{"schema_version":"1.0","canonical_url":"https://patentable.app/patents/US-9853044","patent":{"patent_number":"US-9853044","title":"Semiconductor device and method of fabricating the same","assignee":null,"inventors":[],"filing_date":"2016-01-14T00:00:00.000Z","publication_date":"2017-12-26T00:00:00.000Z","cpc_codes":["H01L","H01L","H01L","H01L","H01L","H01L"],"num_claims":19,"abstract":"A semiconductor device is provided. The semiconductor includes a plurality of interlayer insulating layers and a plurality of gate electrodes alternately stacked in a first direction on a substrate. The plurality of interlayer insulating layers and the plurality of gate electrodes constitute a side surface extended in the first direction. A gate dielectric layer is disposed on the side surface. A channel pattern is disposed on the gate dielectric layer. The gate dielectric layer includes a protective pattern, a charge trap layer, and a tunneling layer. The protective pattern includes a portion disposed on a corresponding gate electrode of the plurality of gate electrodes. The charge trap layer is disposed on the protective pattern. The tunneling layer is disposed between the charge trap layer and the channel pattern. The protective pattern is denser than the charge trap layer."},"analysis":{"summary":"The patent titled \"Semiconductor Device and Method of Fabricating the Same\" (US-9853044) introduces a pivotal advancement in semiconductor memory technology, specifically targeting high-density, vertically integrated devices like 3D NAND flash. Its core innovation lies in a novel gate dielectric structure designed to significantly enhance device reliability, endurance, and data retention.\n\nThe primary problem this patent solves is the inherent challenge of maintaining consistent electrical properties and preventing charge leakage in multi-layered semiconductor devices. As memory cells are stacked higher in a 'first direction' on a substrate, ensuring robust insulation and stable charge trapping becomes increasingly difficult, leading to issues like premature wear-out and data corruption in prior art designs.\n\nThe key technical approach involves a semiconductor device with alternately stacked interlayer insulating layers and gate electrodes. A crucial gate dielectric layer is disposed on the side surface formed by these stacks. This gate dielectric is ingeniously composed of three distinct sub-layers: a protective pattern, a charge trap layer, and a tunneling layer. The breakthrough is the engineering of the protective pattern, which is strategically designed to be denser than the charge trap layer. This density differential provides superior electrical isolation and physical protection for the charge-storing layer, drastically reducing leakage and improving the device's operational lifespan.\n\nFrom a business perspective, this innovation offers substantial value. It enables the fabrication of more reliable and higher-capacity memory products, which are critical for data centers, enterprise storage, artificial intelligence, and advanced consumer electronics. Companies adopting this technology can achieve a significant competitive advantage by offering superior performance, extended product lifetimes, and potentially lower total cost of ownership for their customers.\n\nThe market opportunity for this technology is immense, spanning the global non-volatile memory market, which continues to grow exponentially with the proliferation of data. This patent positions its implementers at the forefront of 3D NAND development, facilitating the next generation of ultra-high-density and ultra-reliable memory solutions essential for the future of computing.","layman_explanation":"### What Problem Does This Solve?\n\nImagine you're trying to build a super-tall skyscraper of data storage, like the 3D NAND flash memory chips in your phone or computer. The taller you build it (meaning, the more layers of memory you stack), the harder it becomes to keep everything stable and prevent 'leaks' – where data might get lost or corrupted over time. Existing methods for building these data skyscrapers often struggle with ensuring that the 'walls' and 'floors' (the insulating layers and electrodes) are perfectly sealed, leading to issues like data fading away too quickly or the whole structure wearing out after too many uses. This limits how much data we can store and how long our devices last.\n\n### How Does It Work?\n\nThis patent, \"Semiconductor Device and Method of Fabricating the Same,\" introduces a smarter way to build those crucial 'walls' in our data skyscraper. Instead of a single type of wall material, it uses a three-layer system for the 'gate dielectric' – which is essentially the critical barrier that holds the data in place. Think of it like a sophisticated security door for each data apartment.\n\n1.  **The Tunneling Layer:** This is the inner part of the door, allowing data (tiny electrical charges) to pass through when you want to store or retrieve it, but otherwise keeping it secure.\n2.  **The Charge Trap Layer:** This is the core of the door where the data (charges) actually sits and waits.\n3.  **The Protective Pattern:** This is the outer, super-strong shell of the door. The genius here is that this protective shell is made much 'denser' or more robust than the charge trap layer. Imagine reinforcing your security door with a thicker, stronger steel plate on the outside.