Composite electrode having low heat consumption and small contact area for memory device of phase-changing medium

Abstract

A low heat loss and small contact area electrode structure for a phase change media memory device is disclosed. The memory device includes a composite electrode that includes a dielectric mandrel that is connected with a substrate and having a tapered shape that terminates at a vertex. An electrically conductive material conformally covers the dielectric mandrel and terminates at a tip. A first dielectric layer covers all of the composite electrode except an exposed portion of the composite electrode that is adjacent to the tip. A phase change media is in contact with the exposed portion. The exposed portion is only a small percentage of an overall surface area of the composite electrode so that a contact footprint between the exposed portion and the phase change media is small relative to a surface area of the phase change media and Joule heat transfer from the phase change media into the composite electrode is reduced.

Description

technical field [0001] The present invention generally relates to a composite electrode with low heat loss and small contact area with a phase change medium. In particular, the present invention relates to a phase-change medium storage device, wherein the composite electrode includes an exposed portion in contact with the phase-change medium. The small percentage of the exposed portion of the overall area of ​​the composite electrode results in a small contact footprint between the exposed portion and the phase change medium that reduces heat transfer from the phase change medium to the composite electrode. Background technique [0002] Memory storage devices that store information based on phase change materials are considered as an alternative to traditional data storage devices such as hard disks and flash memory, to name a few. In phase change material based memory devices, data is stored in one of two physical states of the phase change material. [0003] For example,...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

[0010] One disadvantage of existing phase change memory cells 100 is that not all of the energy contained in Joule heating J is used to change the state of phase change material 101 from amorphous state a to crystalline state c

First, increasing the current I results in increased power dissipation, and it is desirable to reduce power dissipation in electronic circuits

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