U.S. patent application number 10/319753 was filed with the patent office on 2004-06-17 for phase change memory and method therefor.
Invention is credited to Dennison, Charles H..
Application Number | 20040113136 10/319753 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 32325999 |
Filed Date | 2004-06-17 |
United States Patent
Application |
20040113136 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Dennison, Charles H. |
June 17, 2004 |
PHASE CHANGE MEMORY AND METHOD THEREFOR
Abstract
Briefly, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention, a
phase change memory and a method to manufacture a phase change
memory is provided. The phase change memory may include an
electrode, an adhesive material, an insulating material between the
electrode and the adhesive material, wherein a portion of the
adhesive material, a portion of the insulating material, and a
portion of the electrode form a substantially planar surface. The
phase change memory may further include a phase change material on
the substantially planar surface and contacting the electrode, the
adhesive material, and the insulating material.
Inventors: |
Dennison, Charles H.; (San
Jose, CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BLAKELY SOKOLOFF TAYLOR & ZAFMAN
12400 WILSHIRE BOULEVARD, SEVENTH FLOOR
LOS ANGELES
CA
90025
US
|
Family ID: |
32325999 |
Appl. No.: |
10/319753 |
Filed: |
December 13, 2002 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
257/2 ; 257/4;
257/5; 257/E45.002; 438/900 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01L 27/2409 20130101;
H01L 45/144 20130101; H01L 45/16 20130101; H01L 45/1233 20130101;
H01L 45/06 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
257/002 ;
257/004; 257/005; 438/900 |
International
Class: |
H01L 047/00 |
Claims
1. An apparatus, comprising: an electrode; an adhesive material; a
dielectric material between the electrode and the adhesive
material, wherein a portion of the adhesive material, a portion of
the dielectric material, and a portion of the electrode form a
substantially planar surface; and a phase change material on the
substantially planar surface and contacting the electrode, the
adhesive material, and the dielectric material.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the dielectric material
contacts a portion of a sidewall of the electrode.
3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the adhesive material
surrounds a portion of the electrode and is separated from the
electrode by the dielectric material.
4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the adhesive material
comprises polysilicon or titanium; wherein the electrode comprises
titanium, tungsten, titanium nitride (TiN), titanium aluminum
nitride (TiAIN), or titanium silicon nitride (TiSiN); and wherein
the dielectric material comprises an oxide, a nitride, or a low k
dielectric material.
5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the phase change material
comprises a chalcogenide material.
6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the electrode is coupled to an
address line.
7. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a conductive
material over the phase change material.
8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the conductive material
comprises aluminum.
9. An apparatus, comprising: an electrode material; a conductive
material; an insulating material between the electrode material and
the conductive material, wherein a portion of the conductive
material, a portion of the insulating material, and a portion of
the electrode material form a substantially planar surface; and a
programmable material on the substantially planar surface and
contacting the electrode material, the conductive material, and the
insulating material.
10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the conductive material
comprises polysilicon or titanium.
11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the programmable material is
a phase change material.
12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the conductive material
serves as a thermal ground plane.
13. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the insulating material
surrounds and contacts an upper portion of the electrode
material.
14. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the insulating material
contacts a portion of a sidewall of the electrode material.
15. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the conductive material
surrounds an upper portion of the electrode material and is
separated from the electrode material by the insulating
material.
16. A method, comprising: forming an adhesive material surrounding
a portion of an electrode; removing a portion of the adhesive
material and a portion of the electrode to expose a portion of the
electrode; and forming a phase change material overlying the
adhesive material and the electrode.
17. The method of claim 16, further comprising forming an
insulating material between the adhesive material and the electrode
and wherein forming a phase change material includes forming the
phase change material overlying the insulating material.
18. The method of claim 17, wherein removing further comprising
removing a portion of the insulating material.
19. The method of claim 18, wherein removing includes using a
chemical-mechanical polish (CMP) to remove portions of the adhesive
material, the insulating material and the electrode.
20. The method of claim 18, further comprising etching the
insulating material to form a spacer prior to removing a portion of
the insulating material.
21. The method of claim 17, wherein removing includes removing
portions of the adhesive material, the electrode, and the
insulating material to form a substantially planar surface and
wherein forming a phase change material includes forming the phase
change material on the substantially planar surface.
