificial first-tier fill material. The
sacrificial first-tier fill material may be formed by a
non-conformal deposition or a conformal deposition method.
[0152] In yet another embodiment, the sacrificial first-tier fill
material may include amorphous silicon or a carbon-containing
material (such as amorphous carbon or diamond-like carbon) that may
be subsequently removed by ashing, or a silicon-based polymer that
may be subsequently removed selective to the materials of the
first-tier alternating stack (132, 142).
[0153] Portions of the deposited sacrificial material may be
removed from above the topmost layer of the first-tier alternating
stack (132, 142), such as from above the inter-tier dielectric
layer 180. For example, the sacrificial first-tier fill material
may be recessed to a top surface of the inter-tier dielectric layer
180 using a planarization process. The planarization process may
include a recess etch, chemical mechanical planarization (CMP), or
a combination thereof. The top surface of the inter-tier dielectric
layer 180 may be used as an etch stop layer or a planarization stop
layer.
[0154] Remaining portions of the sacrificial first-tier fill
material comprise sacrificial first-tier opening fill portions
(148, 128). Specifically, each remaining portion of the sacrificial
material in a first-tier memory opening 149 constitutes a
sacrificial first-tier memory opening fill portion 148. Each
remaining portion of the sacrificial material in a first-tier
support opening 129 constitutes a sacrificial first-tier support
opening fill portion 128. The various sacrificial first-tier
opening fill portions (148, 128) are concurrently formed, i.e.,
during a same set of processes including the deposition process
that deposits the sacrificial first-tier fill material and the
planarization process that removes the first-tier deposition
process from above the first-tier alternating stack (132, 142)
(such as from above the top surface of the inter-tier dielectric
layer 180). The top surfaces of the sacrificial first-tier opening
fill portions (148, 128) may be coplanar with the top surface of
the inter-tier dielectric layer 180. Each of the sacrificial
first-tier opening fill portions (148, 128) may, or may not,
include cavities therein.
[0155] Referring to FIGS. 6A and 6B, a second-tier structure may be
formed over the first-tier structure (132, 142, 170, 148). The
second-tier structure may include an additional alternating stack
of insulating layers and spacer material layers, which may be
sacrificial material layers. For example, a second-tier alternating
stack (232, 242) of material layers may be subsequently formed on
the top surface of the first-tier alternating stack (132, 142). The
second-tier alternating stack (232, 242) includes an alternating
plurality of third material layers and fourth material layers. Each
third material layer may include a third material, and each fourth
material layer may include a fourth material that is different from
the third material. In one embodiment, the third material may be
the same as the first material of the first insulating layer 132,
and the fourth material may be the same as the second material of
the first sacrificial material layers 142.
[0156] In one embodiment, the third material layers may be second
insulating layers 232 and the fourth material layers may be second
spacer material layers that provide vertical spacing between each
vertically neighboring pair of the second insulating layers 232. In
one embodiment, the third material layers and the fourth material
layers may be second insulating layers 232 and second sacrificial
material layers 242, respectively. The third material of the second
insulating layers 232 may be at least one insulating material. The
fourth material of the second sacrificial material layers 242 may
be a sacrificial material that may be removed selective to the
third material of the second insulating layers 232. The second
sacrificial material layers 242 may comprise an insulating
material, a semiconductor material, or a conductive material. The
fourth material of the second sacrificial material layers 242 may
be subsequently replaced with electrically conductive electrodes
which may function, for example, as control gate electrodes of a
vertical NAND device.
[0157] In one embodiment, each second insulating layer 232 may
include a second insulating material, and each second sacrificial
material layer 242 may include a second sacrificial material. In
this case, the second-tier alternating stack (232, 242) may include
an alternating plurality of second insulating layers 232 and second
sacrificial material layers 242. The third material of the second
insulating layers 232 may be deposited, for example, by chemical
vapor deposition (CVD). The fourth material of the second
sacrificial material layers 242 may be formed, for example, CVD or
atomic layer deposition (ALD).
[0158] The third material of the second insulating layers 232 may
be at least one insulating material. Insulating materials that may
be used for the second insulating layers 232 may be any material
that may be used for the first insulating layers 132. The fourth
material of the second sacrificial material layers 242 is a
sacrificial material that may be removed selective to the third
material of the second insulating layers 232. Sacrificial materials
that may be used for the second sacrificial material layers 242 may
be any material that may be used for the first sacrificial material
layers 142. In one embodiment, the second insulating material may
be the same as the first insulating material, and the second
sacrificial material may be the same as the first sacrificial
material.
[0159] The thicknesses of the second insulating layers 232 and the
second sacrificial material layers 242 may be in a range from 20 nm
to 50 nm, although lesser and greater thicknesses may be used for
each second insulating layer 232 and for each second sacrificial
material layer 242. The number of repetitions of the pairs of a
second insulating layer 232 and a second sacrificial material layer
242 may be in a range from 2 to 1,024, and typically from 8 to 256,
although a greater number of repetitions may also be used. In one
embodiment, each second sacrificial material layer 242 in the
second-tier alternating stack (232, 242) may have a uniform
thickness that is substantially invariant within each respective
second sacrificial material layer 242.
[0160] Second stepped surfaces in the second stepped area may be
formed in the staircase region 200 using a same set of processing
steps as the processing steps used to form the first stepped
surfaces in the first stepped area with suitable adjustment to the
pattern of at least one masking layer. A second retro-stepped
dielectric material portion 265 may be formed over the second
stepped surfaces in the staircase region 200.
[0161] A second insulating cap layer 270 may be subsequently formed
over the second-tier alternating stack (232, 242). The second
insulating cap layer 270 includes a dielectric material that is
different from the material of the second sacrificial material
layers 242. In one embodiment, the second insulating cap layer 270
may include silicon oxide. In one embodiment, the first and second
sacrificial material layers (142, 242) may comprise silicon
nitride.
[0162] Generally speaking, at least one alternating stack of
insulating layers (132, 232) and spacer material layers (such as
sacrificial material layers (142, 242)) may be formed over the
in-process source-level material layers 10', and at least one
retro-stepped dielectric material portion (165, 265) may be formed
over the staircase regions on the at least one alternating stack
(132, 142, 232, 242).
[0163] Referring to FIGS. 7A-7C, various second-tier openings (249,
229) may be formed through the second-tier structure (232, 242,
265, 270). A photoresist layer (not shown) may be applied over the
second insulating cap layer 270, and may be lithographically
patterned to form various openings therethrough. The pattern of the
openings may be the same as the pattern of the various first-tier
openings (149, 129), which is the same as the sacrificial
first-tier opening fill portions (148, 128). Thus, the lithographic
mask used to pattern the first-tier openings (149, 129) may be used
to pattern the photoresist layer.
[0164] The pattern of openings in the photoresist layer may be
transferred through the second-tier structure (232, 242, 265, 270)
by a second anisotropic etch process to form various second-tier
openings (249, 229) concurrently, i.e., during the second
anisotropic etch process. The various second-tier openings (249,
229) may include second-tier memory openings 249 and second-tier
support openings 229.
[0165] The second-tier memory openings 249 may be formed directly
on a top surface of a respective one of the sacrificial first-tier
memory opening fill portions 148. The second-tier support openings
229 may be formed directly on a top surface of a respective one of
the sacrificial first-tier support opening fill portions 128.
Further, each second-tier support openings 229 may be formed
through a horizontal surface within the second stepped surfaces,
which include the interfacial surfaces between the second-tier
alternating stack (232, 242) and the second retro-stepped
dielectric material portion 265. Locations of steps S in the
first-tier alternating stack (132, 142) and the second-tier
alternating stack (232, 242) are illustrated as dotted lines in
FIG. 7B.
[0166] The second anisotropic etch process may include an etch step
in which the materials of the second-tier alternating stack (232,
242) are etched concurrently with the material of the second
retro-stepped dielectric material portion 265. The chemistry of the
etch step may alternate to optimize etching of the materials in the
second-tier alternating stack (232, 242) while providing a
comparable average etch rate to the material of the second
retro-stepped dielectric material portion 265. The second
anisotropic etch process may use, for example, a series of reactive
ion etch processes or a single reaction etch process (e.g.,
CF.sub.4/O.sub.2/Ar etch). The sidewalls of the various second-tier
openings (249, 229) may be substantially vertical, or may be
tapered. A bottom periphery of each second-tier opening (249, 229)
may be laterally offset, and/or may be located entirely within, a
periphery of a top surface of an underlying sacrificial first-tier
opening fill portion (148, 128). The photoresist layer may be
subsequently removed, for example, by ashing.
[0167] A subset of the second-tier support openings 229 may be
formed in sections of the memory array region 100 that are not
filled with the second-tier memory openings 249. The sections of
the memory array region 100 that are not filled with the
second-tier memory openings 249 may be distributed over multiple
areas within the memory array region 100. The second-tier support
openings 229 may include a first subset of second-tier support
openings 229 that are formed in the staircase region 200, and a
second subset of second-tier support openings 229 that may be
formed between clusters of second-tier memory openings 249 which
are laterally spaced apart along the first horizontal direction hd1
in the memory array region 100. A first subset of the second-tier
support openings 229 that is formed through the first retro-stepped
dielectric material portion 165 may be formed through a respective
horizontal surface of the first stepped surfaces. Further, each of
the first subset of the second-tier support openings 229 may be
formed directly above (i.e., above, and with an areal overlap with)
a respective one of the lower-level metal interconnect structure
780.
[0168] The second subset of the second-tier support openings 229
may be formed between a respective pair of clusters 419 of
second-tier memory openings 249 that are laterally spaced apart
along the first horizontal direction hd1. In one embodiment, some
of the second-tier support openings 229 within the second subset of
the second-tier support openings 229 may be arranged in rows that
extend along the first direction hd1. Additional first-tier support
openings may be provided outside the rows of the second-tier
support openings 229. Generally, a unit pattern UP of a combination
of second-tier memory openings 249 and second-tier support openings
229 may be repeated along the second horizontal direction hd2. Each
unit pattern UP includes a plurality of clusters 419 of second-tier
memory openings 249 that are laterally spaced apart along the
second horizontal direction hd2 and/or laterally spaced apart along
the first horizontal direction hd1.
[0169] Discrete areas free of second-tier memory openings 249 and
second-tier support openings 229 are provided in the memory array
region 100. Second-tier support openings 229 between two groups 439
of clusters 419 of second-tier support openings 229 may be arranged
such that an opening-free area (OFA) that is free of second-tier
memory openings 249 and free of second-tier support openings 229 is
provided within each unit pattern (UP). In one embodiment, the OFA
includes a pair of rectangular areas that laterally extend along
the first horizontal direction hd1 and a connecting rectangular
area that connects the pair of rectangular areas and has a lesser
lateral extent along the first horizontal direction hd1 than the
pair of rectangular areas.
[0170] Referring to FIG. 8, the sacrificial first-tier fill
material of the sacrificial first-tier opening fill portions (148,
128) may be removed using an etch process that etches the
sacrificial first-tier fill material selective to the materials of
the first and second insulating layers (132, 232), the first and
second sacrificial material layers (142,242), the first and second
insulating cap layers (170, 270), and the inter-tier dielectric
layer 180. A memory opening 49, which is also referred to as an
inter-tier memory opening 49, is formed in each combination of a
second-tier memory openings 249 and a volume from which a
sacrificial first-tier memory opening fill portion 148 is removed.
