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) transverse to the first dimension. The first thin portion (22) and the second thin portion (38a) are in direct electrical contact and define a contact area (58) of sublithographic extension. The second thin portion (38a) is delimited laterally by oxide spacer portions (55a) surrounded by a mold layer (49) which defines a lithographic opening (51). The spacer portions (55a) are formed after forming the lithographic opening, by a spacer formation technique.
Abstract:
A contact structure (30) in an electronic semiconductor device, including a first conducting region (31) having a first thin portion with a first sublithographic dimension in a first direction; a second conducting region (32) having a second thin portion (32a) with a second sublithographic dimension in a second direction transverse to said first direction; the first and second conducting regions being in direct electrical contact at the first and second thin portions and defining a contact area (33) having a sublithografic extension, lower than 100 nm, preferably about 20 nm. The thin sublithographic portions are obtained using deposition instead of lithography: the first thin portion is deposed on a wall of an opening in a first dielectric layer (34); the second thin portion is obtained by deposing a sacrificial region on vertical wall of a first delimitation layer, deposing a second delimitation layer on the free side of the sacrificial region, removing the sacrificial region to form a sublithographic hard mask opening that is used to etch a mold opening (40) in a mold layer (38) and filling the mold opening.
Abstract:
A vertical-current-flow resistive element (12) comprising a monolithic region (12) having a first portion (12a) and a second portion (12b) arranged on top of one another and formed by a single material. The first portion has a first resistivity, and the second portion (12b) has a second resistivity, lower than the first resistivity. To this aim, a monolithic region with a uniform resistivity and a height greater than at least one of the other dimensions is first formed; then the resistivity of the first portion (12a) is increased by introducing, from the top, species that form a prevalently covalent bond with the conductive material of the monolithic region, so that the concentration of said species becomes higher in the first portion (12a) than in the second portion (12b). Preferably, the conductive material is a binary or ternary alloy, chosen from among TiAl, TiSi 2 , Ta, WSi, and the increase in resistivity is obtained by nitridation.
Abstract:
The process for forming a film of TiSiN includes the following sequence of steps: deposition of a TiN film at medium temperature, for example, 300-450°C, by thermal decomposition of a metallorganic precursor, for example TDMAT (Tetrakis Dimethylamino Titanium); exposition to a silicon releasing gas, such as silane (SiH 4 ) and dichlorine-silane (SiH 2 Cl 2 ) at 10-90 sccm -standard cube centimeters per minute- for a quite long time, for example, longer than 10 s but less than 90 s, preferably about 40 s; exposition to a H 2 /N 2 plasma at 200-800 sccm, for 10-90 s, preferably about 40 s.
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) transverse to the first dimension. The first thin portion (22) and the second thin portion (38a) are in direct electrical contact and define a contact area (58) of sublithographic extension. The second thin portion (38a) is delimited laterally by oxide spacer portions (55a) surrounded by a mold layer (49) which defines a lithographic opening (51). The spacer portions (55a) are formed after forming the lithographic opening, by a spacer formation technique.
Abstract:
A vertical-current-flow resistive element (12) comprising a monolithic region (12) having a first portion (12a) and a second portion (12b) arranged on top of one another and formed by a single material. The first portion has a first resistivity, and the second portion (12b) has a second resistivity, lower than the first resistivity. To this aim, a monolithic region with a uniform resistivity and a height greater than at least one of the other dimensions is first formed; then the resistivity of the first portion (12a) is increased by introducing, from the top, species that form a prevalently covalent bond with the conductive material of the monolithic region, so that the concentration of said species becomes higher in the first portion (12a) than in the second portion (12b). Preferably, the conductive material is a binary or ternary alloy, chosen from among TiAl, TiSi 2 , Ta, WSi, and the increase in resistivity is obtained by nitridation.