Thin film phase change memory cell and its manufacture method

Abstract

A memory cell comprises a semiconductor feature and a phase change material. The semiconductor feature defines a groove that divides the semiconductor feature into a first electrode and a second electrode. The phase change material at least partially fills this groove and acts to electrically couple the first and second electrodes. At least a portion of the phase change material is operative to switch between lower and higher electrical resistance states in response to an application of a switching signal to at least one of the first and second electrodes.

Description

technical field [0001] The present invention relates generally to memory cells in integrated circuits, and more particularly to memory cells including phase change materials. Background technique [0002] Recently, as more has been learned about phase change materials (PCMs) and their integration in integrated circuits, the possibility of using these materials in non-volatile memory cells has increased. When incorporated into a memory cell, these materials can be switched between higher and lower resistance states by applying a current pulse ("switching current pulse") to the memory cell. Subsequently, after the memory cell has been written in this manner, the resistance state of a given memory cell can be determined (ie read) by applying a low magnitude read voltage to the material to determine its resistance state. In particular, in some designs, PCM-based memory cells can even store multiple bits of information simultaneously. [0003] Currently, such as doped SbTe and ...

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Problems solved by technology

However, despite the obvious advantages of such designs, precise control of these dimensional parameters remains difficult from a process standpoint

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