A support opening 19, which is also referred to as an inter-tier
support opening 19, may be formed in each combination of a
second-tier support openings 229 and a volume from which a
sacrificial first-tier support opening fill portion 128 is
removed.
[0171] FIGS. 9A-9D provide sequential cross-sectional views of a
memory opening 49 during formation of a memory opening fill
structure. The same structural change occurs in each of the memory
openings 49 and the support openings 19.
[0172] Referring to FIG. 9A, a memory opening 49 in the exemplary
device structure of FIG. 8 is illustrated. The memory opening 49
may extend through the first-tier structure and the second-tier
structure.
[0173] Referring to FIG. 9B, a stack of layers including a blocking
dielectric layer 52, a charge storage layer 54, a tunneling
dielectric layer 56, and a semiconductor channel material layer 60L
may be sequentially deposited in the memory openings 49. The
blocking dielectric layer 52 may include a single dielectric
material layer or a stack of a plurality of dielectric material
layers. In one embodiment, the blocking dielectric layer may
include a dielectric metal oxide layer consisting essentially of a
dielectric metal oxide. As used herein, a dielectric metal oxide
refers to a dielectric material that includes at least one metallic
element and at least oxygen. The dielectric metal oxide may consist
essentially of the at least one metallic element and oxygen, or may
consist essentially of the at least one metallic element, oxygen,
and at least one non-metallic element such as nitrogen. In one
embodiment, the blocking dielectric layer 52 may include a
dielectric metal oxide having a dielectric constant greater than
7.9, i.e., having a dielectric constant greater than the dielectric
constant of silicon nitride. The thickness of the dielectric metal
oxide layer may be in a range from 1 nm to 20 nm, although lesser
and greater thicknesses may also be used. The dielectric metal
oxide layer may subsequently function as a dielectric material
portion that blocks leakage of stored electrical charges to control
gate electrodes. In one embodiment, the blocking dielectric layer
52 includes aluminum oxide. Alternatively, or additionally, the
blocking dielectric layer 52 may include a dielectric semiconductor
compound such as silicon oxide, silicon oxynitride, silicon
nitride, or a combination thereof.
[0174] Subsequently, the charge storage layer 54 may be formed. In
one embodiment, the charge storage layer 54 may be a continuous
layer or patterned discrete portions of a charge trapping material
including a dielectric charge trapping material, which may be, for
example, silicon nitride. Alternatively, the charge storage layer
54 may include a continuous layer or patterned discrete portions of
a conductive material such as doped polysilicon or a metallic
material that is patterned into multiple electrically isolated
portions (e.g., floating gates), for example, by being formed
within lateral recesses into sacrificial material layers (142,
242). In one embodiment, the charge storage layer 54 includes a
silicon nitride layer. In one embodiment, the sacrificial material
layers (142, 242) and the insulating layers (132, 232) may have
vertically coincident sidewalls, and the charge storage layer 54
may be formed as a single continuous layer. Alternatively, the
sacrificial material layers (142, 242) may be laterally recessed
with respect to the sidewalls of the insulating layers (132, 232),
and a combination of a deposition process and an anisotropic etch
process may be used to form the charge storage layer 54 as a
plurality of memory material portions that are vertically spaced
apart. The thickness of the charge storage layer 54 may be in a
range from 2 nm to 20 nm, although lesser and greater thicknesses
may also be used.
[0175] The tunneling dielectric layer 56 includes a dielectric
material through which charge tunneling may be performed under
suitable electrical bias conditions. The charge tunneling may be
performed through hot-carrier injection or by Fowler-Nordheim
tunneling induced charge transfer depending on the mode of
operation of the monolithic three-dimensional NAND string memory
device to be formed. The tunneling dielectric layer 56 may include
silicon oxide, silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, dielectric
metal oxides (such as aluminum oxide and hafnium oxide), dielectric
metal oxynitride, dielectric metal silicates, alloys thereof,
and/or combinations thereof. In one embodiment, the tunneling
dielectric layer 56 may include a stack of a first silicon oxide
layer, a silicon oxynitride layer, and a second silicon oxide
layer, which is commonly known as an ONO stack. In one embodiment,
the tunneling dielectric layer 56 may include a silicon oxide layer
that is substantially free of carbon or a silicon oxynitride layer
that is substantially free of carbon. The thickness of the
tunneling dielectric layer 56 may be in a range from 2 nm to 20 nm,
although lesser and greater thicknesses may also be used. The stack
of the blocking dielectric layer 52, the charge storage layer 54,
and the tunneling dielectric layer 56 constitutes a memory film 50
that stores memory bits.
[0176] The semiconductor channel material layer 60L may include a
doped semiconductor material such as at least one elemental
semiconductor material, at least one III-V compound semiconductor
material, at least one II-VI compound semiconductor material, at
least one organic semiconductor material, or other semiconductor
materials known in the art. The conductivity type of dopants in the
semiconductor channel material layer 60L is herein referred to as a
first conductivity type, which may be p-type or n-type. In one
embodiment, the semiconductor channel material layer 60L has a
p-type doping in which p-type dopants (such as boron atoms) are
present at an atomic concentration in a range from
1.0.times.10.sup.12/cm.sup.3 to 1.0.times.10.sup.18/cm.sup.3, such
as from 1.0.times.10.sup.14/cm.sup.3 to
1.0.times.10.sup.17/cm.sup.3. In one embodiment, the semiconductor
channel material layer 60L includes, and/or consists essentially
of, boron-doped amorphous silicon or boron-doped polysilicon. In
another embodiment, the semiconductor channel material layer 60L
has an n-type doping in which n-type dopants (such as phosphor
atoms or arsenic atoms) are present at an atomic concentration in a
range from 1.0.times.10.sup.12/cm.sup.3 to
1.0.times.10.sup.18/cm.sup.3, such as from
1.0.times.10.sup.14/cm.sup.3 to 1.0.times.10.sup.17/cm.sup.3. The
semiconductor channel material layer 60L may be formed by a
conformal deposition method such as low pressure chemical vapor
deposition (LPCVD). The thickness of the semiconductor channel
material layer 60L may be in a range from 2 nm to 10 nm, although
lesser and greater thicknesses may also be used. A cavity 49' is
formed in the volume of each memory opening 49 that is not filled
with the deposited material layers (52, 54, 56, 60L).
[0177] Referring to FIG. 9C, in embodiments in which the cavity 49'
in each memory opening is not completely filled by the
semiconductor channel material layer 60L, a dielectric core layer
may be deposited in the cavity 49' to fill any remaining portion of
the cavity 49' within each memory opening. The dielectric core
layer includes a dielectric material such as silicon oxide or
organosilicate glass. The dielectric core layer may be deposited by
a conformal deposition method such as low pressure chemical vapor
deposition (LPCVD), or by a self-planarizing deposition process
such as spin coating. The horizontal portion of the dielectric core
layer overlying the second insulating cap layer 270 may be removed,
for example, by a recess etch. The recess etch continues until top
surfaces of the remaining portions of the dielectric core layer are
recessed to a height between the top surface of the second
insulating cap layer 270 and the bottom surface of the second
insulating cap layer 270. Each remaining portion of the dielectric
core layer constitutes a dielectric core 62.
[0178] Referring to FIG. 9D, a doped semiconductor material may be
deposited in cavities overlying the dielectric cores 62. The doped
semiconductor material has a doping of the opposite conductivity
type of the doping of the semiconductor channel material layer 60L.
In one embodiment, the doped semiconductor material has an n-type
doping. Portions of the deposited doped semiconductor material, the
semiconductor channel material layer 60L, the tunneling dielectric
layer 56, the charge storage layer 54, and the blocking dielectric
layer 52 that overlie the horizontal plane including the top
surface of the second insulating cap layer 270 may be removed by a
planarization process such as a chemical mechanical planarization
(CMP) process.
[0179] Each remaining portion of the doped semiconductor
material-constitutes a drain region 63. The dopant concentration in
the drain regions 63 may be in a range from
5.0.times.10.sup.19/cm.sup.3 to 2.0.times.10.sup.21/cm.sup.3,
although lesser and greater dopant concentrations may also be used.
The doped semiconductor material may be, for example, doped
polysilicon.
[0180] Each remaining portion of the semiconductor channel material
layer 60L constitutes a vertical semiconductor channel 60 through
which electrical current may flow when a vertical NAND device
including the vertical semiconductor channel 60 is turned on. A
tunneling dielectric layer 56 may be surrounded by a charge storage
layer 54, and laterally surrounds a vertical semiconductor channel
60. Each adjoining set of a blocking dielectric layer 52, a charge
storage layer 54, and a tunneling dielectric layer 56 collectively
constitute a memory film 50, which may store electrical charges
with a macroscopic retention time. In some embodiments, a blocking
dielectric layer 52 may not be present in the memory film 50 at
this step, and a blocking dielectric layer may be subsequently
formed after formation of backside recesses. As used herein, a
macroscopic retention time refers to a retention time suitable for
operation of a memory device as a permanent memory device such as a
retention time in excess of 24 hours.
[0181] Each combination of a memory film 50 and a vertical
semiconductor channel 60 (which is a vertical semiconductor
channel) within a memory opening 49 constitutes a memory stack
structure 55. The memory stack structure 55 may be a combination of
a vertical semiconductor channel 60, a tunneling dielectric layer
56, a plurality of memory elements comprising portions of the
charge storage layer 54, and an optional blocking dielectric layer
52. Each combination of a memory stack structure 55, a dielectric
core 62, and a drain region 63 within a memory opening 49
constitutes a memory opening fill structure 58. Each drain region
63 in a memory opening fill structure 58 is electrically connected
to an upper end of a respective one of the vertical semiconductor
channels 60. The in-process source-level material layers 10', the
first-tier structure (132, 142, 170, 165), the second-tier
structure (232, 242, 270, 265), the inter-tier dielectric layer
180, and the memory opening fill structures 58 collectively
constitute a memory-level assembly.
[0182] Referring to FIG. 10, the first exemplary structure is
illustrated after formation of the memory opening fill structures
58. Support pillar structures 20 may be formed in the support
openings 19 concurrently with formation of the memory opening fill
structures 58. Each support pillar structure 20 may have a same set
of components as a memory opening fill structure 58. Each of the
alternating stacks {(132, 142), (232, 242)} comprises a terrace
region in which each sacrificial material layer (142, 242) other
than a topmost sacrificial material layer (142, 242) within the
alternating stack {(132, 142) and/or (232, 242)} laterally extends
farther than any overlying sacrificial material layer (142, 242)
within the alternating stack {(132, 142) and/or (232, 242)}. The
terrace region includes stepped surfaces of the alternating stack
that continuously extend from a bottommost layer within the
alternating stack {(132, 142) or (232, 242)} to a topmost layer
within the alternating stack {(132, 142) or (232, 242)}. Support
pillar structures 20 extend through the stepped surfaces and
through a retro-stepped dielectric material portion (165 or 265)
that overlies the stepped surfaces.
