1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a memory element, and more particularly to a phase-change memory element.
2. Description of the Related Art
Phase-change memory technology requires high reliability, high speeds, low current, and low operating voltage, in order to function as a viable alternative to current memory technologies such as flash and DRAM. A phase-change memory cell must therefore provide low programming current, voltage operation, a smaller cell size, a fast phase transformation speed, and a low cost. These requirements are difficult to meet given the current state of the art.
The phase-change memory structures are predominantly self-heating, i.e. current flows through the phase-change material to produce the required heat. The top electrical contact of the phase-change memory is generally wider than the bottom electrical contact area. The structure may be a pore filled with phase-change material, or a block of phase-change material with a sublithographic bottom contact, and lithographically defined top electrode. The wider contact defines the maximum current required to write a bit to the cell. Variations in the bottom or top contact width due to lithography, etching or other processing stages result in variations of the required programming current.
Ideally, the phase-change memory will have a fixed cross-section area, such as a pillar or bridge. However these structures tend to require high voltages as the cross-section area and/or the length is reduced. An issue limiting further advancement is that the electrodes connecting to the structure, act as heat sinks.
Macronix (U.S. Pub. 20060284157 and U.S. Pub. 20060284158) disclosed a basic phase-change bridge structure. However, the electrode contacts are the only contacts to the bridge and heat significantly flows out through these contacts, thus making programming very inefficient.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,119,353 discloses a phase change memory element, including a substrate, a CMOS formed on the substrate, a dielectric layer, a metal plug, and a phase change memory cell. Particularly, the phase change memory cell includes a phase change material layer, and a pair of electrodes. The CMOS electrically connects to the electrode of the phase change memory cell via the metal plug. Accordingly, the active area (phase change area) can be determined by the thickness of the phase change material layer. The contact surface between the phase change material layer and the metal plug, however, is limited by the diameter of the metal plug, thereby making it unable to increase heating efficiency and reducing the programming current of the phase change memory cells.
Therefore, it is desirable to devise a phase-change memory cell structure that improves upon the aforementioned problems.
An exemplary embodiment of a phase-change memory element includes: a first electrode and a second electrode; a phase-change material layer electrically connected to the first electrode and the second electrode; and at least two electrically isolated conductors, disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode, directly contacting the phase-change material layers.
An exemplary embodiment provides a method for forming a phase-change memory element, including providing a substrate; forming a dielectric layer on the substrate; forming a first electrode and a second electrode on the dielectric layer; forming at least two electrically isolated conductors on the dielectric layer, disposed between and separated from the first electrode and the second electrode; and forming a phase-change material layer electrically connected to the first electrode and the second electrode, directly contacting the phase-change material layer.
Another exemplary embodiment provides a method for forming phase-change memory element, including providing a substrate; forming a bottom electrode on the substrate; forming a first thermal insulator on the first electrode; forming a first electrically isolated conductor on the first thermal insulator; forming a dielectric layer on the first electrically isolated conductor; forming a second electrically isolated conductor on the dielectric layer; forming a second thermal insulator on the second electrically isolated conductor; forming a top electrode on the second thermal insulator; and forming a phase-change spacer to cover the side of above structure.
A detailed description is given in the following embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings.
The invention can be more fully understood by reading the subsequent detailed description and examples with references made to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
a-1j are cross sections of a method for fabricating a phase-change memory element according to an embodiment of the invention.
a-4j are cross sections of a method for fabricating a phase-change memory element according to yet another embodiment of the invention.
The following description is of the best-contemplated mode of carrying out the invention. This description is made for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention and should not be taken in a limiting sense. The scope of the invention is best determined by reference to the appended claims.
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Moreover, the invention also provides another phase-change memory element with the fabricating steps as below.
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According to embodiments of the invention, a phase-change memory element 200 with electrically isolated conductors can have a pillar structure, as shown in
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In the embodiment, the thermal insulator slows heating of the electrically isolated conductors and the phase-change area is confined to in-between the electrically isolated metal.
It should be noted that the width W of the phase-change material spacers 228 must be less than the thickness T2 of the first and second electrically isolated conductors 216 and 220. When the first and second thermal insulators 212 and 224 are phase-change material, the width W of the phase-change material spacers 228 must be less than the thickness T1 of the first and second thermal insulators 212 and 224. For example, the width W of the phase-change material spacers 228 can be 2-5 nm, the thickness T2 of the first and second crystallization initiators 216 and 220 are 15 nm, and the thickness T1 of the first and second thermal insulators 212 and 224 are 15 nm.
Accordingly, the phase-change memory element of the invention allows reduction of current and voltage and thermal non-uniformity in the programming region through manufacturing processes. Further, multi-bit capability is also possible. The bridge embodiment is not affected by the top contact critical dimension (CD) and bottom contact critical dimension (CD) variation issue.
While the invention has been described by way of example and in terms of preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto. To the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements (as would be apparent to those skilled in the art). Therefore, the scope of the appended claims should be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar arrangements.
This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/062,793, filed Oct. 24, 2013, which is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/269,282, filed Nov. 12, 2008, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.
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