MEMORY DEVICE INCLUDING PREFORMED RECESSES BETWEEN CONTACT STRUCTURES AND CONTROL GATES

• Main Authors: Rajashekharaiah, Mallesh, Xu, Lifang, Lomeli, Nancy M
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 07.12.2023

Some embodiments include apparatuses and methods of forming the apparatuses. One of the apparatuses includes tiers located one over another, the tiers including conductive materials that form part of respective control gates for memory cells of the apparatus; a staircase structure formed in the tiers, the conductive materials including respective portions that collectively form a part of the staircase structure, the staircase structure including a sidewall on a side of the staircase structure; a dielectric liner formed on the sidewall; recesses formed in respective tiers and adjacent the sidewall such that respective portions of the dielectric liner are located in the recesses; and a contact structure extending through a portion of the dielectric liner, wherein the portions of the dielectric liner are between the contract structure and the conductive materials.