PATENT CLAIM ANALYSIS

Application Number: 15983461
Application Type: Utility
Filing Date: 2018-05
Publication Date: 2019-08
Patent Classification: ["257", "315000"]

Abstract:
A method is provided for forming an integrated circuit memory cell, e.g., flash memory cell. A pair of spaced-apart floating gate structures may be formed over a substrate. A non-conformal spacer layer may be formed over the structure, and may include spacer sidewall regions laterally adjacent the floating gate sidewalls. A source implant may be performed, e.g., via HVII, to define a source implant region in the substrate. The spacer sidewall region substantially prevents penetration of source implant material, such that the source implant region is self-aligned by the spacer sidewall region. The source implant material diffuses laterally to extend partially under the floating gate. Using the non-conformal spacer layer, including the spacer sidewall regions, may (a) protect the upper corner, or “tip” of the floating gate from rounding and (b) provide lateral control of the source junction edge location under each floating gate.

Claim (Index 2):
The method of  claim 1 , wherein forming a non-conformal spacer layer comprises:\n depositing a first spacer layer over the floating gate structure and over a region of the substrate laterally adjacent the floating gate structure; and etching the first spacer layer.

Metadata:
- Claim Count in Document: 20.0
- Percentile: 93.0
- Lexical Diversity: 2.03659
- Patent Class: 257.0
- Transitional Phrase Type: none
- Component Type: 0
- Foreign Priority: False
- Related Applications: ['15921858', '13666712', '11671809', '15922571', '11122726']

Analysis Scores:
- 35 USC 101 Eligibility (BERT): 0.9295788687275708
- 35 USC 102 Novelty (BERT): 0.5278318731677225
- Combined Prediction Score: 0.8894041691715858
- Mean Citation Score: 272.059348
- Max Citation Score: 342.11386
- Similarity Product: 233.505190725286

Labels:
- Claim Label 101: 1
- Claim Label 102: 1
- Claim Label 103: 1
- Claim Label 112: 1
- Combined Label: 1
- Label 101 Adjusted: 1

Dataset: test