[0183] Referring to FIGS. 11A-11F, a first contact level dielectric
layer 280 may be formed over the second-tier structure (232, 242,
270, 265). The first contact level dielectric layer 280 includes a
dielectric material such as silicon oxide, and may be formed by a
conformal or non-conformal deposition process. For example, the
first contact level dielectric layer 280 may include undoped
silicate glass and may have a thickness in a range from 100 nm to
600 nm, although lesser and greater thicknesses may also be
used.
[0184] A photoresist layer (not shown) may be applied over the
first contact level dielectric layer 280, and may be
lithographically patterned to form various openings in the memory
array region 100 and the staircase region 200. The openings in the
photoresist layer include first elongated openings that laterally
extend along the first horizontal direction hd1 through the entire
lateral extent of the memory array region 100 and the staircase
region 200 along the first horizontal direction hd1. The first
elongated openings laterally extend between groups of memory
opening fill structures 58 and support pillar structures 20.
Further, the openings in the photoresist layer may include second
elongated openings that extend along the first horizontal direction
hd1 between clusters of memory opening fill structures 58 that are
laterally spaced apart along the first horizontal direction hd1 and
located between a neighboring pair of first elongated openings.
Each second elongated opening has a lesser lateral extent that the
lateral extent of the memory array region 100 along the first
horizontal direction hd1. Optionally, the openings in the
photoresist layer may include discrete openings located between end
regions of a neighboring pair of second elongated openings.
[0185] An anisotropic etch may be performed to transfer the pattern
in the photoresist layer through underlying material portions
including the alternating stacks {(132, 142), (232, 242)} and an
upper portion of the in-process source-level material layers 10'.
Backside trenches 79 may be formed underneath the first elongated
openings in the photoresist layer through the first contact level
dielectric layer 280, the second-tier structure (232, 242, 270,
265), and the first-tier structure (132, 142, 170, 165), and into
the in-process source-level material layers 10'. Portions of the
first contact level dielectric layer 280, the second-tier structure
(232, 242, 270, 265), the first-tier structure (132, 142, 170,
165), and the in-process source-level material layers 10' that
underlie the first elongated openings in the photoresist layer may
be removed to form the backside trenches 79. In one embodiment, the
backside trenches 79 may be formed between groups of memory stack
structures 55 that are laterally spaced apart along the second
horizontal direction. A top surface of a source-level sacrificial
layer 104 may be physically exposed at the bottom of each backside
trench 79.
[0186] The anisotropic etch forms barrier trenches 179 which are
not connected to each other concurrently with formation of the
backside trenches 79. The barrier trenches 179 may be formed
between neighboring pairs of backside trenches 79 within the memory
array region 100 underneath the second elongated openings in the
photoresist layer. The barrier trenches 179 may be formed through
the first contact level dielectric layer 280, the second-tier
structure (232, 242, 270, 265), the first-tier structure (132, 142,
170, 165), and into the in-process source-level material layers
10'. Each barrier trench 179 laterally extends along the first
horizontal direction hd1. Each pair of barrier trenches 179 may be
laterally spaced apart from each other by a uniform separation
distance. Each barrier trench 179 may have a pair of vertical
sidewalls that laterally extend along the first horizontal
direction hd1.
[0187] In case the photoresist layer includes discrete openings
between end regions of each neighboring pair of second elongated
openings, the anisotropic etch process forms discrete via openings
279 concurrently with formation of the backside trenches 79 and the
barrier trenches 179. The discrete via openings 279 may be formed
between neighboring pairs of end regions of the barrier trenches
179 within the memory array region 100 underneath the discrete
openings in the photoresist layer. The discrete via openings 279
may be formed through the first contact level dielectric layer 280,
the second-tier structure (232, 242, 270, 265), the first-tier
structure (132, 142, 170, 165), and into the in-process
source-level material layers 10'.
[0188] Each of the barrier trenches 179 may include a respective
pair of lengthwise sidewalls that extend along the first horizontal
direction hd1. In one embodiment, the barrier trenches 179 may have
rectangular horizontal cross-sectional shapes. In one embodiment, a
pair of barrier trenches 179 may extend along the first horizontal
direction hd1 by a same lateral extension distance, i.e., by the
same length measured along the first horizontal direction hd1, as
illustrated in FIG. 11C. In one embodiment, a pair of barrier
trenches 179 may be spaced from a respective most proximal one of
the backside trenches 79 by different trench-to-sidewall spacings,
and may laterally extend along the first horizontal direction hd1
by different lateral extension distances as illustrated in FIG.
11D. In this case, the barrier trench 179 that is spaced from a
most proximal one of the backside trenches 79 by a greater distance
may have a lesser lateral extension distance. This configuration
allows formation of etch fronts that are approximately parallel to
the second horizontal direction hd2 during a subsequent isotropic
etch process for etching the sacrificial material layers 42. In one
embodiment, the barrier trenches 179 may have trapezoidal
horizontal cross-sectional shapes as illustrated in FIG. 11E.
Alternatively, the barrier trenches 179 may have at least one
contoured sidewall having a curvature in a horizontal
cross-sectional view that is adjoined to a pair of lengthwise
sidewalls that extend along the first horizontal direction hd1, as
will be described in more detail below and shown in FIG. 21G. In
one embodiment, the discrete via openings 279 may be positioned
between end regions of each pair of barrier trenches 179 as
illustrated in FIG. 11F. The discrete via openings 279 may provide
an etch front that is substantially parallel to the second
horizontal direction hd2 in the area between a pair of barrier
trenches 179 during a subsequent isotropic etch process that etches
the sacrificial material layers 42.
[0189] Generally, an alternating stack {(132, 232), (142, 242)} of
insulating layers 132 and sacrificial material layers (142, 242)
may be formed over a semiconductor substrate 8 including the
substrate semiconductor layer 9. The sacrificial material layers
(142, 242) may comprise a dielectric material such as silicon
nitride. The alternating stack {(132, 232), (142, 242)} may be
etched by performing an anisotropic etch process using a patterned
mask layer (such as a photoresist layer). The alternating stack
{(132, 232), (142, 242)} may be divided into a plurality of
alternating stacks {(132, 232), (142, 242)} of respective
insulating layers (132, 232) and respective sacrificial material
layers (142, 242) by backside trenches 79. A pair of barrier
trenches 179 may be formed through each of the plurality of
alternating stacks {(132, 232), (142, 242)}.
[0190] In one embodiment, each of the barrier trenches 179 may
include a respective uniform-width region that laterally extends
along the first horizontal direction hd1 with a respective uniform
width along a second horizontal direction hd2 that is perpendicular
to the first horizontal direction hd1. In one embodiment, the pair
of backside trenches 179 may have a same lateral extent along the
first horizontal direction hd1. In one embodiment, the pair of
barrier trenches 179 may be laterally offset along the second
horizontal direction hd2 from a respective proximal backside trench
79 selected from the pair of backside trenches 79 by unequal
lateral trench-to-dielectric spacings; and a barrier trench 179 of
the pair of barrier trenches 179 having a greater
trench-to-sidewall spacing may have a lateral extent along the
first horizontal direction hd1 that is less than a lateral extent
along the first horizontal direction hd1 for a barrier trench 179
of the pair of barrier trenches 179 having a lesser
trench-to-sidewall spacing.
[0191] In one embodiment, each of the pair of barrier trenches 179
may comprise angled sidewalls located within a respective vertical
plane that is at an angle in a range from 15 degrees to 75 degrees
with respect to a vertical plane including the first horizontal
direction hd1. In one embodiment, each barrier trench 179 may be an
elongated trench that vertically extends through each layer of an
alternating stack {(132, 232), (142, 242)} and has a greater
lateral dimension along the first horizontal direction hd1 than
along the second horizontal direction hd2.
[0192] Referring to FIGS. 12A and 12B, a dielectric liner 274 may
be formed by a conformal deposition in the backside trenches 79,
the barrier trenches 179, and the discrete via openings 279 and
over the first contact level dielectric layer 280. The dielectric
liner 274 may include a dielectric material that is different from
the dielectric material of the sacrificial material layers (142,
242). For example, the dielectric liner 274 may include silicon
oxide or a dielectric metal oxide (such as aluminum oxide). The
thickness of the dielectric liner 274 may be in a range from 4 nm
to 40 nm, although lesser and greater thicknesses may also be
used.
[0193] Referring to FIGS. 13A-13E, a photoresist layer 607 may be
applied over the first exemplary structure, and may be
lithographically patterned to cover the barrier trenches 179 and
the discrete via openings 279 (if present) without covering the
backside trenches 79. A backside cavity 79' that is not filled
within the photoresist layer 607 may be present within each
backside trench 79.
[0194] Referring to FIGS. 14 and 15A, an isotropic etch process may
be performed to remove portions of the dielectric liner 274 that
are not masked by the photoresist layer 607. The dielectric liner
274 may be divided into multiple dielectric liners 274 located
between a respective neighboring pair of backside trenches 79 and
covering a subset of the barrier trenches 179 and the discrete via
openings 279 between the respective neighboring pair of backside
trenches 79. The photoresist layer 607 may be removed, for example,
by ashing. A top surface of the source-level sacrificial layer 104
may be physically exposed at the bottom of each backside trench 79.
Further, sidewalls of insulating layers (132, 232) and sacrificial
material layers (142, 242) may be physically exposed around each
backside trench 79.
[0195] Referring to FIG. 15B, an etchant that etches the material
of the source-level sacrificial layer 104 selective to the
materials of the first-tier alternating stack (132, 142), the
second-tier alternating stack (232, 242), the first and second
insulating cap layers (170, 270), the first contact level
dielectric layer 280, the upper sacrificial liner 105, and the
lower sacrificial liner 103 may be introduced into the backside
trenches in an isotropic etch process. For example, if the
source-level sacrificial layer 104 includes undoped amorphous
silicon or an undoped amorphous silicon-germanium alloy and if the
upper and lower sacrificial liners (105, 103) include silicon
oxide, a wet etch process using hot trimethyl-2 hydroxyethyl
ammonium hydroxide ("hot TMY") or tetramethyl ammonium hydroxide
(TMAH) may be used to remove the source-level sacrificial layer 104
selective to the upper and lower sacrificial liners (105, 103). A
source cavity 109 may be formed in the volume from which the
source-level sacrificial layer 104 is removed.
[0196] Wet etch chemicals such as hot TMY and TMAH are selective to
the doped semiconductor materials of the upper source-level
semiconductor layer 116 and the lower source-level semiconductor
layer 112. Thus, use of selective wet etch chemicals such as hot
TMY and TMAH for the wet etch process that forms the source cavity
109 provides a large process window against etch depth variation
during formation of the backside trenches 79. Specifically, in
embodiments in which sidewalls of the upper source-level
semiconductor layer 116 are physically exposed or in other
embodiments in which a surface of the lower source-level
semiconductor layer 112 is physically exposed upon formation of the
source cavity 109, collateral etching of the upper source-level
semiconductor layer 116 and/or the lower source-level semiconductor
layer 112 is minimal, and the structural change to the first
exemplary structure caused by accidental physical exposure of the
surfaces of the upper source-level semiconductor layer 116 and/or
the lower source-level semiconductor layer 112 during manufacturing
steps do not result in device failures. Each of the memory opening
fill structures 58 may be physically exposed to the source cavity
109. Specifically, each of the memory opening fill structures 58
may include a sidewall and a bottom surface that are physically
exposed to the source cavity 109.
