Patent ID: 11901287
Assignee: MICRON TECHNOLOGY, INC.
Field: Semiconductors (Electrical engineering)
Classification: CPC H | IPC H

Claim 19:
20. A method of forming a microelectronic device, the method comprising:
forming a tiered stack on a base structure, the tiered stack comprising a vertically alternating sequence of insulative structures and other structures;
forming stadiums in the tiered stack, each of the stadiums including one or more staircases at least partially defined by horizontal ends of some of the other structures, forming the stadiums in the tiered stack comprising:
defining, in upper elevations of the tiered stack, staircase profiles for the stadiums; and
extending the staircase profiles of at least some of the stadiums to lower elevations within the tiered stack than elevations of the staircase profiles of at least some others of the stadiums;

forming at least one dielectric material within trenches vertically overlying the stadiums;
forming contact openings through the at least one dielectric material, at least one pair of the contact openings vertically extending to a common one of the other structures; and
forming a conductive contact structure in each of the contact openings.