Semiconductor memory

Abstract: A pair of load transistors (Q₃, Q₄) of a flip-flop circuit constituting a memory cell consist of thin film transistors, and channel regions (19, 22) of the pair of load transistors (Q₃, Q₄) overlap drain regions (20, 23) of the load transistors (Q₃, Q₄) through a gate insulating film (21). For this reason, a channel length of the load transistors (Q₃, Q₄) can be sufficiently increased, and a leakage current of the load transistor (Q₃, Q₄) can be reduced.

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a semiconductor memory and, more particularly, to a semiconductor memory which is preferably applied to a full CMOS static RAM. Description of the Prior Art In a stacked full CMOS static RAM obtained by stacking a load transistor consisting of a thin film transistor (TFT) on a driver transistor, low power consumption and good data retention characteristics can be obtained, and an integration density can be increased by stacking transistors. Therefore, the static RAM has received a great deal of attention in recent years. A stacked full CMOS static RAM having a structure obtained by stacking load transistors consisting of TFTs on the gate electrode of a driver transistor using the gate electrode in common is proposed (Nikkei Micro Device, September issue, 1988, pp. 123 - 130). A stacked full CMOS static RAM in which the gate electrode of a driver transistor and the gate electrode of a load transistor consisting of a TFT are independently formed to make the channel length of the load transistor to be longer than the channel length of the driver transistor is proposed (IEDM, 1988, pp. 48 - 51). In the conventional stacked full CMOS static RAM including a structure obtained by stacking a load transistor consisting of a TFT on a driver transistor so as to use a gate electrode in common, since the load transistor has an offset gate structure, a leakage current of the load transistor can be suppressed. However, the leakage current can not be satisfactorily reduced. In the conventional stacked full CMOS static RAM in which the gate electrode of the driver transistor and the gate electrode of the load transistor are independently formed so as to increase the channel length of the load transistor, a channel length of 1.5 µm or more required for reducing a leakage current is difficult to assure. OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a semiconductor memory capable of largely reducing a leakage current of the load transistor by increasing a channel length of the load transistor consisting of a TFT. According to the semiconductor memory of the present invention, since a pair of load transistors of a second conductivity type are formed by semiconductor thin films such that channel regions and the drain regions of the pair of load transistors of the second conductivity type entirely overlap through a gate insulating film, the drain region of one load transistor is used as the gate electrode of the other load transistor. For this reason, since the gate length of the load transistor can be sufficiently increased, a leakage current of the load transistor can be largely reduced. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is a circuit diagram showing an equivalent circuit of a memory cell of a full CMOS static RAM; Fig. 2 is a plan view showing a stacked full CMOS static RAM according to the first embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 3 is a sectional view showing the static RAM along a line III - III in Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a plan view showing a stacked full CMOS static RAM according to the second embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 5 is a sectional view showing the static RAM along a line V - V in Fig. 4; Fig. 6 is a plan view showing a semiconductor substrate for manufacturing the static RAM according to the second embodiment; Fig. 7 is a plan view showing a stacked full CMOS static RAM according to the third embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 8 is a side sectional view showing the static RAM along a line VIII - VIII in Fig. 7; Fig. 9 is a schematic view showing a memory cell according to the first embodiment; and Fig. 10 is a sectional view showing the memory cell along a line X - X in Fig. 9. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The first to third embodiments will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. An arrangement of a memory cell of a full CMOS static RAM will be described first. As shown in Fig. 1, the memory cell of the full CMOS static RAM comprises a flip-flop circuit including a pair of driver transistors Q₁ and Q₂ and a pair of load transistors Q₃ and Q₄, and a pair of access transistors Q₅ and Q₆ for exchanging data with the outside of the cell. Reference symbol WL denotes a word line, and reference symbols BL and BL denote bit lines. Reference symbols V DD and V SS denote power sources. A practical structure of a stacked full CMOS static RAM according to the first embodiment will be described below. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, in the first embodiment, a field insulating film 2 such as an SiO₂ film is selectively formed on the surface of a semiconductor substrate 1 such as a p-type silicon (Si) substrate to isolate elements from each other. A p⁺-channel stop region 3 is formed below the field insulating film 2. A gate insulating film 4 such as an SiO₂ film is formed on the surface of an active region surrounded by the field insulating film 2. Reference symbols G₁ and G₂ denote the gate electrodes of the driver transistors Q₁ and Q₂, and reference symbols WL and WL' denote word lines. The gate electrodes G₁ and G₂ and the word lines WL and WL' are formed by an n⁺-type polysilicon film of a first layer obtained by doping an n-type impurity such as phosphorus (P) or a polycide film obtained by stacking a refractory metal silicide film such as a tungsten silicide (WSi₂) film on the n⁺-type polysilicon film of the first layer. In the active region surrounded by the field insulating film 2, n⁺-type diffusion layers 5 to 11 for constituting source or drain regions are formed. The driver transistor Q₁ consisting of an n-channel MOS transistor is formed by the gate electrode G₁ and the diffusion layers 5 and 6. Similarly, the driver transistor Q₂ consisting of an n-channel MOS transistor is formed by the gate electrode G₂ and the diffusion layers 7 and 8. The access transistor Q₅ consisting of an n-channel MOS transistor is formed by the word line WL and the diffusion layers 6 and 9, and the access transistor Q₆ consisting of an n-channel MOS transistor is formed by the word line WL and the diffusion layers 10 and 11. In this case, side wall spacers 12 consisting of, e.g., SiO₂ are formed on the side walls of the gate electrodes G₁ and G₂ and the word lines WL and WL'. An n⁻-type low-concentration impurity portion a is formed below the side wall spacer 12. Therefore, the driver transistors Q₁ and Q₂ and the access transistors Q₅ and Q₆ have an LDD (lightly doped drain) structure. Reference symbols C₁ to C₃ denote contact holes for buried contacts. One end of the gate electrode G₁ of the driver transistor Q₁ is in contact with the diffusion layer 7 of the driver transistor Q₂ through the contact hole C₁, and the other end is in contact with the diffusion layer 10 of the access transistor Q₆ through the contact hole C₂. The gate electrode G₂ of the driver transistor Q₂ is in contact with the diffusion layer 6 of the driver transistor Q₁ and the access transistor Q₅ through the contact hole C₃. Reference numeral 13 denotes an insulating interlayer such as a phosphosilicate glass (PSG) film or an SiO₂ film. Reference symbols C₄ and C₃ denote contact holes for buried contacts formed in the insulating interlayer 13. Reference numeral 14 denotes a ground power source line for supplying a power source voltage V SS . The ground power source line 14 consists of, e.g., an n⁺-type polysilicon film of a second layer obtained by doping an n-type impurity such as phosphorus at a high concentration, or a polycide film obtained by stacking a refractory metal silicide film on the n⁺-type polysilicon film of the second layer. The ground power source line 14 is in contact with the diffusion layer 5 of the driver transistor Q₁ through the contact hole C₄ and in contact with the diffusion layer 8 of the driver transistor Q₂ through the contact hole C₅. Reference numerals 15 and 16 denote relay wirings. As the ground power source line 14, the relay wirings 15 and 16 consist of, e.g., an n⁺-type polysilicon film of the second layer obtained by doping an n-type impurity such as phosphorus at a high concentration, or a polycide film obtained by stacking a refractory metal silicide film on the n⁺-type polysilicon film of the second layer. In this case, the relay wiring 15 is in contact with the diffusion layer 9 of the access transistor Q₅ through the contact hole C₆ for a buried contact. The relay wiring 16 is in contact with