[0197] Referring to FIG. 15C, a sequence of isotropic etchants,
such as wet etchants, may be applied to the physically exposed
portions of the memory films 50 to sequentially etch the various
component layers of the memory films 50 from outside to inside, and
to physically expose cylindrical surfaces of the vertical
semiconductor channels 60 at the level of the source cavity 109.
The upper and lower sacrificial liners (105, 103) may be
collaterally etched during removal of the portions of the memory
films 50 located at the level of the source cavity 109. The source
cavity 109 may be expanded in volume by removal of the portions of
the memory films 50 at the level of the source cavity 109 and the
upper and lower sacrificial liners (105, 103). A top surface of the
lower source-level semiconductor layer 112 and a bottom surface of
the upper source-level semiconductor layer 116 may be physically
exposed to the source cavity 109. The source cavity 109 may be
formed by isotropically etching the source-level sacrificial layer
104 and a bottom portion of each of the memory films 50 selective
to at least one source-level semiconductor layer (such as the lower
source-level semiconductor layer 112 and the upper source-level
semiconductor layer 116) and the vertical semiconductor channels
60.
[0198] Referring to FIG. 15D, a doped semiconductor material having
a doping of the second conductivity type may be deposited on the
physically exposed semiconductor surfaces around the source cavity
109. The second conductivity type is the opposite of the first
conductivity type, which is the conductivity type of the doping of
the vertical semiconductor channels 60. The physically exposed
semiconductor surfaces include bottom portions of outer sidewalls
of the vertical semiconductor channels 60 and horizontal surfaces
of the at least one source-level semiconductor layer (112, 116).
For example, the physically exposed semiconductor surfaces may
include the bottom portions of outer sidewalls of the vertical
semiconductor channels 60, the top horizontal surface of the lower
source-level semiconductor layer 112, and the bottom surface of the
upper source-level semiconductor layer 116.
[0199] In one embodiment, the doped semiconductor material of the
second conductivity type may be deposited on the physically exposed
semiconductor surfaces around the source cavity 109 by a selective
semiconductor deposition process. A semiconductor precursor gas, an
etchant, and an n-type dopant precursor gas may flow concurrently
into a process chamber including the first exemplary structure
during the selective semiconductor deposition process. For example,
the semiconductor precursor gas may include silane, disilane, or
dichlorosilane, the etchant gas may include gaseous hydrogen
chloride, and the n-type dopant precursor gas such as phosphine,
arsine, or stibine. In this case, the selective semiconductor
deposition process grows an in-situ doped semiconductor material
from physically exposed semiconductor surfaces around the source
cavity 109. The deposited doped semiconductor material forms a
source contact layer 114, which may contact sidewalls of the
vertical semiconductor channels 60. The atomic concentration of the
dopants of the second conductivity type in the deposited
semiconductor material may be in a range from
1.0.times.10.sup.20/cm.sup.3 to 2.0.times.10.sup.21/cm.sup.3, such
as from 2.0.times.10.sup.20/cm.sup.3 to
8.0.times.10.sup.20/cm.sup.3. The source contact layer 114 as
initially formed may consist essentially of semiconductor atoms and
the dopant atoms of the second conductivity type. Alternatively, at
least one non-selective doped semiconductor material deposition
process may be used to form the source contact layer 114.
Optionally, one or more etch back processes may be used in
combination with a plurality of selective or non-selective
deposition processes to provide a seamless and/or voidless source
contact layer 114.
[0200] The duration of the selective semiconductor deposition
process may be selected such that the source cavity 109 is filled
with the source contact layer 114. In one embodiment, the source
contact layer 114 may be formed by selectively depositing a doped
semiconductor material from semiconductor surfaces around the
source cavity 109. In one embodiment, the doped semiconductor
material may include doped polysilicon. Thus, the source-level
sacrificial layer 104 may be replaced with the source contact layer
114.
[0201] The layer stack including the lower source-level
semiconductor layer 112, the source contact layer 114, and the
upper source-level semiconductor layer 116 constitutes a source
region (112, 114, 116). The source region (112, 114, 116) is
electrically connected to a first end (such as a bottom end) of
each of the vertical semiconductor channels 60. The set of layers
including the source region (112, 114, 116), the source-level
insulating layer 117, and the source-select-level conductive layer
118 constitutes source-level material layers 10, which replaces the
in-process source-level material layers 10'.
[0202] Referring to FIGS. 15E and 16, an oxidation process may be
performed to convert physically exposed surface portions of
semiconductor materials into dielectric semiconductor oxide
portions. For example, surfaces portions of the source contact
layer 114 and the upper source-level semiconductor layer 116 may be
converted into dielectric semiconductor oxide plates 122, and
surface portions of the source-select-level conductive layer 118
may be converted into annular dielectric semiconductor oxide
spacers 124. A dielectric liner 274 and a barrier cavity 179' may
be present within each barrier trench 179. A dielectric liner 274
and a discrete via cavity may be present within each discrete via
opening 279.
[0203] Referring to FIGS. 17A-17E, portions of the sacrificial
material layers (142, 242) that are proximal to the backside
trenches 79 are may be removed selective to the insulating layers
(132, 232), the first and second insulating cap layers (170, 270),
the first contact level dielectric layer 280, and the source
contact layer 114, the dielectric semiconductor oxide plates 122,
and the annular dielectric semiconductor oxide spacers 124. For
example, an etchant that selectively etches the materials of the
sacrificial material layers (142, 242) with respect to the
materials of the insulating layers (132, 232), the first and second
insulating cap layers (170, 270), the retro-stepped dielectric
material portions (165, 265), and the material of the outermost
layer of the memory films 50 may be introduced into the backside
trenches 79, for example, using an isotropic etch process. For
example, the sacrificial material layers (142, 242) may include
silicon nitride, the materials of the insulating layers (132, 232),
the first and second insulating cap layers (170, 270), the
retro-stepped dielectric material portions (165, 265), and the
outermost layer of the memory films 50 may include silicon oxide
materials.
[0204] The isotropic etch process may be a wet etch process using a
wet etch solution, or may be a gas phase (dry) etch process in
which the etchant is introduced in a vapor phase into the backside
trench 79. For example, if the sacrificial material layers (142,
242) include silicon nitride, the etch process may be a wet etch
process in which the first exemplary structure is immersed within a
wet etch tank including phosphoric acid, which etches silicon
nitride selective to silicon oxide, silicon, and various other
materials used in the art. The duration of the isotropic etch
process may be selected such that portions of the sacrificial
material layers 42 outside areas between neighboring pairs of
backside trenches 179 are removed. Further, portions of the
sacrificial material layers 42 located near end regions of the
backside trenches 179 may be removed.
[0205] Backside recesses (143, 243) may be formed in volumes from
which the sacrificial material layers (142, 242) are removed. The
backside recesses (143, 243) include first backside recesses 143
that may be formed in volumes from which the first sacrificial
material layers 142 are removed and second backside recesses 243
that may be formed in volumes from which the second sacrificial
material layers 242 are removed. Each of the backside recesses
(143, 243) may be a laterally extending cavity having a lateral
dimension that is greater than the vertical extent of the cavity.
In other words, the lateral dimension of each of the backside
recesses (143, 243) may be greater than the height of the
respective backside recess (143, 243). A plurality of backside
recesses (143, 243) may be formed in the volumes from which the
material of the sacrificial material layers (142, 242) is removed.
Each of the backside recesses (143, 243) may extend substantially
parallel to the top surface of the substrate semiconductor layer 9.
A backside recess (143, 243) may be vertically bounded by a top
surface of an underlying insulating layer (132, 232) and a bottom
surface of an overlying insulating layer (132, 232). In one
embodiment, each of the backside recesses (143, 243) may have a
uniform height throughout.
[0206] The barrier trenches 179 may be covered by a respective
dielectric liner 274 that blocks access of the isotropic etchant to
adjacent portions of the sacrificial material layers 142, 242
during the isotropic etch process. Remaining portions of the
sacrificial material layers 142, 242 between each neighboring pair
of barrier trenches 179 constitute dielectric spacer plates (142',
242'). Portions of the insulating layers (132, 232) located within
the areas of the dielectric spacer plates (142', 242') constitute
insulating plates (132', 232'). The dielectric spacer plates (142',
232') may include first dielectric spacer plates 142' adjoining a
respective one of the first backside recesses 143, and second
dielectric spacer plates 242' adjoining a respective one of the
second backside recesses 243. The insulating plates (132', 232')
may include first insulating plates 132' that are portions of the
first insulating layers 132 and second insulating plates 232' that
are portions of the second insulating layers 232. Thus, the first
insulating layers 132 and the second insulating layers 232 within
each alternating stack {(132, 232), (142, 242)} continuously extend
between vertically neighboring pairs of dielectric spacer plates
(142', 242'). A vertically alternating sequence of the insulating
plates (132', 232') and the dielectric spacer plates (142', 242')
is provided between each neighboring pair of barrier trenches 179.
A dielectric liner 274 and a barrier cavity 179' is present within
each barrier trench 179. A dielectric liner 274 and a discrete via
cavity 279' is present within each discrete via opening 279.
[0207] Referring to FIG. 18, a backside blocking dielectric layer
(not shown) may be optionally deposited in the backside recesses
(143, 243) and the backside trenches 79 and over the first contact
level dielectric layer 280. The backside blocking dielectric layer
includes a dielectric material such as a dielectric metal oxide,
silicon oxide, or a combination thereof. For example, the backside
blocking dielectric layer may include aluminum oxide. The backside
blocking dielectric layer may be formed by a conformal deposition
process such as atomic layer deposition or chemical vapor
deposition. The thickness of the backside blocking dielectric layer
may be in a range from 1 nm to 20 nm, such as from 2 nm to 10 nm,
although lesser and greater thicknesses may also be used.
[0208] At least one conductive material may be deposited in the
plurality of backside recesses (243, 243), on the sidewalls of the
backside trenches 79, and over the first contact level dielectric
layer 280. The at least one conductive material may be deposited by
a conformal deposition method, which may be, for example, chemical
vapor deposition (CVD), atomic layer deposition (ALD), electroless
plating, electroplating, or a combination thereof. The at least one
conductive material may include an elemental metal, an
intermetallic alloy of at least two elemental metals, a conductive
nitride of at least one elemental metal, a conductive metal oxide,
a conductive doped semiconductor material, a conductive
metal-semiconductor alloy such as a metal silicide, alloys thereof,
and combinations or stacks thereof.
[0209] In one embodiment, the at least one conductive material may
include at least one metallic material, i.e., an electrically
conductive material that includes at least one metallic element.
