US 12,114,503 B2
Integrated chip including a tunnel dielectric layer which has different thicknesses over a protrusion region of a substrate
Jui-Yu Pan, Neipu Township (TW); Cheng-Bo Shu, Tainan (TW); Chung-Jen Huang, Tainan (TW); Jing-Ru Lin, Kaohsiung (TW); Tsung-Yu Yang, Tainan (TW); Yun-Chi Wu, Tainan (TW); and Yueh-Chieh Chu, Tainan (TW)
Assigned to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd., Hsinchu (TW)
Filed by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd., Hsin-Chu (TW)
Filed on Dec. 12, 2022, as Appl. No. 18/079,039.
Application 16/144,286 is a division of application No. 15/365,156, filed on Nov. 30, 2016, granted, now 10,269,822, issued on Apr. 23, 2019.
Application 18/079,039 is a continuation of application No. 17/132,258, filed on Dec. 23, 2020, granted, now 11,532,637.
Application 17/132,258 is a continuation of application No. 16/144,286, filed on Sep. 27, 2018, granted, now 10,879,257, issued on Dec. 29, 2020.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/288,796, filed on Jan. 29, 2016.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/272,195, filed on Dec. 29, 2015.
Prior Publication US 2023/0109273 A1, Apr. 6, 2023
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. H10B 43/30 (2023.01); H01L 21/311 (2006.01); H01L 29/66 (2006.01); H01L 29/792 (2006.01); H01L 49/02 (2006.01); H10B 43/27 (2023.01)
CPC H10B 43/30 (2023.02) [H01L 21/31111 (2013.01); H01L 28/00 (2013.01); H01L 29/66833 (2013.01); H01L 29/792 (2013.01); H10B 43/27 (2023.02)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An integrated chip, comprising:
a substrate including a protrusion region, the protrusion region having an upper surface and a sidewall; and
a gate electrode separated from the protrusion region by way of a tunnel dielectric layer; and
wherein the tunnel dielectric layer has different thicknesses over the protrusion region such that the tunnel dielectric layer has a first thickness measured along a first direction normal to the sidewall of the protrusion region and a corresponding sidewall of the tunnel dielectric layer, and has a second thickness measured along a second direction normal to an upper surface of the protrusion region and a corresponding upper surface of the tunnel dielectric layer, the second thickness being less than the first thickness, and wherein the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction.