Patent ID: 11955330
Assignee: MICRON TECHNOLOGY, INC.
Field: Semiconductors (Electrical engineering)
Classification: CPC H | IPC H

Claim 15:
16. A microelectronic device, comprising:
a first deck structure comprising levels of an insulative material interleaved with levels of a conductive material;
a second deck structure vertically overlying the first deck structure and comprising additional levels of the insulative material interleaved with additional levels of the conductive material;
an interdeck region between the first deck structure and the second deck structure and comprising further levels of the insulative material and a level of an other insulative material; and
pillars individually vertically extending through the first deck structure, the second deck structure, and the interdeck region, the pillars respectively comprising:
a portion within the interdeck region having variable horizontal diameters that substantially linearly increase from a relatively smaller diameter proximate an upper boundary of the first deck structure to a relatively larger diameter proximate a lower boundary of the second deck structure; and
channel material continuously extending through the first deck structure, the interdeck region, and the second deck structure, a portion of the channel material within the interdeck region comprising:
horizontally oriented surfaces directly vertically adjacent lower boundaries of a dielectric material that surrounds peripheral boundaries of a lowermost one of the additional levels of the conductive material of the second deck structure; and
tapered side surfaces physically contacting the further levels of the insulative material and the level of the other insulative material.