Non-limiting exemplary metallic materials that may be deposited in
the backside recesses (143, 243) include tungsten, tungsten
nitride, titanium, titanium nitride, tantalum, tantalum nitride,
cobalt, and ruthenium. For example, the at least one conductive
material may include a conductive metallic nitride liner that
includes a conductive metallic nitride material such as TiN, TaN,
WN, or a combination thereof, and a conductive fill material such
as W, Co, Ru, Mo, Cu, or combinations thereof. In one embodiment,
the at least one conductive material for filling the backside
recesses (143, 243) may be a combination of titanium nitride layer
and a tungsten fill material.
[0210] Electrically conductive layers (146, 246) may be formed in
the backside recesses (143, 243) by deposition of the at least one
conductive material. A plurality of first electrically conductive
layers 146 may be formed in the plurality of first backside
recesses 143, a plurality of second electrically conductive layers
246 may be formed in the plurality of second backside recesses 243,
and a continuous metallic material layer (not shown) may be formed
on the sidewalls of each backside trench 79 and over the first
contact level dielectric layer 280. Each of the first electrically
conductive layers 146 and the second electrically conductive layers
246 may include a respective conductive metallic nitride liner and
a respective conductive fill material. Thus, the first and second
sacrificial material layers (142, 242) may be replaced with the
first and second electrically conductive layers (146, 246),
respectively. Specifically, each first sacrificial material layer
142 may be replaced with an optional portion of the backside
blocking dielectric layer and a first electrically conductive layer
146, and each second sacrificial material layer 242 may be replaced
with an optional portion of the backside blocking dielectric layer
and a second electrically conductive layer 246. A backside cavity
is present in the portion of each backside trench 79 that is not
filled with the continuous metallic material layer.
[0211] Residual conductive material may be removed from inside the
backside trenches 79. Specifically, the deposited metallic material
of the continuous metallic material layer may be etched back from
the sidewalls of each backside trench 79 and from above the first
contact level dielectric layer 280, for example, by an anisotropic
or isotropic etch. Each remaining portion of the deposited metallic
material in the first backside recesses constitutes a first
electrically conductive layer 146. Each remaining portion of the
deposited metallic material in the second backside recesses
constitutes a second electrically conductive layer 246. Sidewalls
of the first electrically conductive material layers 146 and the
second electrically conductive layers may be physically exposed to
a respective backside trench 79.
[0212] Each combination of an electrically conductive layer (146,
246) and a dielectric space plate (142', 242') located at the same
level constitutes a composite layer {(146, 142'), (246, 242'). Each
of the composite layers {(146, 142'), (246, 242') comprises a
respective electrically conductive layer (146 or 246) and a
respective dielectric spacer plate (142', 242'). A vertically
alternating sequence of the insulating plates (132', 232') and the
dielectric spacer plates (142', 242') is provided within a region
including the dielectric spacer plates (142', 242').
[0213] Each electrically conductive layer (146, 246) may be a
conductive sheet including openings therein. A first subset of the
openings through each electrically conductive layer (146, 246) may
be filled with memory opening fill structures 58. A second subset
of the openings through each electrically conductive layer (146,
246) may be filled with the support pillar structures 20. Each
electrically conductive layer (146, 246) may have a lesser area
than any underlying electrically conductive layer (146, 246)
because of the first and second stepped surfaces. Each electrically
conductive layer (146, 246) may have a greater area than any
overlying electrically conductive layer (146, 246) because of the
first and second stepped surfaces.
[0214] Each of the memory stack structures 55 comprises a vertical
stack of memory elements located at each level of the electrically
conductive layers (146, 246). A subset of the electrically
conductive layers (146, 246) may comprise word lines for the memory
elements. The semiconductor devices in the underlying peripheral
device region 700 may comprise word line switch devices configured
to control a bias voltage to respective word lines. The
memory-level assembly is located over the substrate semiconductor
layer 9. The memory-level assembly includes at least one
alternating stack (132, 146, 232, 246) and memory stack structures
55 vertically extending through the at least one alternating stack
(132, 146, 232, 246).
[0215] Referring to FIGS. 19A-19G, a photoresist layer may be
applied over the first exemplary structure and lithographically
patterned to form narrow openings that extend from one side ("Side
1") of each vertically alternating sequence of insulating layers
(132, 232) and the dielectric spacer plates (142', 242') to another
side ("Side 2") of each vertically alternating sequence. The
pattern in the photoresist layer may be transferred through a
subset of the electrically conductive layers (146, 246) that are
located at the drain select levels to form drain-select-level
trenches. Each second electrically conductive layer 246 located at
the drain select levels are divided into multiple strips by the
drain-select-level trenches. The photoresist layer may be removed,
for example, by ashing.
[0216] A dielectric fill material may be conformally deposited in
the backside trenches 79, the barrier cavities 179', the discrete
via cavities 279', and the drain-select-level trenches. The
dielectric fill material may include a conformal dielectric
material and/or a reflowable dielectric material. For example, the
dielectric fill material may include silicon oxide. Excess portions
of the dielectric fill material overlying the first contact level
dielectric layer 280 may be removed by a planarization process,
which may include chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) and/or a
recess etch.
[0217] Each remaining portion of the dielectric fill material that
fills a backside trench 79 constitutes a dielectric backside trench
fill structure 76, which laterally extends extending along the
first horizontal direction hd1 and vertically extends through each
layer within a neighboring pair of alternating stacks {(132, 146),
(232, 246)} of insulating layers (132, 232) and electrically
conductive layers (146, 246). Each remaining portion of the
dielectric fill material that fills a barrier trench 179
constitutes a dielectric fill material portion 176, which laterally
extends extending along the first horizontal direction hd1 and
vertically extends through each layer within an alternating stack
{(132, 146), (232, 246)} of insulating layers (132, 232) and
electrically conductive layers (146, 246). Each set of a dielectric
fill material portion 176 and a dielectric liner that fills a
barrier trench constitutes a dielectric wall structure (274, 176).
Each pair of dielectric wall structures (274, 176) has a greater
lateral extent a pair of lengthwise sidewalls of dielectric spacer
plates (142', 242') within an adjoining vertically alternating
sequence of insulating layers (132, 232) and the dielectric spacer
plates (142', 242').
[0218] Each remaining portion of the dielectric fill material that
fills a discrete via cavity 279' constitutes a dielectric pillar
structure 276, which vertically extends through each layer within
an alternating stack {(132, 146), (232, 246)} of insulating layers
(132, 232) and electrically conductive layers (146, 246). Each
remaining portion of the dielectric fill material that fills the
drain-select-level trenches constitutes a drain-select-level
isolation structure 72. The drain-select-level isolation structures
72 vertically extend through a subset of layers within the
alternating stack of insulating layers (132, 232) and composite
layers (146, 142', 246, 242'). The subset of layers that the
drain-select-level isolation structures 72 extend through includes
a topmost one of the composite layers (146, 142', 246, 242').
[0219] The drain-select-level isolation structures 72 divide each
second electrically conductive layer 246 at the drain select levels
into multiple electrically conductive strips that are electrically
isolated from one another. Thus, the drain-select-level isolation
structures 72 divide an electrically conductive layer 246 within
the topmost one of the composite layers (146, 142', 246, 242') into
multiple electrically conductive strips that are electrically
isolated from one another. In one embodiment, each of the multiple
electrically conductive strips of the second electrically
conductive layer(s) 246 at the drain select level(s) laterally
extends continuously from a first side ("Side 1") of the vertically
alternating sequence of insulating layers (132, 232) and dielectric
spacer plates (142', 242'), between a respective backside trench
179 and a respective one of the dielectric wall structures (274,
176), and to a second side ("Side 2") of the vertically alternating
sequence that is laterally spaced from the first side along the
first horizontal direction hd1. The drain-select-level trenches
generally extend along the first horizontal direction hd1 with a
contour or lateral shift around the dielectric wall structures
(274, 176) and the vertically alternating sequence of insulating
layers (132, 232) and the dielectric spacer plates (142',
242').
[0220] At least one of the drain-select-level isolation structures
72 comprises a first dielectric material segment 721 that has a
uniform width and extends along the first horizontal direction hd1,
a second dielectric material segment 722 that extends along the
first horizontal direction hd1 and is laterally offset from the
first dielectric material segment 721 by a lateral offset distance,
and a connection dielectric material segment 723 connecting the
first dielectric material segment 721 and the second dielectric
material segment 722 and extending horizontally along a horizontal
direction that is at an angle in a range from 15 degrees to 75
degrees with respect to the first horizontal direction hd1. In some
embodiments, each of the pair of dielectric wall structures (274,
176) comprises angled sidewalls located within a respective
vertical plane that is at an angle in a range from 15 degrees to 75
degrees with respect to a vertical plane including the first
horizontal direction hd1 as illustrated in FIG. 19F.
[0221] Memory stack structures 55 vertically extend through a
respective alternating stack {(132, 146) and/or (232, 246)} of
insulating layers (132, 232) and electrically conductive layers
(146, 246). Each of the memory stack structures 55 comprises a
respective memory film 50 and a respective vertical semiconductor
channel 60. A source region (112, 114, 116) is electrically
connected to a first end of each of the vertical semiconductor
channels 60, and drain regions is electrically connected to a
second end of a respective one of the vertical semiconductor
channels 60.
[0222] Referring to FIGS. 20A-20F, a photoresist layer may be
applied over the first contact level dielectric layer 280, and may
be lithographically patterned in areas of the dielectric spacer
plates (142', 242'), which are contained in vertically alternating
sequences of insulating layers (132, 232) and the dielectric spacer
plates (142', 242') and located between a respective pair of
dielectric wall structures (274, 176). An anisotropic etch process
may be performed to etch through the portions of the vertically
alternating sequences {(132, 232), (142', 242')} that are not
masked by the photoresist layer. Contact via cavities are formed
through memory-level material portions of the first exemplary
structure, which are herein referred to as through-memory-level
contact via cavities (487, 587). The through-memory-level contact
via cavities (487, 587) include first through-memory-level contact
via cavities 587 that extends through the vertically alternating
sequences {(132, 232), (142', 242')} of insulating layers (132,
232) and dielectric spacer plates (142', 242'), and second
through-memory-level contact via cavities 487 that extends through
the retro-stepped dielectric material portions (165, 265). The
first through-memory-level contact via cavities 587 may vertically
extend through each layer within the vertically alternating
sequences {(132, 232), (142', 242'). The first through-memory-level
contact via cavities 587 may include interconnect contact via
cavities that extend through the at least one second dielectric
layer 768 to top surfaces of a respective lower-level metal
interconnect structure 780, and source contact via cavities that
extend to the source contact layer 114.
[0223] Referring to FIGS. 21A-21H, at least one conductive material
may be deposited in each of the first through-memory-level contact
via cavities 587 and the second through-memory-level contact via
cavities 487 by at least one conformal deposition process. Excess
portions of the at least one conductive material may be removed
from above the top surface of the first contact level dielectric
layer 280 by a planarization process such as a recess etch or a
chemical mechanical planarization process. Each remaining portion
of the at least one conductive material in the first
through-memory-level contact via cavities 587 constitutes a first
through-memory-level interconnection via structure 588. The first
through-memory-level interconnection via structures 588 may include
interconnect contact via structures 588A that extend through the at
least one second dielectric layer 768 and contact top surfaces of a
respective lower-level metal interconnect structure 780, and source
contact via structures 588B that extend to, and contact, the source
contact layer 114. The second through-memory-level interconnection
via structures 488 may extend through the retro-stepped dielectric
material portions (165, 265) and may contact a respective one of
the lower-level metal interconnect structures 780.