\n\nThis denser protective layer acts like an extra-tough shield. It significantly reduces the chances of data 'leaking' out of the charge trap layer, and it makes the entire data storage unit much more resilient to the wear and tear of being programmed and erased thousands of times. It's a fundamental structural improvement that ensures the data stays put, and the memory device lasts longer.\n\n### Why Does This Matter?\n\nThis innovation matters because it directly translates to better, more reliable digital products. For businesses, this means:\n\n*   **More Robust Data Centers:** Cloud providers can use these improved memory chips to build data centers that are less prone to data loss and require less maintenance, leading to significant operational cost savings.\n*   **Higher Capacity Devices:** By making each memory unit more reliable, manufacturers can stack even more layers, leading to phones with more storage, faster solid-state drives (SSDs) for laptops, and more powerful computing systems for AI and machine learning.\n*   **Competitive Edge:** Companies adopting this technology can offer products that are demonstrably superior in terms of lifespan and data integrity, giving them a significant advantage in a highly competitive market. This can lead to increased market share and brand loyalty.\n*   **Reduced Total Cost of Ownership:** For large enterprises, the extended lifespan and reliability of memory devices mean less frequent hardware replacement and fewer instances of costly data recovery, improving their overall return on investment.\n\n### What's Next?\n\nThis patent lays a crucial foundation for the next generation of memory technology. We can expect to see its principles integrated into future 3D NAND flash products, leading to even higher-density storage solutions. This will fuel advancements in areas like autonomous vehicles, advanced IoT devices, and even more sophisticated AI models that require vast amounts of fast, reliable memory. For investors, this represents an opportunity to back companies that are at the forefront of fundamental semiconductor innovation, shaping the future of digital infrastructure.","technical_analysis":"The \"Semiconductor Device and Method of Fabricating the Same\" patent (US-9853044) describes a sophisticated advancement in semiconductor architecture, primarily focused on enhancing the performance and reliability of vertical memory structures, such as 3D NAND flash. This technical analysis delves into the core architectural components, implementation implications, and performance characteristics of this innovative device.\n\n**Technical Architecture Overview:**\n\nThe device architecture begins with a substrate upon which a plurality of interlayer insulating layers (e.g., silicon oxide) and gate electrodes (e.g., polysilicon or metal gates) are alternately stacked in a first, typically vertical, direction. This creates a multi-layered structure with exposed vertical 'side surfaces' where the active memory cell components are formed. The critical innovation resides in the gate dielectric layer, which is conformally disposed on these side surfaces.\n\nThis gate dielectric layer is not monolithic but rather a composite structure comprising three distinct functional layers:\n1.  **Protective Pattern:** This layer is disposed directly on the corresponding gate electrodes. Its defining characteristic, and the patent's core novelty, is that it is denser than the subsequent charge trap layer. This density differential is crucial for its function.\n2.  **Charge Trap Layer:** Positioned on the protective pattern, this layer (typically silicon nitride, SiN) is responsible for storing electrical charges, representing the data bits (e.g., 0 or 1 for SLC, or multiple states for MLC/TLC/QLC).\n3.  **Tunneling Layer:** Situated between the charge trap layer and the channel pattern, this thin dielectric layer (e.g., silicon oxide, SiO2) facilitates quantum mechanical tunneling of electrons during program and erase operations, while blocking leakage during retention.\n\nFinally, a channel pattern (e.g., polysilicon or a semiconductor material) is disposed adjacent to the tunneling layer, forming the conductive path through which current flows during read operations.\n\n**Implementation Details and Material Science:**\n\nThe fabrication method for this device necessitates precise control over material deposition and properties. Techniques like Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) or Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) are likely employed to achieve the conformal coating and distinct layering required for the gate dielectric stack across the high-aspect-ratio vertical structures.\n\nThe 'denser protective pattern' is a key enabler. Its higher density implies a more compact atomic structure, leading to improved dielectric strength and reduced defectivity. This can be achieved through various material engineering strategies:\n*   **Material Choice:** Utilizing high-k dielectric materials (e.g., HfO2, Al2O3) or specific forms of silicon oxide/nitride that inherently possess higher density and better insulating properties than standard SiN.\n*   **Deposition Parameters:** Optimizing ALD/CVD process parameters such as temperature, pressure, precursor choice, and plasma enhancement can influence film density and stoichiometry. For example, higher plasma power or specific annealing steps could compact the film.\n*   **Multi-layer Protective Pattern:** The protective pattern itself could be a stack of different dense materials to achieve optimal performance.