Memory cells, and methods of forming memory cells

Abstract

Some embodiments include memory cells that contain floating bodies and diodes. The diodes may be gated diodes having sections doped to a same conductivity type as the floating bodies, and such sections of the gated diodes may be electrically connected to the floating bodies. The floating bodies may be adjacent channel regions, and spaced from the channel regions by a dielectric structure. The dielectric structure of a memory cell may have a first portion between the floating body and the diode, and may have a second portion between the floating body and the channel region. The first portion may be more leaky to charge carriers than the second portion. The diodes may be formed in semiconductor material that is different from a semiconductor material that the channel regions are in. The floating bodies may have bulbous lower regions. Some embodiments include methods of making memory cells.

Description

technical field [0001] Memory cells and methods of forming memory cells. Background technique [0002] Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM) is commonly used as fast access memory for computer systems. DRAM has traditionally utilized unit cells containing capacitors in combination with transistors. In such conventional designs, the state of charge of the capacitor is used to store and sense a memory bit. [0003] Higher performance, lower cost, increased miniaturization of components, and greater packing density of integrated circuits are ongoing goals of the computer industry. In pursuit of miniaturization, the capacitor / transistor combination of conventional DRAM memory cells has been continuously redesigned to achieve higher and higher levels of integration. However, reducing the size of DRAM capacitors while still maintaining sufficient capacitance to reliably store memory bits is becoming increasingly difficult. [0004] The difficulty of reducing the size of DRAM cap...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

[0005] Although capacitor-less memory devices show promise for eventually replacing conventional DRAM memory cells, there are currently a number of difficulties encountered when attempting to utilize capacitor-free memory devices

One of the difficulties is that capacitorless memory devices tend to be much more leaky than conventional capacitor / transistor memory cells, which means that capacitorless memory devices need to be refreshed at a higher rate than conventional memory cells

Higher refresh rates result in higher power consumption that can drain the battery, and / or cause undesired heating

Another of the difficulties associated with capacitor-less memory devices is that the charge storage components of such devices tend to be more difficult to charge than the capacitors of traditional DRAMs, which can lead to excessive power consumption, severe reliability issues, and / or inadequate devices. performance

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