[0224] If the barrier trenches 179 described above with respect to
FIGS. 11A-11F have at least one contoured sidewall having a
curvature in a horizontal cross-sectional view that is adjoined to
a pair of lengthwise sidewalls that extend along the first
horizontal direction hd1, then the embodiment structure shown in
FIG. 21G results. In this embodiment, the dielectric wall
structures (176, 274) each have at least one end portion that
extends at an angle of than 90 degrees, such as 15 to 75 degrees,
for example 30 to 60 degrees in a horizontal cross-sectional view
with respect to the middle portion of the dielectric wall
structures that extends along the first horizontal direction hd1.
The end portions partially pinch off the regions between the pair
of dielectric wall structures.
[0225] Referring to FIG. 22, a second contact level dielectric
layer 282 may be formed over the first contact level dielectric
layer 280. The second contact level dielectric layer 282 includes a
dielectric material such as silicon oxide, and may have a thickness
in a range from 100 nm to 600 nm, although lesser and greater
thicknesses may also be used.
[0226] A photoresist layer (not shown) may be applied over the
second contact level dielectric layer 282, and may be
lithographically patterned to form various contact via openings.
For example, openings for forming drain contact via structures may
be formed in the memory array region 100, and openings for forming
staircase region contact via structures may be formed in the
staircase region 200. An anisotropic etch process is performed to
transfer the pattern in the photoresist layer through the second
and first contact level dielectric layers (282, 280) and underlying
dielectric material portions. The drain regions 63 and the
electrically conductive layers (146, 246) may be used as etch stop
structures. Drain contact via cavities may be formed over each
drain region 63, and staircase-region contact via cavities may be
formed over each electrically conductive layer (146, 246) at the
stepped surfaces underlying the first and second retro-stepped
dielectric material portions (165, 265). The photoresist layer may
be subsequently removed, for example, by ashing.
[0227] Drain contact via structures 88 are formed in the drain
contact via cavities and on a top surface of a respective one of
the drain regions 63. Staircase-region contact via structures 86
are formed in the staircase-region contact via cavities and on a
top surface of a respective one of the electrically conductive
layers (146, 246). The staircase-region contact via structures 86
may include drain select level contact via structures that contact
a subset of the second electrically conductive layers 246 that
function as drain select level gate electrodes. Further, the
staircase-region contact via structures 86 may include word line
contact via structures that contact electrically conductive layers
(146, 246) that underlie the drain select level gate electrodes and
function as word lines for the memory stack structures 55.
Interconnection via structures 286 may be formed on top of a
respective one of the through-memory-level interconnection via
structures (488, 588).
[0228] At least one additional dielectric layer may be formed over
the contact level dielectric layers (280, 282), and additional
metal interconnect structures (herein referred to as upper-level
metal interconnect structures) may be formed in the at least one
additional dielectric layer. For example, the at least one
additional dielectric layer may include a line-level dielectric
layer 290 that is formed over the contact level dielectric layers
(280, 282). The upper-level metal interconnect structures may
include bit lines 98 contacting a respective one of the drain
contact via structures 88. Further, the upper-level metal
interconnect structures may include interconnection line structures
96 contacting, and/or electrically connected to, at least one of
the staircase-region contact via structures 86 or the
interconnection via structures 286. he bit lines 98 may be
electrically connected to a respective subset of the drain regions
63. In one embodiment, the electrically conductive layers (146,
246) may laterally extend along the first horizontal direction hd1
and may have a uniform width along the second horizontal direction
hd2. The bit lines 98 may laterally extend along the second
horizontal direction hd2.
[0229] In one embodiment, the three-dimensional memory device
comprises a monolithic three-dimensional NAND memory device, the
electrically conductive strips (146, 246) comprise, or are
electrically connected to, a respective word line of the monolithic
three-dimensional NAND memory device, the semiconductor substrate 8
comprises a silicon substrate, the monolithic three-dimensional
NAND memory device comprises an array of monolithic
three-dimensional NAND strings over the silicon substrate, and at
least one memory cell in a first device level of the array of
monolithic three-dimensional NAND strings is located over another
memory cell in a second device level of the array of monolithic
three-dimensional NAND strings. The silicon substrate may contain
an integrated circuit comprising a driver circuit for the memory
device located thereon, the electrically conductive strips (146,
246) comprise a plurality of control gate electrodes having a strip
shape extending substantially parallel to the top surface of the
semiconductor substrate 8, the plurality of control gate electrodes
comprise at least a first control gate electrode located in the
first device level and a second control gate electrode located in
the second device level. The array of monolithic three-dimensional
NAND strings comprises a plurality of vertical semiconductor
channels 60, wherein at least one end portion of each of the
plurality of vertical semiconductor channels 60 extends
substantially perpendicular to a top surface of the semiconductor
substrate 8, and one of the plurality of semiconductor channels
including the vertical semiconductor channel 60. The array of
monolithic three-dimensional NAND strings comprises a plurality of
charge storage elements (comprising portions of the memory films
50), each charge storage element located adjacent to a respective
one of the plurality of vertical semiconductor channels 60.
[0230] Referring to all drawings and according to various
embodiments of the present disclosure, a three-dimensional memory
device is provided, which comprises: field effect transistors
located over a semiconductor substrate 8 including the substrate
semiconductor layer 9; lower-level metal interconnect structures
780 formed within lower-level dielectric material layers 760 that
overlie the field effect transistors; an alternating stack of
insulating layers (132, 232) and composite layers {(146, 142'),
(246, 242')} located over the lower-level metal interconnect
structures 780 and between a pair of backside trenches 79 that
laterally extend along a first horizontal direction hd1, wherein
each of the composite layers {(146, 142'), (246, 242')} comprises a
respective electrically conductive layer (146, 246) and a
respective dielectric spacer plate (142', 242'), and a vertically
alternating sequence of the insulating plates (132', 232') and the
dielectric spacer plates (142', 242') is provided within a region
including the dielectric spacer plates (142', 242'); memory stack
structures 55 vertically extending through the alternating stack
{132, 232, (146, 142'), (246, 242')}; a pair of dielectric wall
structures (274, 176) vertically extending through each layer
within the alternating stack {132, 232, (146, 142'), (246, 242')}
which do not contact other through another dielectric wall
structure, wherein a vertically alternating sequence of the
insulating plates (132', 232') and the dielectric spacer plates
(142', 242') is located between the pair of dielectric wall
structures (274, 176); and at least one conductive via structure
588 vertically extending through the vertically alternating
sequence {132, 232, 142', 242')} and contacting a top surface of a
respective one of the lower-level metal interconnect structures
780.
[0231] In one embodiment, the pair of dielectric wall structures
(274, 176) are discrete and unconnected, which means that there is
no path from one dielectric wall structure of the pair to the other
dielectric wall structure of the pair through another dielectric
wall structure. In other words, the pair of dielectric wall
structures do not completely surround the alternating sequence of
the insulating plates (132', 232') and the dielectric spacer plates
(142', 242'), and the alternating sequence of the insulating plates
(132', 232') and the dielectric spacer plates (142', 242') are not
completely surrounded by dielectric wall structures (176, 274).
[0232] In one embodiment, each of the dielectric wall structures
(274, 176) includes a respective uniform-width region that
laterally extend along the first horizontal direction hd1 with a
respective uniform width along a second horizontal direction hd2
that is perpendicular to the first horizontal direction hd1. In one
embodiment, each of the dielectric spacer plates (142', 242')
comprises lengthwise sidewalls that extend along the first
horizontal direction hd1 and contacts a respective one of the pair
of dielectric wall structures (274, 176). In one embodiment, each
of the pair of dielectric wall structures (274, 176) has a greater
lateral extent than the pair of lengthwise sidewalls of the
dielectric spacer plates (142', 242').
[0233] In one embodiment, the pair of dielectric wall structures
(274, 176) has a same lateral extent along the first horizontal
direction hd1. In one embodiment, the pair of dielectric wall
structures (274, 176) are laterally offset along the second
horizontal direction hd2 from a respective proximal backside trench
79 selected from the pair of backside trenches 79 by unequal
lateral trench-to-dielectric spacings (as illustrated in FIG. 21D);
and a dielectric wall structure (274, 176) of the pair of
dielectric wall structures (274, 176) having a greater
trench-to-sidewall spacing has a lateral extent along the first
horizontal direction hd1 that is less than a lateral extent along
the first horizontal direction hd1 for a dielectric wall structure
(274, 176) of the pair of dielectric wall structures (274, 176)
having a lesser trench-to-sidewall spacing.
[0234] In one embodiment, each of the pair of dielectric wall
structures (274, 176) comprises angled sidewalls located within a
respective vertical plane that is at an angle in a range from 15
degrees to 75 degrees with respect to a vertical plane including
the first horizontal direction hd1.
[0235] In one embodiment, each of the pair of dielectric wall
structures (274, 176) is located within a respective elongated
trench that vertically extends through each layer of the
alternating stack {132, 232, (146, 142'), (246, 242')} and having a
greater lateral dimension along the first horizontal direction hd1
than along the second horizontal direction hd2.
[0236] In one embodiment, each of the dielectric wall structures
(274, 176) comprises: a respective dielectric liner 274 comprising
a dielectric material having a different material composition than
the dielectric spacer plates (142', 242'); and a dielectric fill
material formed within the respective dielectric liner 274 and
constituting a dielectric fill material portion 176. In one
embodiment, the insulating layers (132, 232) comprise a silicon
oxide material; the dielectric liner 274 comprises a material
selected from silicon oxide and a dielectric metal oxide; and the
dielectric spacer plates (142', 242') comprise silicon nitride.
[0237] In one embodiment, drain-select-level isolation structures
72 may vertically extend through a subset of layers within the
alternating stack {132, 232, (146, 142'), (246, 242')} including a
topmost one of the composite layers {(146, 142'), (246, 242')},
wherein the drain-select-level isolation structures 72 divide an
electrically conductive layer 246 within the topmost one of the
composite layers {(146, 142'), (246, 242')} into multiple
electrically conductive strips that are electrically isolated from
one another. In one embodiment, each of the multiple electrically
conductive strips laterally extends continuously from a first side
of the vertically alternating sequence {132, 232, 142', 242')},
between a respective one of the pair of backside trenches 79 and a
respective one of the dielectric wall structures (274, 176), and to
a second side of the vertically alternating sequence {132, 232,
142', 242')} that is laterally spaced from the first side along the
first horizontal direction hd1.
[0238] A semiconductor material layer (such as a source contact
layer 114) may be located between the lower-level dielectric
material layers 760 and the alternating stack {132, 232, (146,
142'), (246, 242')}, wherein: each of the memory stack structures
55 comprises a vertical semiconductor channel 60 and a memory film
50; and each sidewall of the pair of dielectric wall structures
(274, 176) vertically extend straight from a topmost layer of the
alternating stack {132, 232, (146, 142'), (246, 242')} to a
bottommost layer of the alternating stack {132, 232, (146, 142'),
(246, 242')}.
