PATENT CLAIM ANALYSIS

Application Number: 15966989
Application Type: Utility
Filing Date: 2018-04
Publication Date: 2018-12
Patent Classification: ["257", "316000"]

Abstract:
3-d flash memory cells and methods of manufacture are described. The devices and methods recess a compound floating gate in between the silicon oxide slabs which reduces the quantum probability of electron tunneling between vertically adjacent storage cells. The devices and methods further include a high work function nanocrystalline metal in the compound floating gate. A polysilicon buffer layer forms a portion of the compound floating gate. The polysilicon buffer layer allows the high work function nanocrystalline metal to be selectively deposited. The polysilicon buffer layer further protects the high work function nanocrystalline metal from oxidation with the gate oxide subsequently formed on the other side.

Claim (Index 7):
A method of forming a 3-d flash memory cell, the method comprising:\n forming a stack of alternating silicon oxide slabs and silicon nitride slabs; forming a memory hole through the stack; recessing the silicon nitride slabs from the silicon oxide slabs to form recesses; forming polysilicon buffers in the recesses; selectively forming high work function metal portions on the polysilicon buffers; forming a conformal silicon nitride layer on the silicon oxide slabs and the high work function metal portions; forming a conformal silicon oxide layer on the conformal silicon nitride layer; forming a conformal polysilicon channel layer on the conformal silicon oxide layer; filling the memory hole with dielectric; removing the silicon nitride slabs; forming a conformal high-k dielectric layer on the polysilicon buffers and the silicon oxide slabs; forming a conformal titanium nitride layer on the conformal high-k dielectric layer; and forming tungsten on the conformal titanium nitride layer.

Metadata:
- Claim Count in Document: 7.0
- Percentile: 91.0
- Lexical Diversity: 1.86667
- Patent Class: 257.0
- Transitional Phrase Type: open
- Component Type: 1
- Foreign Priority: False
- Related Applications: ['15891126', '15882454', '15332910', '14452220', '14222418']

Analysis Scores:
- 35 USC 101 Eligibility (BERT): 0.9504566754417966
- 35 USC 102 Novelty (BERT): 0.5236639463338799
- Combined Prediction Score: 0.9077774025310048
- Mean Citation Score: 316.724268
- Max Citation Score: 376.8563
- Similarity Product: 330.0653981190562

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