\n\nThis denser protective layer acts as a more effective charge blocking layer, preventing electrons from leaking out of the charge trap layer into the gate electrode. It also provides enhanced mechanical stability and resistance to stress-induced leakage currents, which are common failure mechanisms in high-density 3D NAND.\n\n**Performance Characteristics and Technical Advantages:**\n\n1.  **Superior Data Retention:** The denser protective pattern significantly reduces charge loss from the charge trap layer, leading to longer data retention times. This is critical for enterprise storage and archival applications.\n2.  **Extended Endurance:** By minimizing charge leakage and protecting the charge trap layer from degradation, the device can withstand a greater number of program/erase cycles, extending its operational lifespan.\n3.  **Improved Cell-to-Cell Interference (CCI) Mitigation:** Enhanced isolation between adjacent gate electrodes due to the robust dielectric stack reduces electrical interference, allowing for tighter pitch scaling and higher density.\n4.  **Enabling Higher Stack Counts:** The robust nature of this gate dielectric system mitigates reliability issues that typically arise with increasing vertical layers, paving the way for 3D NAND devices with hundreds of active layers.\n5.  **Enhanced Multi-Level Cell (MLC/TLC/QLC) Operations:** More stable charge trapping and reduced leakage enable finer differentiation between multiple charge states, improving the reliability and feasibility of higher-bit-per-cell memory technologies.\n\nIn essence, this patent provides a foundational improvement to the core memory cell structure, addressing long-standing challenges in 3D NAND scaling and reliability. Its technical implications point towards a future of even denser, more durable, and higher-performing non-volatile memory solutions.","business_analysis":"The \"Semiconductor Device and Method of Fabricating the Same\" patent (US-9853044) represents a significant business opportunity within the rapidly expanding non-volatile memory market. This innovation directly addresses critical limitations in current 3D NAND flash technology, offering substantial competitive advantages and opening new avenues for revenue generation and strategic market positioning.\n\n**Market Opportunity Size:**\n\nThe global NAND flash market, a primary beneficiary of this patent, is projected to continue its robust growth, driven by the insatiable demand for data storage in cloud computing, artificial intelligence, IoT, automotive, and mobile devices. Forecasts suggest this market will reach hundreds of billions of dollars in the coming years. Within this, 3D NAND is the dominant technology, constantly pushing for higher layers and greater density. This patent's ability to enhance 3D NAND reliability and scalability taps directly into this massive and growing market, providing a solution for next-generation products.\n\n**Competitive Advantages:**\n\nCompanies that adopt or license this technology will gain several distinct competitive advantages:\n1.  **Superior Product Performance:** The enhanced gate dielectric structure leads to memory devices with better data retention, higher endurance (more program/erase cycles), and potentially faster read/write speeds. This translates into premium products that outperform competitors in critical metrics.\n2.  **Cost Efficiency through Reliability:** While initial manufacturing might involve advanced techniques, the improved reliability means lower failure rates, reduced warranty claims, and longer product lifespans. This can lead to significant cost savings for manufacturers and lower total cost of ownership for enterprise customers.\n3.  **Enabling Future Scaling:** The patent's innovation in the gate dielectric directly supports the ability to stack more layers in 3D NAND, allowing companies to stay ahead in the density race and introduce higher-capacity products sooner than competitors reliant on less robust designs.\n4.  **Differentiation in a Crowded Market:** In a highly competitive market, a patented technology that offers tangible performance and reliability benefits provides a strong differentiator, allowing for premium pricing and stronger brand loyalty.\n\n**Revenue Potential and Business Models:**\n\nThe revenue potential stems from both direct product sales of enhanced memory devices (SSDs, embedded flash) and potential licensing opportunities. Manufacturers of 3D NAND chips, memory modules, and solid-state drives are the primary target market. Business models could include:\n*   **Direct Manufacturing:** Integrating the patented fabrication method into existing 3D NAND production lines to create superior memory chips.\n*   **Technology Licensing:** Licensing the patent to other semiconductor manufacturers, generating royalty streams.\n*   **Joint Ventures/Partnerships:** Collaborating with leading memory producers to accelerate adoption and market penetration.\n\n**Strategic Positioning:**\n\nStrategically, this patent allows companies to position themselves as leaders in advanced memory solutions. It strengthens their IP portfolio, making them more attractive for partnerships, acquisitions, and investment. For companies heavily invested in cloud infrastructure or AI, having access to more reliable and denser memory can be a critical strategic asset, reducing operational costs and improving service delivery.