the diffusion layer 11 of the access transistor Q₆ through the contact hole C₇ for a buried contact. Reference numeral 17 denotes an insulating interlayer such as a PSG film or an SiO₂ film. Reference numeral 18 denote a power source line for supplying a power source voltage V DD . The power source line 18 consists of p⁺-type polysilicon films of third and fourth layers obtained by doping a p-type impurity such as boron (B) at a high concentration. Reference numeral 19 denotes an n-type channel region of the load transistor Q₄, and reference numeral 20 denotes a p⁺-type drain region of the load transistor Q₄. In this case, the drain region 20 also serves as the gate electrode of the load transistor Q₃. The channel region 19 and the drain region 20 consist of, e.g., the polysilicon film of the third layer. Reference numeral 21 denotes a gate insulating film such as an SiO₂ film. Reference numeral 22 denotes, e.g., an n-channel region of the load transistor Q₃, and reference numeral 23 denotes, e.g., a p⁺-type drain region. In this case, the drain region 23 also serves as the gate electrode of the load transistor Q₄. The channel region 22 and the drain region 23 consist of, e.g., the polysilicon film of the fourth layer. In the first embodiment, the polysilicon film of the third layer constituting the load transistor Q₄ has a width larger at the drain region 20 than at the channel region 19. The drain region 23 serving as the gate electrode of the load transistor Q₄ entirely covers the channel region 19. The polysilicon film of the fourth layer constituting the load transistor Q₃ has a width larger at the portion of the drain region 23 than at the channel region 22. The channel region 22 of the load transistor Q₃ is entirely formed on the drain region 20 serving as the gate electrode of the load transistor Q₃. In addition, one end of the drain region 20 serving as the gate electrode of the load transistor Q₃ overlaps one end of the drain region 23 serving as the gate electrode of the load transistor Q₄. Reference symbols C₈ and C₉ denote contact holes for buried contacts formed in the insulating interlayers 13 and 17. The drain region 20 also serving as the gate electrode of the load transistor Q₃ is in contact with the gate electrode G₁ of the driver transistor Q₁ through the contact hole C₈. The drain region 23 also serving as the gate electrode of the load transistor Q₄ is in contact with the gate electrode G₂ of the driver transistor Q₂ through the contact hole C₉. Reference numeral 24 denotes an insulating interlayer such as a PSG film. Reference symbols C₁₀ and C₁₁ denote contact holes formed in the insulating interlayers 24 and 17, respectively. The contact hole C₁₀ is formed on the access transistor Q₅. The contact hole C₁₁ is formed on an access transistor of an adjacent memory cell using the word line WL'. The bit line BL consisting of, e.g., an aluminum (Al) wiring is in contact with the relay wiring 15 through the contact hole C₁₀. As described above, since the relay wiring 15 is in contact with the diffusion layer 9 of the access transistor Q₅ through the contact hole C₆, the bit line BL is connected to the diffusion layer 9 of the access transistor Q₅ through the relay wiring 15. Similarly, the bit line BL is in contact with the relay wiring 16 through the contact hole C₁₁. Since the relay wiring 16 is in contact with the diffusion layer 11 of the access transistor Q₆ through the contact hole C₇, the bit line BL is connected to the diffusion layer 11 of the access transistor Q₆ through the relay wiring 16. Note that the bit lines BL and BL extend perpendicularly to the word line WL. A method of manufacturing a stacked full CMOS static RAM with the above arrangement according to the first embodiment will be described below. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the surface of the semiconductor substrate 1 is selectively and thermally oxidized to form the field insulating film 2 so as to isolate elements from each other. In this case, a p-type impurity such as boron (B) ion-implanted in the semiconductor substrate 1 in advance is diffused to form, e.g., the p⁺-type channel stop region 3 below the field insulating film 2. The gate insulating film 4 is formed by a thermal oxidation method on the surface of the active region surrounded by the field insulating film 2. The gate insulating film 4 and the field insulating film 2 are removed by etching from predetermined portions to form the contact holes C₁ to C₃. A polysilicon film