Patent ID: 11943923
Assignee: YANGTZE MEMORY TECHNOLOGIES CO., LTD.
Field: Semiconductors (Electrical engineering)
Classification: CPC H | IPC H

Claim 7:
8. A three-dimensional (3D) memory device, comprising:
a stack structure on a substrate, the stack structure comprising a plurality of conductor layers, each of the plurality of conductor layers being insulated from one another by a first composite layer, a second composite layer, and an airgap, wherein the first composite layer and the second composite layer are fully and completely separated by the airgap extending along a lateral direction;
a channel structure extending from a top surface of the stack structure to the substrate along a vertical direction, wherein the channel structure comprises a memory layer between a blocking layer and a tunneling layer, the memory layer comprising a plurality of memory layer segments each being disconnected from one another and corresponding to a respective one of conductor layers, wherein the memory layer, the blocking layer, and the tunneling layer are partially exposed by the airgap; and
a source structure extending from the top surface of the stack structure to the substrate, wherein the source structure comprises a source contact and an insulating structure, and both the source contact and the insulating structure are partially exposed by the airgap.