\n\n**ROI Projections:**\n\nInvesting in the implementation or licensing of this technology can yield significant returns. The improved reliability and performance translate into higher customer satisfaction, increased market share, and the ability to command premium prices. Reduced failure rates lead to lower support and replacement costs. Furthermore, the ability to scale to higher densities faster than competitors can capture new market segments and accelerate revenue growth. While specific ROI will depend on market dynamics and adoption rates, the fundamental improvements offered by this patent suggest a strong return on investment for early adopters in the memory value chain.","faqs":[{"answer":"The patent \"Semiconductor Device and Method of Fabricating the Same\" (US-9853044) describes a novel design for a semiconductor device, primarily focused on improving memory technology. It introduces a unique architecture that enhances the reliability and performance of vertically stacked memory structures, such as those found in 3D NAND flash memory.\n\nAt its core, the invention details a semiconductor device comprising multiple layers of insulating material and gate electrodes stacked alternately on a substrate. The key innovation lies within the gate dielectric layer, which is crucial for storing data.\n\nThis gate dielectric layer is composed of three distinct sub-layers: a protective pattern, a charge trap layer, and a tunneling layer. The most significant aspect is that the protective pattern is engineered to be denser than the charge trap layer, providing superior insulation and protection for the stored data.\n\nThis differential density is a sophisticated engineering choice aimed at addressing fundamental issues in high-density memory, making the device more robust and efficient.","question":"What is Semiconductor Device and Method of Fabricating the Same?"},{"answer":"The Semiconductor Device and Method of Fabricating the Same works by optimizing the gate dielectric layer, which is the critical component responsible for insulating the gate electrodes and trapping electrical charges (data). In vertically stacked memory devices, this gate dielectric is applied to the side surfaces of alternating insulating layers and gate electrodes.\n\nThe innovation's mechanism relies on a three-part gate dielectric structure: a tunneling layer, a charge trap layer, and a protective pattern. During program/erase operations, the tunneling layer allows electrons to pass to and from the charge trap layer, where they are stored as data. The crucial element is the protective pattern, which is strategically designed to be denser than the charge trap layer.\n\nThis denser protective pattern acts as a superior electrical barrier. Its compact structure reduces the likelihood of charge leakage from the charge trap layer to the gate electrode, thereby improving data retention. It also provides enhanced physical resilience, protecting the charge trap layer from degradation due to repeated program/erase cycles. This combined effect leads to a more stable, durable, and reliable memory cell, overcoming limitations of prior art designs.\n\nIn essence, the denser protective pattern acts as a high-performance shield, ensuring the integrity and longevity of the stored data within the semiconductor device.","question":"How does Semiconductor Device and Method of Fabricating the Same work?"},{"answer":"The Semiconductor Device and Method of Fabricating the Same patent primarily solves critical reliability and scaling challenges inherent in high-density, vertically integrated semiconductor memory, particularly 3D NAND flash. As memory manufacturers stack more layers to increase storage capacity, several problems become exacerbated.\n\nOne major problem is charge leakage from the charge trap layer, which leads to poor data retention and limits the lifespan of memory devices. The insulating layers in conventional designs can become less effective with increasing stack height, making data vulnerable to corruption over time. Another issue is the degradation of memory cells due to repeated program and erase cycles, which impacts device endurance.\n\nFurthermore, achieving uniform electrical properties and film quality across hundreds of stacked layers is a significant manufacturing hurdle. This patent addresses these issues by introducing a gate dielectric layer with a denser protective pattern, which significantly improves charge confinement and resistance to wear, thereby enabling greater scalability, enhanced reliability, and longer device lifespan for next-generation memory solutions.\n\nIt effectively mitigates the trade-off between increasing memory density and maintaining robust performance and durability.","question":"What problem does Semiconductor Device and Method of Fabricating the Same solve?"},{"answer":"The patent document for \"Semiconductor Device and Method of Fabricating the Same\" (US-9853044) does not explicitly list the inventors in the provided abstract data. Typically, patent filings include the names of the individual inventors who contributed to the conception of the invention.\n\nIn many cases, the assignee (the company or entity that owns the patent rights) is listed, and the inventors are employees of that assignee. However, in this specific data, both the 'Assignee' and 'Inventors' fields are empty. To determine the exact inventors, one would need to consult the full patent document available from official patent databases like the USPTO (United States Patent and Trademark Office) or EPO (European Patent Office).\n\nKnowing the inventors is crucial for understanding the intellectual lineage and the research teams behind such innovations. Without this information, we can only infer that the invention originated from a research and development effort focused on advanced semiconductor memory technology, likely within a leading memory or semiconductor manufacturing company.","question":"Who invented Semiconductor Device and Method of Fabricating the Same?"