US 12,255,154 B2
Three-dimensional memory device with orthogonal memory opening and support opening arrays and method of making thereof
Akihiro Tobioka, Nagoya (JP); and Yusuke Tanaka, Brussels (BE)
Assigned to Sandisk Technologies, Inc., Milpitas, CA (US)
Filed by SANDISK TECHNOLOGIES LLC, Addison, TX (US)
Filed on Oct. 26, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/510,833.
Prior Publication US 2023/0126600 A1, Apr. 27, 2023
Int. Cl. H10B 41/27 (2023.01); H01L 23/00 (2006.01); H10B 43/27 (2023.01)
CPC H01L 23/562 (2013.01) [H10B 41/27 (2023.02); H10B 43/27 (2023.02)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A three-dimensional memory device, comprising:
an alternating stack of insulating layers and electrically conductive layers located over a substrate, wherein the alternating stack comprises a memory array region in which each layer within the alternating stack is present and a staircase region in which lateral extents of the electrically conductive layers decrease as a function of a vertical distance from the substrate;
memory openings vertically extending through the alternating stack in the memory array region and each having a first lateral dimension;
memory opening fill structures located within a respective one of the memory openings, wherein the memory opening fill structures are arranged in a first hexagonal array having a nearest-neighbor direction that is parallel to a first horizontal direction and having a first nearest neighbor pitch a;
support openings vertically extending through the alternating stack in the staircase region and each having a second lateral dimension that is different from the first lateral dimension; and
support pillar structures located within a respective one of the support openings, wherein the support pillar structures are arranged in a second hexagonal array having a nearest-neighbor direction that is perpendicular to the first horizontal direction and having a second nearest neighbor pitch sa, in which s is a scaling factor having a value in a range from 1.25 to 1.7.