[0239] In one embodiment, the semiconductor material layer
comprises an opening that underlies the vertically alternating
sequence {132, 232, 142', 242')}; and the at least one conductive
via structure 588 vertically extends through, and contacts, a
dielectric material located within the opening in the semiconductor
material layer.
[0240] The various embodiments of the present disclosure may be
used to provide a liner-less contact via structure that extends
through the memory levels within the memory array region 100.
Specifically, the first through-memory-level interconnection via
structure 588 do not utilize a dielectric liner because the
vertically alternating sequence {132, 232, 142', 242')} functions
as an insulating matrix that electrically isolates each of the
first through-memory-level interconnection via structure 588 from
the electrically conductive layers (146, 246). The first
through-memory-level interconnection via structure 588 may be
formed with minimal modifications to a process flow for forming a
three-dimensional memory device, while providing higher areal
efficiency and reduced process cost. By providing the liner-less
contact via structure, the wiring connections to semiconductor
devices 710 in the underlying peripheral device region 700 may be
formed at a lower cost, simplifying the fabrication process and
providing the ability to reduce the pitch of the structures.
Furthermore, since the alternating sequence of the insulating
plates (132', 232') and the dielectric spacer plates (142', 242')
are not completely surrounded by dielectric wall structures, more
space is available to form memory stack structures 55, there is
less likelihood of pattern collapse and over etching at the corners
of the barrier trenches. Furthermore, stress is mitigated, which
can reduce or prevent insulating layer 32 deflection.
[0241] Referring to FIGS. 23A-23F, a second exemplary structure
according to an embodiment of the present disclosure can be derived
from the first exemplary structure of FIG. 10 by forming a first
contact level dielectric layer 280, backside trenches 79, and moat
trenches 379. FIGS. 23A and 23E illustrate a first configuration of
the second exemplary structure. FIGS. 23B and 23F illustrate a
second configuration of the second exemplary structure. FIGS. 23C
and 23D illustrate both configurations of the second exemplary
structure. The first configuration and the second configuration
differ by locations of the moat trenches 379. The first
configuration and the second configuration of the second exemplary
structure may be implemented alternatively or concurrently. In
other words, the moat trenches 379 may be formed in the memory
array region 100 as shown in the first configuration of FIGS. 23A
and 23E, or may be formed in the staircase region 200 as shown in
the second configuration of FIGS. 23B and 23F, or a first subset of
the moat trenches 379 can be formed in the memory array region 100
and a second subset of the moat trenches 379 can be formed in the
staircase region 200.
[0242] Because the second exemplary structure is derived from the
first exemplary structure, the processing steps of FIGS. 1A-10 can
be employed to provide the second exemplary structure of the first
and second configurations. It is understood that any arbitrary
number of drain-select-level isolation structures 72 can be
provided between any neighboring pair of backside trenches 79. The
number of drain-select-level isolation structures 72 is a layout
parameter. Further, the number of rows of memory opening fill
structures between each neighboring pair of drain-select-level
isolation structures 72 or backside trenches 79 is a layout
parameter that may be optimized to enhance design performance.
While the first configuration is illustrated with a single
drain-select-level isolation structure 72 between each neighboring
pair of backside trenches 79 and the second configuration is
illustrated with four drain-select-level isolation structures 72
between each neighboring pair of backside trenches 79, layout
variations with different number of drain-select-level isolation
structures 72 between each neighboring pair of backside trenches
and/or with different number of rows of memory opening fill
structures 58 are expressly contemplated herein. The
drain-select-level isolation structures 72 are omitted in FIGS. 23A
and 23B for clarity.
[0243] Generally, the substrate 8 (shown, for example, in FIG. 10)
can comprise a semiconductor substrate, and field effect
transistors may be formed on the semiconductor substrate.
Lower-level metal interconnect structures 780 embedded within
lower-level dielectric material layers 760 may be formed over the
substrate 8 as shown in FIG. 10. The lower-level metal interconnect
structures 780 (shown, for example, in FIG. 10) can be electrically
connected to a respective one of the field effect transistors.
In-process source-level material layers 10' can be formed over the
substrate 8. The in-process source-level material layers 10' can
comprise, for example, a source-level sacrificial layer 104, for
example, as illustrated in FIG. 1C. At least one alternating stack
of insulating layers (132, 232) and sacrificial material layers
(142, 242) including dielectric materials can be formed over the
source-level material layers 10 as described above. Stepped
surfaces can be formed on each alternating stack by patterning each
alternating stack in a staircase region 200, for example, employing
the processing steps of FIGS. 3, 6A, and 6B. A dielectric material
portion (such as the first retro-stepped dielectric material
portion 165 and the second retro-stepped dielectric material
portion 265) can be formed adjacent to a respective alternating
stack and on the substrate 8. Memory stack structures 55 can be
formed through each alternating stack as in the first
embodiment.
[0244] The backside trenches 79 and the moat trench 379 can be
formed through the alternating stack {(132, 142), (232, 242)} of
insulating layers (132, 232) and sacrificial material layers (142,
242) that include a dielectric material (such as silicon nitride).
For example, a photoresist layer (not shown) can be applied over
the second insulating cap layer 270 and can be lithographically
patterned with patterns of the backside trenches 79 and the moat
trenches 379, and the pattern in the photoresist layer can be
transferred through the alternating stack {(132, 142), (232, 242)},
the optional source-select-level conductive layer 118, the
source-level insulating layer 117, the upper source-level
semiconductor layer 116, and the upper sacrificial liner 105 such
that the source-level sacrificial layer 104 is physically exposed
at the bottom of each backside trench 79. A top surface of the
source-level sacrificial layer 104 may be physically exposed at the
bottom of each moat trench 379.
[0245] Each moat trench 379 has a continuous outer periphery and a
continuous inner periphery. The continuous outer periphery of each
moat trench 379 can have a first rectangular shape or a first
rounded rectangular shape. The continuous inner periphery of each
moat trench 379 can have a second rectangular shape or a second
rounded rectangular shape that is located entirely within the first
rectangular shape or the first rounded rectangular shape. Portions
of the insulating layers (132, 232) surrounded by each moat trench
constitute insulating plates (132', 232'). The insulating plates
(132', 232') include first insulating plates 132' formed by
remaining portions of the first insulating layers 132 and second
insulating plates 232' formed by remaining portions of the second
insulating layers 232. Portions of the sacrificial material layers
(142, 242) surrounded by each moat trench 379 constitute dielectric
spacer plates (142', 242'). The dielectric spacer plates (142',
242') include first dielectric spacer plates 142' formed by
remaining portions of the first sacrificial material layers 142 and
second dielectric spacer plates 242' formed by remaining portions
of the second sacrificial material layers 242. A vertically
alternating sequence of the insulating plates (132', 232') and the
dielectric spacer plates (142', 242') is provided surrounded by
each moat trench 379.
[0246] The moat trenches 379 can be formed in the memory array
region 100 as illustrated in the first configuration of FIGS. 23A
and 23E, and/or can be formed in the staircase region 200 as
illustrated in the second configuration of FIGS. 23B and 23F. In
case a moat trench 379 is formed in the memory array region 100 as
illustrated in FIGS. 23A and 23E, the moat trench 379 is formed
through each layer within the alternating stack {(132, 142), (232,
242)}. The total number of insulating plates (132', 232') within a
vertically alternating sequence of the insulating plates (132',
232') and the dielectric spacer plates (142', 242') can be the same
as the total number of insulating layers (132, 232) within the
alternating stack {(132, 142), (232, 242)}, and the total number of
dielectric spacer plates (142', 242') within the vertically
alternating sequence of the insulating plates (132', 232') and the
dielectric spacer plates (142', 242') can be the same as the total
number of sacrificial material layers (142, 222) within the
alternating stack {(132, 142), (232, 242)}.
[0247] In case a moat trench 379 is formed in the staircase region
200 as illustrated in FIGS. 23B and 23F, the moat trench 379 can be
formed through a portion of the dielectric material portion such as
the second retro-stepped dielectric material portion 265 and/or the
first retro-stepped dielectric material portion 165. In one
embodiment, a topmost one of the sacrificial material layers (142,
242) (such as a topmost second sacrificial material layer 242)
within the alternating stack {(132, 242), (232, 242)} is laterally
spaced from, and is not physically exposed to, a moat trench 379.
The dielectric material portion includes stepped bottom surfaces
that contact the stepped surfaces on the alternating stack {(132,
242), (232, 242)}. A moat trench 379 can laterally enclose a
patterned sub-portion of the dielectric material portion over the
vertically alternating sequence {(132', 142', 232', 242')}.
[0248] In one embodiment, the backside trenches 79 can laterally
extend along a first horizontal direction (e.g., word line
direction) hd1, and the backside trenches 79 can be laterally
spaced apart along a second horizontal direction (e.g., bit line
direction) hd2 that is perpendicular to the first horizontal
direction hd1. In one embodiment, a moat trench 379 can comprise a
pair of lengthwise outer sidewalls that extend along the first
horizontal direction hd1, a pair of lengthwise inner sidewalls that
extend along the first horizontal direction hd1, a pair of
widthwise outer sidewalls that extend along the second horizontal
direction hd2, and a pair of widthwise inner sidewalls that extend
along the second horizontal direction hd2.
[0249] Referring to FIGS. 24A-24C, a dielectric liner 274 may be
formed by a conformal deposition in the backside trenches 79, in
the moat trenches 379, and over the first contact level dielectric
layer 280. The dielectric liner 274 may include a dielectric
material that is different from the dielectric material of the
sacrificial material layers (142, 242). For example, the dielectric
liner 274 may include silicon oxide or a dielectric metal oxide
(such as aluminum oxide). The thickness of the dielectric liner 274
may be in a range from 4 nm to 40 nm, although lesser and greater
thicknesses may also be used. An unfilled volume is present within
each backside trench 79, which is herein referred to as a backside
cavity 79'. An unfilled volume is present within each moat trench
379, which is herein referred to as a moat cavity 379'.
[0250] Referring to FIGS. 25A-25C, a photoresist layer 607 may be
applied over the first exemplary structure, and may be
lithographically patterned to cover the moat trenches 379 and the
discrete via openings 279 (if present) without covering the
backside trenches 79. A backside cavity 79' that is not filled
within the photoresist layer 607 may be present within each
backside trench 79.
[0251] Referring to FIGS. 26A-26C, an isotropic etch process may be
performed to remove portions of the dielectric liner 274 that are
not masked by the photoresist layer 607. The dielectric liner 274
may be divided into multiple dielectric liners 274 located between
a respective neighboring pair of backside trenches 79 and covering
a subset of the moat trenches 379 between the respective
neighboring pair of backside trenches 79. A top surface of the
source-level sacrificial layer 104 may be physically exposed at the
bottom of each backside trench 79. Further, sidewalls of insulating
layers (132, 232) and sacrificial material layers (142, 242) may be
physically exposed around each backside trench 79.
[0252] Referring to FIGS. 27A-27C, the photoresist layer 607 can be
removed, for example, by ashing. Sidewalls of each moat trench 379
can be covered with a respective dielectric liner 274, and
sidewalls of each backside trench 79 can be physically exposed.