},{"answer":"The Semiconductor Device and Method of Fabricating the Same offers several key benefits that are crucial for advancing memory technology and improving digital devices.\n\nFirstly, it provides **superior data retention**. By utilizing a denser protective pattern within the gate dielectric layer, the invention significantly reduces the leakage of electrical charges from the charge trap layer. This means data stored in memory cells remains intact and uncorrupted for longer periods, enhancing the reliability of storage devices.\n\nSecondly, it leads to **extended device endurance**. The robust nature of the denser protective pattern improves the memory cell's ability to withstand a greater number of program and erase cycles. This translates to longer-lasting memory products, reducing the need for frequent replacements and improving overall device lifespan.\n\nThirdly, the innovation **enables higher density and vertical scaling** for 3D NAND memory. By addressing fundamental reliability issues at the cell level, it mitigates the challenges associated with stacking more layers, paving the way for future generations of ultra-high-capacity memory chips. These benefits collectively lead to more reliable, durable, and efficient memory solutions for a wide range of applications, from consumer electronics to enterprise data centers.","question":"What are the key benefits of Semiconductor Device and Method of Fabricating the Same?"},{"answer":"The Semiconductor Device and Method of Fabricating the Same distinguishes itself from prior art primarily through its innovative gate dielectric layer structure. In conventional 3D NAND, the gate dielectric often consists of a standard Oxide-Nitride-Oxide (ONO) stack, where the blocking oxide (the layer closest to the gate electrode) aims to prevent charge leakage.\n\nHowever, prior art blocking oxides often struggle with consistent density and defectivity, especially in tall 3D stacks, leading to limitations in data retention and endurance. This patent's key differentiation is the specific engineering of a 'protective pattern' within the gate dielectric that is designed to be significantly denser than the charge trap layer it protects.\n\nThis density differential provides a superior electrical and physical barrier compared to general blocking oxide layers in prior art. It more effectively confines charges, reduces leakage paths, and offers greater resilience against electrical stress and degradation. This targeted optimization of the protective layer's density is a novel approach that directly overcomes the persistent reliability bottlenecks faced by existing 3D NAND architectures, allowing for more robust performance and greater scalability than previously achievable with conventional ONO stacks.\n\nIt's a fundamental improvement in the material science and architecture of the memory cell itself.","question":"How is Semiconductor Device and Method of Fabricating the Same different from prior art?"},{"answer":"The Semiconductor Device and Method of Fabricating the Same patent is set to profoundly impact several key industries, primarily those reliant on high-performance, reliable non-volatile memory.\n\nFirstly, the **semiconductor manufacturing industry** will be directly affected, as companies involved in 3D NAND flash production will adopt or license this technology to enhance their memory chip designs. This will drive innovation in material science and deposition techniques.\n\nSecondly, the **data storage industry**, including manufacturers of Solid-State Drives (SSDs) and memory modules, will benefit from the ability to create products with superior data retention and endurance. This is critical for enterprise storage, cloud computing, and data centers where reliability is paramount.\n\nThirdly, **consumer electronics** will see improvements in devices like smartphones, laptops, and tablets, which will feature higher capacity, faster, and more durable embedded memory. Emerging sectors such as **artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning**, **Internet of Things (IoT)**, and **automotive electronics** (e.g., for autonomous vehicles) will also experience significant advancements, as these fields demand increasingly robust and high-density memory solutions to process vast amounts of data reliably. This innovation underpins the foundational technology for the next generation of digital infrastructure.","question":"What industries will Semiconductor Device and Method of Fabricating the Same impact?"},{"answer":"The patent titled \"Semiconductor Device and Method of Fabricating the Same\" (US-9853044) has specific dates associated with its lifecycle in the patent office.\n\nAccording to the provided data, the **Filing Date** for this patent was **2016-01-14**. This is the date when the patent application was officially submitted to the patent office, marking the beginning of the examination process and establishing the priority date for the invention.\n\nThe **Publication Date** for this patent was **2017-12-26**. This is the date when the patent document was made publicly available by the patent office. It typically signifies the point at which the details of the invention become accessible to the public, allowing other researchers and companies to review the claims and technical specifics. The publication date often precedes the grant date, as the application undergoes further examination.