22. The method of claim 17, further comprising: forming an opening
in a dielectric material; forming the electrode in the opening; and
removing a portion of the dielectric material so that a top surface
of the electrode is above a top surface of the dielectric
material.
23. The method of claim 17, wherein forming the insulating material
further includes forming the insulating material over a top surface
of the electrode and on a portion of a sidewall of the electrode
and wherein forming an adhesive material includes forming the
adhesive material overlying the insulating material, wherein the
adhesive material is separated from the electrode by the insulating
material.
24. A system, comprising: a processor; a wireless interface coupled
to the processor; and a memory coupled to the processor, the memory
including: an electrode; an adhesive material; a dielectric
material between the electrode and the adhesive material, wherein a
portion of the adhesive material, a portion of the dielectric
material, and a portion of the electrode form a substantially
planar surface; and a phase change material on the substantially
planar surface and contacting the electrode, the adhesive material,
and the dielectric material.
25. The system of claim 24, wherein the dielectric material
contacts a portion of a sidewall of the electrode.
26. The system of claim 25, wherein the adhesive material surrounds
an upper portion of the electrode and is separated from the
electrode by the dielectric material.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] Phase change memory devices use phase change materials,
i.e., materials that may be electrically switched between a
generally amorphous and a generally crystalline state, for
electronic memory application. One type of memory element utilizes
a phase change material that may be, in one application,
electrically switched between a structural state of generally
amorphous and generally crystalline local order or between
different detectable states of local order across the entire
spectrum between completely amorphous and completely crystalline
states.
[0002] Typical materials suitable for such application include
those utilizing various chalcogenide elements. The state of the
phase change materials are also non-volatile in that, when set in
either a crystalline, semi-crystalline, amorphous, or
semi-amorphous state representing a resistance value, that value is
retained until reset as that value represents a phase or physical
state of the material (e.g., crystalline or amorphous).
[0003] A phase change memory cell may comprise a phase change
material disposed on a dielectric material. However, some
dielectric materials and phase change materials may not chemically
bond well together. As a result, the layer of phase change material
may peel during subsequent manufacturing of the phase change
device, which in turn, may affect the yield or reliability of the
device.
[0004] Thus, there is a continuing need for alternate ways to
manufacture phase change memory devices.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0005] The subject matter regarded as the invention is particularly
pointed out and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of the
specification. The present invention, however, both as to
organization and method of operation, together with objects,
features, and advantages thereof, may best be understood by
reference to the following detailed description when read with the
accompanying drawings in which:
[0006] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of a memory
element during fabrication in accordance with an embodiment of the
present invention;
[0007] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the structure of FIG. 1
at a later stage of fabrication in accordance with an embodiment of
the present invention;
[0008] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the structure of FIG. 2
at a later stage of fabrication;
[0009] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the structure of FIG. 3
at a later stage of fabrication;
[0010] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the structure of FIG. 4
at a later stage of fabrication;
[0011] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the structure of FIG. 5
at a later stage of fabrication; FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view
of the structure of FIG. 6 at a later stage of fabrication;
[0012] FIG. 8 is a top view of the structure of FIG. 7 at the stage
of fabrication illustrated in FIG. 7;
[0013] FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the structure of FIG. 7
at a later stage of fabrication;
[0014] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the structure of FIG. 5
at a later stage of fabrication in accordance with another
embodiment of the present invention;
[0015] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the structure of FIG.
10 at a later stage of fabrication;
[0016] FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the structure of FIG.
11 at a later stage of fabrication in accordance with another
embodiment of the present invention; and
[0017] FIG. 13 is a block diagram illustrating a portion of a
system in accordance with an embodiment of the present
invention.
[0018] It will be appreciated that for simplicity and clarity of
illustration, elements illustrated in the figures have not
necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of
some of the elements are exaggerated relative to other elements for
clarity. Further, where considered appropriate, reference numerals
have been repeated among the figures to indicate corresponding or
analogous elements.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0019] In the following detailed description, numerous specific
details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding
of the present invention. However, it will be understood by those
skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced
without these specific details. In other instances, well-known
methods, procedures, components and circuits have not been
described in detail so as not to obscure the present invention.
[0020] In the following description and claims, the terms "coupled"
and "connected," along with their derivatives, may be used. It
should be understood that these terms are not intended as synonyms
for each other. Rather, in particular embodiments, "connected" may
be used to indicate that two or more elements are in direct
physical or electrical contact with each other. "Coupled" may mean
that two or more elements are in direct physical or electrical
contact. However, "coupled" may also mean that two or more elements
are not in direct contact with each other, but yet still co-operate
or interact with each other.
[0021] FIGS. 1-9 may be used to illustrate one embodiment of the
fabrication of a memory element 100 and FIGS. 10 and 11 may be used
to illustrate another embodiment to manufacture memory element 100.
What is shown in FIG. 1 is a substrate 110 such as, for example, a
semiconductor substrate (e.g., a silicon substrate), although the
scope of the present invention is not limited in this respect.
Other suitable substrates may be, but are not limited to,
substrates that contain ceramic material, organic material, or a
glass material.
[0022] A reducer material 120 of, in one embodiment, a refractory
metal silicide such as, for example, a cobalt silicide (CoSi2) may
be formed over a portion of substrate 110. Reducer material 120 may
be formed on top of either a P+ or N+ doped junction that either
could be part of a diode or a source/drain region of a MOS
transistor.
[0023] In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, reducer material
120 may be formed over a P+ region 101, which may be formed over a
N region 102. Regions 101 and 102 may form a PN diode.
[0024] P+ region 101 may be formed by introducing a P-type dopant
such as, for example, boron, in substrate 110. In one example, a
suitable concentration of a P-type dopant is on the order of above
about 5.times.10.sup.18 to about 1.times.10.sup.20 atoms per cubic
centimeters (atoms/cm3), which may be represented as P+. N region
102 may be a CMOS N-well on a P-substrate wafer, an N-well of a
N-substrate wafer, or a buried N-well/word line (e.g., BWL in a
diode matrix array).
[0025] Reducer material 120, in one aspect, may serve as a
relatively low resistance material in the fabrication of peripheral
circuitry, e.g., addressing circuitry (not shown in FIG. 1).
Reducer material 120 is not required in terms of forming a memory
element as described, however, reducer material 120 may be included
in memory element 100 between a phase change material (not shown in
FIG. 1) and an isolation device or switching device such as, for
example, a diode, or a transistor (not shown in FIG.1). Reducer
material 120 may be formed by introducing a refractory metal (e.g.,
cobalt) into a portion of substrate 110.
[0026] Memory element 100 may also include shallow trench isolation
(STI) structures 125. STI structures 125 may serve to isolate
individual memory elements from one another as well as associated
circuit elements (e.g., transistor devices) formed in and on the
substrate. In one embodiment, STI structure 125 may be an oxide or
silicon dioxide, although the scope of the present invention is not
limited in this respect.
[0027] A conductive plug 130 may be formed overlying reducer
material 120. Conductive plug 130 may serve as a relatively low
resistance path to provide current to a programmable material, such
as a phase change material (not shown in FIG. 1). Conductive plug
130 may include an outer U-shaped barrier material 135 and an inner
conductive material 136. Although the scope of the present
invention is not limited in this respect, barrier material 135 may
be a conductive material. Barrier material 135 may be titanium
nitride (TiN) or tantalum nitride (TaN). Conductive material 136
may be tungsten (W) or copper (Cu).
[0028] A layer of insulating material 129 may be formed over
substrate 110. An opening (not shown in FIG. 1) may be formed in
insulating material 129, and conductive plug 130 may be formed in
this opening, wherein insulating material 129 surrounds conductive
plug 130. Examples of insulating material 129 may include an oxide,
nitride, or a low K dielectric material, although the scope of the
present invention is not limited in this respect.
[0029] A layer of insulating material 140 may be formed overlying
insulating material 129 and a portion of conductive plug 130.
Insulating material 140 may be an electrically insulating material.
Insulating material 140 may also be a thermally insulating
material. Examples of insulating material 140 may include an oxide,
nitride, or a low K dielectric material, although the scope of the
present invention is not limited in this respect. Insulating
material 140 may have a thickness ranging from about 500 angstroms
(.ANG.) to about 3,000 angstroms, although the scope of the present
invention is not limited in this respect.
