Abstract:
A contact structure (98) for a PCM device is formed by an elongated formation (102) having a longitudinal extension parallel to the upper surface (92) of the body (91) and an end face (110) extending in a vertical plane. The end face (110) is in contact with a bottom portion of an active region (103) of chalcogenic material so that the dimensions of the contact area defined by the end face (110) are determined by the thickness (S) of the elongated formation and by the width (W) thereof.
Abstract:
A process for manufacturing a phase change memory cell, comprising the steps of: forming a resistive element (22); forming a delimiting structure (48, 49, 55a) having an aperture (56) over the resistive element (22); forming a memory portion (38a) of a phase change material in the aperture, the resistive element (22) and the memory portion (38a) being in direct electrical contact and defining a contact area (58) of sublithographic extension. The step of forming a memory portion (38a) further includes filling the aperture (56) with the phase change material and removing from the delimiting structure (48, 49, 55a) an exceeding portion (38b) of the phase change material exceeding the aperture (56).
Abstract:
The phase change memory cell (5) is formed by a resistive element (22) and by a memory region (38) of a phase change material. The resistive element has a first thin portion having a first sublithographic dimension in a first direction (Y); and the memory region (38) has a second thin portion (38a) having a second sublithographic dimension in a second direction (X) which is transverse to said first direction. The first and second thin portions (22, 38a) are in direct electrical contact and define a contact area (58) having sublithographic extent. The second thin portion (38a) is formed in a slit of sublithograhic dimensions. According to a first solution, oxide spacer portions (55a) are formed in a lithographic opening (51), delimited by a mold layer (49). According to a different solution, a sacrificial region is formed on top of a mold layer and is used for forming the sublithographic slit in the mold layer.
Abstract:
An electronic semiconductor device has a sublithographic contact area (45, 58) between a first conductive region (22) and a second conductive region (38). The first conductive region (22) is cup-shaped and has vertical walls which extend, in top plan view, along a closed line of elongated shape. One of the walls of the first conductive region forms a first thin portion and has a first dimension in a first direction. The second conductive region (38) has a second thin portion (38a) having a second sublithographic dimension in a second direction (X) transverse to the first dimension. The first and the second conductive regions are in direct electrical contact at their thin portions and form the sublithographic contact area (45, 58). The elongated shape is chosen between rectangular and oval elongated in the first direction. Thereby, the dimensions of the contact area remain approximately constant even in presence of a small misalignment between the masks defining the conductive regions.
Abstract:
A phase change memory device (10) having a heater element (2) and memory region (3) of chalcogenic material. The memory region has a phase changing portion (5) in electrical and thermal contact with the heater element and forms a first current path between the heater element and a rest portion (4) of the memory element. The phase changing portion (5) has a dimension correlated to information stored in the memory region and a higher resistivity than the rest portion (4). A parallel current path (11) extends between the heater element (2) and the rest portion (4) of said memory element and has a resistance depending upon the dimension of the phase changing portion (5) and lower than the phase changing portion (5), thus modulating the overall resistance of phase change memory device.
Abstract:
A process for manufacturing an array of cells in a body (1) of semiconductor material wherein a common conduction region (11) of a first conductivity type and a plurality of shared control regions (12), of a second conductivity type, are formed in the body. The shared control regions (12) extend on the common conduction region (11) and are laterally delimited by insulating regions (32). Then, a grid-like layer (36) is formed on the body (1) to delimit a first plurality of empty regions (38) directly overlying the body and conductive regions of semiconductor material and the first conductivity type (44) are formed by filling the first plurality of empty regions (38), each conductive region forming, together with the common conduction region and an own shared control region (12), a bipolar junction transistor (20).