[0253] Subsequently, processing steps of FIGS. 15B-15E and 16 can
be subsequently formed to replace the source-level sacrificial
layer 104 and the upper and lower sacrificial liners (105, 103)
with a source contact layer 114, and to form dielectric
semiconductor oxide plates. For example, the source-level
sacrificial layer 104 can be removed by applying an isotropic
etchant that etches the material of the source-level sacrificial
layer 104 selective to materials of the alternating stack {(132,
142), (232, 242)} through the backside trenches 79 as illustrated
in FIG. 15B. A source cavity 109 is formed in a volume from which
the source-level sacrificial layer 104 is removed. Sidewalls of the
vertical semiconductor channels 60 are physically exposed by
removing portions of the memory films 50 around the source cavity
109 as illustrated in FIG. 15C. The source contact layer 114 is
formed in the source cavity 109 directly on physically exposed
sidewalls of the vertical semiconductor channels 10 as illustrated
in FIG. 15D. The source-level material layers 10 can be formed by
replacing the source-level sacrificial layer 104 with a source
contact layer 114 as illustrated in FIG. 15D. The processing steps
of FIGS. 15E and 16 can be subsequently formed.
[0254] Referring to FIGS. 28A-28C, the processing steps of FIGS.
17A-17E can be performed. Portions of the sacrificial material
layers (142, 242) adjacent to the backside trenches 79 can be
isotropically etched selective to the insulating layers (132, 232)
by introducing an isotropic etchant into the backside trenches 79
while the moat trenches 379 are covered by the dielectric liners
274. Backside recesses (143, 243) are formed in volumes from which
portions of the sacrificial material layers (142, 242) are removed.
The backside recesses (143, 243) can laterally extend to outer
sidewalls of a respective dielectric liner 274 that contacted
patterned portions of the insulating layers (132, 232) located
outside a respective moat trench 379.
[0255] Referring to FIGS. 29A-29C, the processing steps of FIG. 18
can be performed to form electrically conductive layers (146, 246)
in the backside recesses (143, 243). First electrically conductive
layers 146 are formed in the first backside recesses 143, and
second electrically conductive layers 246 are formed in the second
backside recesses 243. Portions of the sacrificial material layers
(142, 242) outside each moat trench 379 can be replaced with
electrically conductive layers (146, 246) without replacing the
vertically alternating sequence of the insulating plates (132',
232') and the dielectric spacer plates (142', 242').
[0256] Referring to FIGS. 30A-30C, the processing steps of FIGS.
19A-19G can be performed to deposit a dielectric fill material in
the backside cavities 79' and the moat cavities 379'. For example,
the dielectric fill material may include silicon oxide. Excess
portions of the dielectric fill material overlying the first
contact level dielectric layer 280 may be removed by a
planarization process, which may include chemical mechanical
planarization (CMP) and/or a recess etch. Each remaining portion of
the dielectric fill material that fills a moat cavity 379'
constitutes a first dielectric fill material portion 376, which
vertically extends through at least two layers within an
alternating stack {(132, 146), (232, 246)} of insulating layers
(132, 232) and electrically conductive layers (146, 246). Each
contiguous set of a first dielectric fill material portion 376 and
a dielectric liner 274 that fills a moat trench 379 constitutes a
dielectric moat trench fill structure (274, 376). Each remaining
portion of the dielectric fill material that fills a backside
trench 79 constitutes a second dielectric fill material portion,
which is herein referred to as a dielectric backside trench fill
structure 76. Each dielectric backside trench fill structure 76
laterally extends along the first horizontal direction hd1 and
vertically extends through each layer within a neighboring pair of
alternating stacks {(132, 146), (232, 246)} of insulating layers
(132, 232) and electrically conductive layers (146, 246). The first
dielectric fill material portions 376 and the second dielectric
fill material portions (i.e., the dielectric backside trench fill
structures 76) can be formed simultaneously in the moat trenches
379 and in the backside trenches 79 employing a same dielectric
material deposition process and a same planarization process.
[0257] Referring to FIGS. 31A-31C, via cavities (587A, 587B, 487)
can be simultaneously formed through each vertically alternating
sequence of insulating plates (132', 232') and dielectric spacer
plates (142', 242') in the memory array region 100 and/or in the
staircase region 200, and through each dielectric material portion
located in the peripheral region 400 between a horizontal plane
including the bottom surface of the bottommost layer of the
alternating stacks of insulating layers (132, 232) and the
electrically conductive layers (146, 246) and a horizontal plane
including the top surface of the topmost layer of the alternating
stacks {(132, 146), (232, 246)}. For example, a photoresist layer
(not shown) can be applied over the first contact level dielectric
layer 280, and can be lithographically patterned to form openings
within the areas of the vertically alternating sequences {(132',
142'), (232', 242')} and within the areas of the peripheral region
400 in which the alternating stacks {(132, 146), (232, 246)} are
absent. An anisotropic etch can be performed to transfer the
pattern of openings in the photoresist layer through the
alternating sequences {(132', 142'), (232', 242')} and through the
dielectric material portions in the peripheral region 400 to form
the via cavities (587A, 587B, 487). The photoresist layer can be
subsequently removed, for example, by ashing.
[0258] The vie cavities (587A, 587B, 487) can include device-region
interconnection via cavities 587A vertically extending through a
respective vertically alternating sequence of insulating plates
(132', 232') and dielectric spacer plates (142', 242'), through an
upper portion of the lower-level dielectric material layers 760
located within an opening in the source-level material layers 10,
and down to a top surface of a lower-level metal interconnect
structures 780 (such as landing-pad-level metal line structures
788). Alternatively or additionally, the via cavities (587A, 587B,
487) can include source contact via cavities 587B vertically
extending through a respective vertically alternating sequence of
insulating plates (132', 232') and dielectric spacer plates (142',
242') and into the source-level material layers 10. A surface of
the source-level material layers 10 (such as a surface of a source
contact layer 114) can be physically exposed at the bottom of each
source contact via cavity 587B. The via cavities (587A, 587B, 487)
can include peripheral-region interconnection via cavities 487 that
are formed in the peripheral region 400. The device-region
interconnection via cavities 587A and the source contact via
cavities 587B are herein referred to as first through-memory-level
via cavities (587A, 587B). As used herein, a "through-memory-level
via cavity" refers to a via cavity that extends through layers of
the memory levels, i.e., through layers located at levels that
contain memory cells comprising charge storage elements within the
charge storage layers 54.
[0259] The peripheral-region interconnection via cavities 487
vertically extend through the first contact level dielectric layer
280, the second insulating cap layer 270, the second retro-stepped
dielectric material portion 265, the first retro-stepped dielectric
material portion 165, and an upper portion of the lower-level
dielectric material layers 760. Each peripheral-region
interconnection via cavities 487 can vertically extend down to a
top surface of a lower-level metal interconnect structures 780
(such as landing-pad-level metal line structures 788). The
peripheral-region interconnection via cavities 487 are herein
referred to as second through-memory-level via cavities.
[0260] Referring to FIGS. 32A-32F, at least one conductive material
can be deposited in the first through-memory-level via cavities
(587A, 587B) and in the second through-memory-level via cavities
(i.e., the peripheral-region interconnection via cavities 487).
Excess portions of the at least one conductive material can be
removed from above the horizontal plane including the top surface
of the first contact level dielectric layer 280. The at least one
conductive material can include, for example, a metallic nitride
liner material such as TiN, TaN, or WN, and at least one conductive
fill material such as W, Cu, Co, Ru, Mo, a heavily-doped
semiconductor material, or alloys or combinations thereof.
[0261] Each portion of the at least one conductive material
deposited in a first through-memory-level via cavity (587A, 587B)
constitutes a first through-memory-level interconnection via
structure (588A, 588B). The first through-memory-level
interconnection via structures (588A, 588B) include device-region
through-memory-level interconnection via structures 588A that are
formed in the device-region interconnection via cavities 587A and
source contact through-memory-level interconnection via structures
588B that are formed in the source contact via cavities 587B. Each
portion of the at least one conductive material deposited in a
second through-memory-level via cavity 487 constitutes a second
through-memory-level interconnection via structure, which is also
referred to as a peripheral through-memory-level interconnection
via structure 488. Thus, the first through-memory-level
interconnection via structures (588A, 588B) extending through a
vertically alternating sequence {(132', 142'), (232', 242')} inside
a respective moat trench 379 and second through-memory-level
interconnection via structures (i.e., the peripheral
through-memory-level interconnection via structure 488) extending
through the dielectric material portion(s) (such as the second and
first retro-stepped dielectric material portions (265, 165)) can be
simultaneously formed employing a same conductive material
deposition process and a same planarization process.
[0262] In one embodiment, a subset of the first
through-memory-level interconnection via structures (588A, 588B)
(such as the device-region through-memory-level interconnection via
structures 588A) and the second through-memory-level
interconnection via structures (i.e., the peripheral
through-memory-level interconnection via structure 488) can be
formed on a respective one of the lower-level metal interconnect
structures 788.
[0263] Subsequently, upper-level metal interconnect structures
embedded within upper-level dielectric material layers can be
formed over the first through-memory-level interconnection via
structures (588A, 588B) and the second through-memory-level
interconnection via structures (i.e., the peripheral
through-memory-level interconnection via structure 488), for
example, by performing the processing steps of FIG. 22. Each of the
first through-memory-level interconnection via structures (588A,
588B) and the second through-memory-level interconnection via
structures (i.e., the peripheral through-memory-level
interconnection via structure 488) can be electrically connected to
a respective one of the upper-level metal interconnect
structures.
[0264] Simultaneous formation of the first through-memory-level
interconnection via structures (588A, 588B) and the second
through-memory-level interconnection via structures (i.e., the
peripheral through-memory-level interconnection via structure 488)
reduce the processing cost for forming the three-dimensional memory
device of the embodiments of the present disclosure by reducing the
total number of processing steps. Formation of an insulating liner
around any through-memory-level interconnection via structure
(588A, 588B, 488) is not necessary because the dielectric material
portions in the peripheral region 400 and the vertically
alternating sequences of insulating plates (132', 232') and
dielectric spacer plates (142', 242') in the memory array region
100 consist of dielectric materials. Thus, the processing sequences
of embodiments of the present disclosure can provide a low cost
manufacturing solution for three-dimensional memory devices
employing various through-memory-level interconnection via
structures.
[0265] Although the foregoing refers to particular embodiments, it
will be understood that the disclosure is not so limited. It will
occur to those of ordinary skill in the art that various
modifications may be made to the disclosed embodiments and that
such modifications are intended to be within the scope of the
disclosure. Compatibility is presumed among all embodiments that
are not alternatives of one another. The word "comprise" or
"include" contemplates all embodiments in which the word "consist
essentially of" or the word "consists of" replaces the word
"comprise" or "include," unless explicitly stated otherwise. Where
an embodiment using a particular structure and/or configuration is
illustrated in the present disclosure, it is understood that the
present disclosure may be practiced with any other compatible
structures and/or configurations that are functionally equivalent
provided that such substitutions are not explicitly forbidden or
otherwise known to be impossible to one of ordinary skill in the
art. All of the publications, patent applications and patents cited
herein are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
* * * * *