[0030] Turning to FIG. 2, a hole or opening 150 having sidewalls
155 may be formed by etching insulating material 140. Opening 150
may be a via or a trench, although the scope of the present
invention is not limited in this respect.
[0031] In one embodiment, opening 150 may be formed using
photolithographic and etch techniques. As an example, opening 150
may be formed by applying a layer of photoresist material (not
shown) on insulating material 140 and exposing this photoresist
material to light. A mask (not shown) may be used to expose
selected areas of the photoresist material, which defines areas to
be removed, i.e., etched. The etch may be a chemical etch, which
may be referred to as a wet etch. Or, the etch may be an
electrolytic or plasma (ion bombardment) etch, which may be
referred to as a dry etch. In one embodiment, the etch may be an
anisotropic etch using a dry plasma etch, although the scope oft
the present invention is not limited in this respect. If opening
150 is formed using photolithographic techniques, the diameter or
width of opening 150 may be at least one feature size.
[0032] The feature size of a structure may refer to the minimum
dimension achievable using photolithography. For example, the
feature size may refer to a width of a material or spacing of
materials in a structure. As is understood, photolithography refers
to a process of transferring a pattern or image from one medium to
another, e.g., as from a mask to a wafer, using ultra-violet (UV)
light. The minimum feature size of the transferred pattern may be
limited by the limitations of the UV light. Distances, sizes, or
dimensions less than the feature size may be referred to as
sub-lithographic distances, sizes, or dimensions. For example, some
structures may have feature sizes of about 2500 angstroms. In this
example, a sub-lithographic distance may refer to a feature having
a width of less than about 2500 angstroms.
[0033] Several techniques may be used to achieve sub-lithographic
dimensions. Although the scope of the present invention is not
limited in this respect, phase shift mask, electron beam
lithography, or x-ray lithography may be used to achieve
sub-lithographic dimensions. Electron beam lithography may refer to
a direct-write lithography technique using a beam of electrons to
expose resist on a wafer. X-ray lithography may refer to a
lithographic process for transferring patterns to a silicon wafer
in which the electromagnetic radiation used is X-ray, rather than
visible radiation. The shorter wavelength for X-rays (e.g., about
10-50 angstroms, versus about 2000-3000 angstroms for ultra-violet
radiation) may reduce diffraction, and may be used to achieve
feature sizes of about 1000 angstroms. Also, sidewall spacers may
be used to achieve sub-lithographic dimensions. FIG. 2 may be used
to illustrate the use of sidewall spacers 160 to achieve
sub-lithographic dimensions.
[0034] FIG. 2 depicts the structure of FIG. 1, through the same
cross-sectional view, after forming optional sidewall spacers 160.
In one embodiment, sidewall spacers 160 may be formed along
sidewalls 175 of a hard mask material 170. The distance between
sidewalls 175 may be one feature size and may be formed using
photolithographic and etch techniques. Sidewall spacers 160 may be
formed by depositing a layer of material in the space between
sidewalls 175 and patterning this material using a dry etch such
as, for example, an anisotropic etch.
[0035] The distance between sidewall spacers 160 may be
sub-lithographic. After sidewall spacers 160 are formed, in one
embodiment, another anisotropic etch may be used to form an opening
150 having a sub-lithographic diameter. For example, in one
embodiment, insulating material 140 may be anisotropically etched
using an etching agent that is selective such that the etching
agent stops at, or preserves, conductive plug 130. As shown in FIG.
2, the etching operation exposes a portion of conductive plug 130
through opening 150. In one aspect, sidewall spacers 160 may serve
to reduce the quantity of electrode material (180 shown in FIG. 3)
formed in opening 150. In one embodiment, the diameter of opening
150 may be less than about 1000 angstroms, although the scope of
the present invention is not limited in this respect.
[0036] Although the scope of the present invention is not limited
in this respect, hard mask material 170 may be polycrystalline
silicon, amorphous silicon, or silicon nitride. Hard mask material
170 may have a thickness ranging from about 1,000 angstroms to
about 3,000 angstroms, although the scope of the present invention
is not limited in this respect. Sidewall spacers 160 may be formed
from a variety of materials such as, for example, poly or amorphous
silicon, silicon nitride oxide, or oxide nitride.
