Abstract:
A copper diffusion plug 21 is provided within a pore in dielectric layer (18, 20, 28, 30) over a copper signal line (16). By positioning the plug (21) below a chalcogenide region (36), the plug is effective to block copper diffusion upwardly into the pore and into the chalcogenide region and thus to avoid adversely affecting the electrical characteristics of the chalcogenide region.
Abstract:
Both a chalcogenide select device (24, 120) and a chalcogenide memory element (40, 130) are formed within vias within dielectrics (18, 22). As a result, the chalcogenides is effectively trapped within the vias and no glue or adhesion layer is needed. Moreo ver, delamination problems are avoided. A lance material (30) is formed within the same via (31) with the memory element (40, 130). In one embodiment, the lance material is made thinner by virtue of the presence of a sidewall spacer (28); in another embodiment no sidewall spacer is utilized. A relatively small area of contact between the chalcogenide (40) used to form a memory element (130) and the lance material (30) is achieved by providing a pin hole opening in a dielectric (34), which separates the chalcogenide and the lance material.
Abstract:
A phase change memory formed by a plurality of phase change memory devices having a chalcogenide memory region (28) extending over an own heater (26). The heaters (26) have all a relatively uniform height. The height uniformity is achieved by forming the heaters within pores in an insulator that includes an etch stop layer (18) and a sacrificial layer (24). The sacrificial layer is removed through an etching process such as chemical mechanical planarization. Since the etch stop layer may be formed in a repeatable way and is common across all the devices on a wafer, considerable uniformity is achieved in heater height. Heater height uniformity results in more uniformity in programmed memory characteristics.
Abstract:
A dual resistance heater (24) for a phase change material region (28) is formed by depositing a resistive material. The heater material is then exposed to an implantation or plasma which increases the resistance of the surface (26) of the heater material relative to the remainder (27) of the heater material. As a result, the portion (26) of the heater material approximate to the phase change material region (28) is a highly effective heater because of its high resistance, but the bulk (27) of the heater material is not as resistive and, thus, does not increase the voltage drop and the current usage of the device.