of the first layer is formed on the entire surface of the resultant structure by the CVD method, and an impurity such as phosphorus (P) is doped in the polysilicon film at a high concentration by a thermal oxidation method or an ion implantation method to make the polysilicon film to have a low resistance. Thereafter, the polysilicon film is etched to be patterned into a predetermined shape, thereby forming the gate electrodes G₁ and G₂ and the word lines WL and WL'. An n-type impurity such as phosphorus (P) is ion-implanted in the semiconductor substrate 1 at a low concentration using the gate electrodes G₁ and G₂ and the word lines WL and WL' as masks. After an SiO₂ film is formed on the entire surface by the CVD method, the SiO₂ film is etched perpendicularly to the substrate surface by, e.g., a reactive ion etching (RIE) method to form the side wall spacers 12 on the side walls of the gate electrodes G₁ and G₂ and the word lines WL and WL'. An n-type impurity such as arsenic (As) is ion-implanted in the semiconductor substrate 1 at a high concentration using the side wall spacers 12, the gate electrodes G₁ and G₂, and the word lines WL and WL' as masks. Thereafter, annealing for electrically activating the implanted impurity is performed. Thus, the diffusion layers 5 to 11 having low-concentration impurity portions a are formed below the side wall spacers 12. After the insulating interlayer 13 is formed on the entire surface by the CVD method, a predetermined portion of the insulating interlayer 13 is removed by etching to form the contact holes C₄, C₅, C₆, and C₇. A polysilicon film of the second layer is formed on the entire surface of the resultant structure by a CVD method, and an impurity such as phosphorus (P) is doped in the polysilicon film at a high concentration to make the polysilicon film to have a low resistance. Thereafter, the polysilicon film is etched to be patterned into a predetermined shape so as to form the ground power source line 14 and the relay wirings 15 and 16. After the insulating interlayer 17 is formed on the entire surface by a CVD method, predetermined portions of the insulating interlayers 17 and 13 are removed by etching to form a contact hole C₈. The polysilicon film of the third layer is formed on the entire surface by the CVD method, and an n-type impurity such as phosphorus (P) is doped in the polysilicon film at a low concentration. Thereafter, the surface of a portion of the polysilicon film prospectively serving as the channel region 19 of the load transistor Q₄ is covered with a resist pattern (not shown), and a p-type impurity such as boron (B) is ion-implanted in the polysilicon film at a high concentration using the resist pattern as a mask. Thereafter, the resist pattern is removed. The polysilicon film of the third layer is etched to be patterned into a predetermined shape so as to form the wiring 18 for supplying the power source voltage V DD , the n-type channel region 19, and the p⁺-type drain region 20. The gate insulating film 21 is formed on the entire surface by, e.g., a CVD method. Note that the gate insulating film 21 can also be formed by, e.g., a thermal oxidation method. Thereafter, predetermined portions of the gate insulating film 21 and the insulating interlayers 17 and 13 are removed by etching to form the contact hole C₉. The polysilicon film of the fourth layer is formed on the entire surface by the CVD method, and an n-type impurity such as phosphorus (P) is doped in the polysilicon film at a low concentration. Thereafter, the surface of a portion of the polysilicon film prospectively serving as the channel region 22 of the load transistor Q₃ is covered with a resist pattern (not shown), and a p-type impurity such as boron (B) is ion-implanted in the polysilicon film at a high concentration using the resist pattern as a mask. Thereafter, the resist pattern is removed. The polysilicon film of the fourth layer is patterned into a predetermined shape by etching to form the wiring 18 for supplying the power source voltage V DD , the n-type channel region 22, and the p⁺-type drain region 23. After the insulating interlayer 24 is formed on the entire surface by a CVD method, predetermined portions of the insulating interlayers 24 and 17 are removed by etching to form the contact holes C₁₀ and C₁₁. After the Al film is formed on the entire surface by, e.g., a sputtering method, the Al film is patterned into a predetermined shape by etching to form the bit lines BL and BL , thereby completing a target stacked full CMOS static RAM. As described above, according to the first embodiment, since the channel regions 19 and 22 and the drain regions 20 and 23 of the load transistors Q₃ and Q₄ consisting of p-channel TFTs are stacked on each other through the gate insulating film 21, the channel lengths of the load transistors Q₃ and Q₄ can be sufficiently increased compared with a structure in which the load transistors Q₃ and Q₄ are two-dimensionally arranged. More specifically, for example, the channel lengths of the load transistors Q₃ and Q₄ can be four times those of the driver transistors Q₁ and Q₂ consisting of n-channel MOS transistors. For example, when the channel length of each of the driver transistors Q₁ and Q₂ is set to be 0.5 µm, the channel length of each of the load transistors Q₃ and Q₄ can be 2 µm or more. Therefore, a leakage current of the load transistors Q₃ and Q₄ can be largely reduced. For example, when the thickness of the polysilicon film constituting the load transistors Q₃ and Q₄ is set to be 50 nm (500 Å), and the channel width and the channel length are set to be 10 µm and 2 to 3 µm, respectively, the leakage current of the load transistors Q₃ and Q₄ can be reduced to 10⁻¹¹ A. Note that the gate voltage is set to be 0 V, and the drain voltage is set to be -4 V. Since each of the drain regions 20 and 23 has a width larger than that of each of the channel regions 19 and 22, a defect caused by an error of alignment between the polysilicon films of the third and fourth layers constituting the load transistors Q₃ and Q₄ can be effectively prevented. In addition, since the drain regions 20 and 23 serving as the gate electrodes of the load transistors Q₃ and Q₄ overlap each other, a capacitance of this overlapping portion can improve resistance to a soft error. Figs. 4 and 6 show the second embodiment. In the second embodiment, driver transistors Q₁ and Q₂ and access transistors Q₅ and Q₆ consist of bulk transistors, and load transistors Q₃ and Q₄ consist of thin film transistors. In the second embodiment, as shown in Fig. 6, a LOCOS film 122 is formed on the surface of an Si substrate 121, and a region surrounded by the LOCOS film 122 is to be an active region 123. Note that one memory cell 124 is formed on a portion indicated by the alternate long and short dashed line in Fig. 6, and this portion corresponds to a portion in Fig. 4. In the active region 123 of the Si substrate 121, n⁺-type regions 125a to 125e serving as source/drain regions of the transistors Q₁, Q₂, Q₅, and Q₆ are formed. Gate electrodes G₁, G₂, G₅, and G₆ of the transistors Q₁, Q₂, Q₅, and Q₆ are formed on a gate insulating film 126 of the surface of the active region 123 and on the LOCOS film 122 by a polysilicon film of a first layer or a polycide film. Note that the gate electrodes G₅ and G₆ are a part of a word line WL. The gate insulating film 126 is removed from a portion where the n⁺-type regions 125a and 125c are connected to the drain regions of the transistors Q₃ and Q₄, and polycide films 128a and 128b are left on the portion. The gate electrodes G₁ and G₂ and the word line WL are covered with an insulating interlayer 131 consisting of an SiO₂ film, and a polysilicon thin film 132 for the transistor Q₃ is formed on the insulating interlayer 131 by a polysilicon film of a second layer. In the transistor Q₃, a p⁺-type region 132a, an n-type region 132b, and a p⁺-type region 132c serve as a source region, a channel region, and a drain region, respectively. The p⁺-type region 132c is connected to the gate electrode G₂ and a silicide film of the polycide film 128a through contact holes 133a and 133b formed in the insulating interlayer 131. Therefore, the p⁺-type region 132c is connected to the n⁺-type region 125b through the polycide film 128a. The surface of the polysilicon thin film 132 is covered with a gate insulating film 134, and a polysilicon thin film 135 for the transistor Q₄ is formed on the gate insulating film 134 or the like by a polysilicon film of a third layer. In the transistor Q₄, a p⁺-type region 135a, an n-type region 135b, and a p⁺-type region 135c serve as a source region, a channel region, and a drain region, respectively. The p⁺-type region 135c is connected to the gate electrode G₁ and a silicide film of the polycide film 128b through contact holes 133c and 133d formed in the insulating interlayer 131. Therefore, the p⁺-type region 135c is connected to the n⁺-type region 125c through the polycide film 128b. As is