\n\nWhile the grant date is not explicitly provided in the abstract, the publication date indicates that the invention has passed initial review and its details are now part of the public record, allowing for widespread dissemination and analysis within the semiconductor industry and beyond.","question":"When was Semiconductor Device and Method of Fabricating the Same filed/granted?"},{"answer":"The commercial applications of the \"Semiconductor Device and Method of Fabricating the Same\" are vast and span across any sector requiring high-performance, reliable non-volatile memory.\n\nForemost, it will significantly impact the **Solid-State Drive (SSD) market**, enabling the production of SSDs with higher capacities, extended lifespans, and improved data integrity for both consumer and enterprise segments. This is crucial for laptops, desktops, and servers.\n\nIn **data centers and cloud computing**, the enhanced reliability and endurance will lead to more robust storage infrastructure, reducing downtime, maintenance costs, and data loss. This directly benefits cloud service providers and large enterprises.\n\nFor **mobile devices and consumer electronics**, including smartphones, tablets, and smart wearables, the innovation allows for higher embedded storage capacities and more durable devices, improving user experience. Emerging markets like **artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning** will leverage this technology for faster and more reliable data processing and storage in AI accelerators and inference engines. Finally, the **automotive industry**, particularly for autonomous vehicles and in-car infotainment systems, will benefit from robust, long-lasting memory that can withstand harsh operating conditions and reliably store critical data for advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS). This patent is a foundational technology for future digital growth across these diverse commercial landscapes.","question":"What are the commercial applications of Semiconductor Device and Method of Fabricating the Same?"},{"answer":"The Semiconductor Device and Method of Fabricating the Same patent lays a robust foundation for numerous future developments in semiconductor memory technology.\n\nOne key expectation is the **accelerated increase in 3D NAND layer counts**. With the enhanced reliability provided by the denser protective pattern, manufacturers will be able to confidently stack even more layers (e.g., aiming for 500+ layers), leading to unprecedented storage densities in future memory chips. This will drive down the cost per bit and enable new levels of capacity.\n\nAnother development will be the **widespread adoption and improved reliability of advanced multi-level cell (MLC) technologies**, such as Quad-Level Cell (QLC) and Penta-Level Cell (PLC). The more stable charge trapping and reduced leakage facilitated by this innovation will make it easier to differentiate between multiple charge states per cell, further boosting storage density.\n\nFurthermore, the principles of this gate dielectric engineering could inspire **novel memory architectures beyond traditional 3D NAND**, potentially influencing emerging non-volatile memory types like Resistive RAM (RRAM) or Ferroelectric RAM (FeRAM) to enhance their own reliability and scalability. Ultimately, this technology is expected to contribute to more energy-efficient and sustainable computing by enabling longer-lasting and higher-performing memory solutions, thereby reducing electronic waste and operational energy consumption in data centers. It represents a significant step towards addressing the ever-growing demands of the data-intensive future.","question":"What are the future developments expected for Semiconductor Device and Method of Fabricating the Same?"}],"topics":["semiconductor device","3D NAND","memory technology","gate dielectric","charge trap layer","relentless","march","towards"],"tech_cluster":null},"seo":{"title":"Semiconductor Device and Method of Fabricating the Same - US-9853044","description":"Discover the Semiconductor Device and Method of Fabricating the Same patent for next-gen 3D NAND memory. Features a denser protective pattern for superior reliability and data retention.","keywords":["semiconductor device","3D NAND","memory technology","gate dielectric","charge trap layer","semiconductor fabrication","high-density memory","patent US-9853044","non-volatile memory","device reliability","data retention","vertical scaling","advanced semiconductor","memory innovation","semiconductor patent"]},"attribution":{"source":"Patentable","source_url":"https://patentable.app","canonical_url":"https://patentable.app/patents/US-9853044","license":"CC-BY-4.0-like","license_terms":"AI-generated analysis on this page (summary, layman_explanation, technical_analysis, business_analysis, faqs) may be reused with attribution and a visible link back to the canonical URL above. Patent abstracts, claims, and bibliographic data are USPTO public domain.","required_link":"https://patentable.app/patents/US-9853044","citation_suggestion":"Patentable. \"Semiconductor device and method of fabricating the same\" (US-9853044). https://patentable.app/patents/US-9853044","copyright_holder":"Nomic Interactive Technology LLC"},"links":{"html":"https://patentable.app/patents/US-9853044","json":"https://patentable.app/api/llm-context/US-9853044","site":"https://patentable.app","llms_txt":"https://patentable.app/llms.txt"},"generated_at":"2026-06-06T10:35:20.657Z"}