Patent ID: 8772857

Claim:
A vertical memory device, comprising: a channel extending in a first direction substantially perpendicular to a top surface of a substrate, a thickness of the channel varying according to height; at least one ground selection line (GSL), a plurality of word lines and at least one string selection line (SSL) spaced apart from each other on a sidewall of the channel in the first direction, the at least one GSL, the plurality of word lines, and the at least one SSL defining an opening through which the channel extends in the first direction, the opening having a width that does not vary substantially along the first direction, the channel including an outer surface that extends in the first direction from the at least one GSL to the at least one SSL, the outer surface of the channel having a perimeter that substantially does not vary according to height along the first direction; and a tunnel insulation layer pattern, a charge trapping layer pattern and a blocking layer pattern sequentially stacked in a second direction substantially perpendicular to the sidewall of the channel, the tunnel insulation layer pattern, the charge trapping layer pattern and the blocking layer pattern between the sidewall of the channel and each of the GSL, the word lines, and the SSL.