apparent from Figs. 4 and 5, the n-type region 132b of the transistor Q₃ and the p⁺-type region 135c of the transistor Q₄ overlap through the gate insulating film 134, and the p⁺-type region 132c of the transistor Q₃ and the n-type region 135b of the transistor Q₄ overlap through the gate insulating film 134. Therefore, the p⁺-type region 135c of the transistor Q₄ serves as the gate electrode of the transistor Q₃, and the p⁺ -type region 132c of the transistor Q₃ serves as the gate electrode of the transistor Q₄. The polysilicon thin film 135 or the like is covered by an insulating interlayer 136 consisting of an SiO₂ film. Contact holes 137a and 137b reaching the n⁺-type regions 125d and 125e are formed in the insulating interlayers 136 and 131 and the gate insulating film 126, and bit lines BL and BL made of Al are connected to the n⁺-type regions 125d and 125e through the contact holes 137a and 137b. A power source line for supplying a voltage V DD may be obtained by extending the p⁺-type regions 132a and 135a, and an Al wire may be connected to the p⁺-type regions 132a and 135a. A power source line for supplying a voltage V SS may be obtained by connecting any one of the polysilicon wire and the Al wire to the n⁺-type region 125a. Figs. 7 and 8 show the third embodiment. In the third embodiment, driver transistors Q₁ and Q₂, load transistors Q₃ and Q₄, and access transistors Q₅ and Q₆ consist of thin film transistors. In this third embodiment, a silicide film 144 is patterned on an SiO₂ substrate 143, and it is flattened by a flattening film 145 consisting of an SiO₂ film. A word line WL is formed on the flattening film 145 by a polysilicon film of a first layer, and the surface of the word line WL is covered with a gate insulating film (not shown). A polysilicon thin film 146 for transistors Q₂ and Q₆ and a polysilicon thin film 147 for a transistor Q₄ are formed on the gate insulating film of the silicide film 144, the word line WL, or the like by a polysilicon film of a second layer. In the transistor Q₂, an n⁺-type region 146a, a p-type region 146b, and an n⁺-type region 146c serve as a source region, a channel region, and a drain region, respectively. In the transistor Q₆, an n⁺-type region 146c, a p-type region 146d, and an n⁺-type region 146e serve as a source region, a channel region, and a drain region, respectively. In the transistor Q₄, a p⁺-type region 147a, an n-type region 147b, and a p⁺-type region 147c serve as a source region, a channel region, and a drain region, respectively. The n⁺-type region 146c and the p⁺-type region 147c are connected to each other through the silicide film 144. The surfaces of the polysilicon thin films 146 and 147 are covered with a gate insulating film 151, and a polysilicon thin film 152 for the transistors Q₁ and Q₅ and a polysilicon thin film 153 for the transistor Q₃ are formed on the gate insulating film 151 or the like by a polysilicon film of a third layer. In the transistor Q₁, an n⁺-type region 152a, a p-type region 152b, and an n⁺-type region 152c serve as a source region, a channel region, and a drain region, respectively. In the transistor Q₅, an n⁺-type region 152c, a p-type region 152d, and an n⁺-type region 152e serve as a source region, a channel region, and a drain region, respectively. In the transistor Q₃, a p⁺-type region 153a, an n-type region 153b, and a p⁺-type region 153c serve as a source region, a channel region, and a drain region, respectively. The silicide film 154 is patterned on the polysilicon thin films 152 and 153, and the like, and the n⁺-type region 152c and the p⁺-type region 153c are connected to each other through the silicide film 154. As is apparent from Figs. 7 and 8, the n-type region 147b of the transistor Q₄ and the p⁺-type region 153c of the transistor Q₃ overlap through the gate insulating film 151, and the p⁺-type region 147c of the transistor Q₄ and the n-type region 153b of the transistor Q₃ overlap through the gate insulating film 151. Therefore, the p⁺-type region 153c of the transistor Q₃ serves as the gate electrode of the transistor Q₄, and the p⁺-region 147c of the transistor Q₄ serves as the gate electrode of the transistor Q₃. The p-type region 146b of the transistor Q₂ and the n⁺-type region 152c of the transistor Q₁ overlap through the gate insulating film 151, and the n⁺-type region 146c of the transistor Q₂ and the p-type region 152b of the transistor Q₁ overlap through the gate insulating film 151. Therefore, the n⁺-type region 152c of the transistor Q₁ serves as the gate electrode of the transistor Q₂, and the n⁺-type region 146c of the transistor Q₂ serves as the gate electrode of the transistor Q₁. Bit lines BL and BL are connected to the n⁺-type regions 152e and 146e, respectively. A power source line for supplying a voltage V DD is connected to the p⁺-type regions 147a and 153a, and a power source line for supplying a voltage V SS is connected to the n⁺-type regions 146a and 152a. Figs. 9 and 10 schematically show a memory cell of a stacked full CMOS static RAM and, more particularly an arrangement of a load transistor, according to the first embodiment. In Figs. 9 and 10, reference numeral 201 denotes a semiconductor substrate; 202, a power source line for supplying a power source voltage V DD ; 203, an n-type channel region of the load transistor Q₄; and 204, a p⁺-type drain region of the load transistor Q₄. In this case, the drain region 204 also serves as the gate electrode of the load transistor Q₃. Reference numeral 206 denote an n-type channel region of the load transistor Q₃; 207, a p⁺-type drain region of the load transistor Q₃. In this case, the drain region 207 also serves as the gate electrode of the load transistor Q₄. As shown in Figs. 9 and 10, the drain region 207 serving as the gate electrode of the load transistor Q₄ entirely covers the channel region 203 of the load transistor Q₄. The channel region 206 of the load transistor Q₃ is formed entirely on the drain region 204 serving as the gate electrode of the load transistor Q₃. While the first to third embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the first to third embodiments: various modifications can be made within the scope of the present invention, which is defined by the appended claims. For example, according to the first embodiment, the driver transistors Q₁ and Q₂ and the access transistors Q₅ and Q₆ constitute an LDD structure. However, the driver transistors Q₁ and Q₂ and the access transistors Q₅ and Q₆ do not necessarily have the LDD structure.

Claims: A semiconductor memory comprising a memory cell having a flip-flop circuit consisting of a pair of driver transistors (Q₁, Q₂) of a first conductivity type channel and a pair of load transistors (Q₃, Q₄) of a second conductivity type channel, and a pair of access transistors (Q₅, Q₆), wherein said pair of load transistors (Q₃, Q₄) of the second conductivity type channel are formed by semiconductor thin films such that channel regions (19, 22) and drain regions (20, 23) of said pair of load transistors (Q₃, Q₄) of the second conductivity type channel entirely overlap through a gate insulating film (21) such that the drain region of each load transistor (Q3, Q4) also serves as a gate electrode of the other load transistor, respectively. A semiconductor memory according to claim 1, wherein source regions of said pair of load transistors (Q₃, Q₄) of the second conductivity type channel extend in opposite directions and are connected to power source lines (14, 18) between which the memory cell is located. A semiconductor memory according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said pair of driver transistors (Q₁, Q₂) of the first conductivity type channel are formed by semiconductor thin films such that channel regions (152b, 146b) and drain regions (152c, 146c) of said pair of driver transistors (Q₁, Q₂) of the first conductivity type channel overlap through a gate insulating film (151) such that the drain region of each driver transistor also serves as a gate electrode of the other driver transistor, respectively. A semiconductor memory according to claims 1 or 2, wherein the drain regions (132c, 135c) of said load transistors (Q₃, Q₄) and channel regions of said drive transistors (Q₁, Q₂) overlap through an insulating film (131). A semiconductur memory according to anyone of claims 1 to 4, wherein widths of said semiconductor thin films of said pair of load transistors (Q₃, Q₄) of the second conductivity type channel are larger at a portion of said drain region (20, 23) than at a portion of said channel region (19, 20). A semiconductor memory according to any of claims 1 to 5 wherein gate electrodes (20, 23) of said pair of load transistors (Q₃, Q₄) of the second conductivity type channel are formed by semiconductor thin films of the second conductivity tpye.

Inventors: YOSHIHARA IKUO KANAGAWA, YOSHIHARA, IKUO, KANAGAWA
Applicants: SONY CORP, SONY CORPORATION
Application year: 1991
Main classification: H01L27
IPC codes: H01L27