[0037] It should be pointed out that the use of sidewall spacers
160 to form opening 150 is not a limitation of the present
invention. Other sub-lithographic methods, as mentioned above, may
be used to form opening 150, wherein opening 150 may have a
sub-lithographic diameter. Or, in alternate embodiments, opening
150 may be formed using photolithographic techniques and may
therefore, have a diameter of greater than or equal to about one
feature size.
[0038] FIG. 3 illustrates memory element 100 after the conformal
deposition of an electrode material 180 over insulating material
140 and in opening 150 (FIG. 2). FIG. 3 has been simplified by
illustrating memory element 100 without either sidewall spacers 160
or hard mask material 170 or subsequent to the removal of materials
160 and 170 . Spacers 160 or hard mask material 170 may be
selectively removed using, for example, an etch or a
chemical-mechanical polish (CMP). As discussed above, some
embodiments may use sidewall spacers 160 to form opening 150 (FIG.
2), and other embodiments may not use sidewall spacers to form
opening 150.
[0039] In one embodiment, electrode material 180 may be a layer of
carbon or a semi-metal such as a transition metal, including but
not limited to titanium, tungsten, titanium nitride (TiN), titanium
aluminum nitride (TiAlN), or titanium silicon nitride (TiSiN). As
an example, electrode material 180 may be formed with a chemical
vapor deposition (CVD) process, however, the scope of the present
invention is not limited by the particular process used to form
electrode material 180. It should also be understood that
alternative processes may be used to form electrode material
180.
[0040] Following introduction of electrode material 180, the
structure shown in FIG. 3 may be subjected to a planarization that
removes a portion of electrode material 180 and possibly a portion
of insulating layer 140. Suitable planarization techniques may
include a chemical or chemical-mechanical polish (CMP)
technique.
[0041] FIG. 4 illustrates the structure shown in FIG. 3 after
removal of a portion of electrode material 180. A portion of
electrode material 180 may be removed by patterning or segmenting
material 180. In one embodiment, a portion of material 180 may be
removed using, for example, a CMP process. It should also be
understood that alternative processes may be used to remove a
portion of electrode material 180. For example, a blanket etch may
be used to remove portions of electrode material 180.
[0042] FIG. 5 illustrates memory element 100 after the removal of
portions of insulating material 140. In one embodiment, insulating
layer 140 may be recessed or etched back to expose a portion of the
sidewalls of electrode material 180. In one embodiment,
approximately 1000 to about 3000 angstroms of insulating layer 140
may be removed using a wet or selective etch back, e.g., a
selective oxide etch diluted with hydrofluoric acid (HF).
Alternatively, a dry etch may also be used. Electrode material 180
at this stage of processing may be referred to as a lance structure
or a pillar structure and may serve as a lower electrode of memory
element 100.
[0043] FIG. 6 illustrates the structure of FIG. 5 at a later stage
of fabrication. FIG. 6 illustrates memory element 100 after the
conformal forming of an insulating material 210 on a top surface of
insulating material 140, along the sidewalls of electrode material
180, and on a top surface of electrode material 180. In other
words, insulating material 210 may be formed surrounding and
contacting an upper portion of electrode material 180.
[0044] Insulating material 210 may be a electrically and/or
thermally insulating material such as, for example, an oxide, a
nitride, a low K dielectric material, any other relatively low
thermally conductive material, or any other relatively low
electrically conductive material. Insulating material 210 may be
used to provide electrical and/or thermal isolation for memory
element 100. Using an insulating material to surround electrode 180
may increase the efficiency of memory element 100 during
programming. Further, using an insulating material that has
relatively high thermal insulating properties may increase heating
efficiency (e.g., reduce heat loss) and may reduce the amount of
electrical current used during programming of memory element
100.
[0045] The thickness and the technique used to formed insulating
layer 210 may be selected depending on the desired characteristics
of memory element 100. In one embodiment, insulating material 210
may have a thickness ranging from about 500 angstroms to about
2,500 angstroms, although the scope of the present invention is not
limited in this respect. In one embodiment, insulating material 210
may be formed using a low pressure chemical vapor deposition
(LPCVD) or plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD)
process.
[0046] A layer of a material 220 may be formed overlying insulating
layer 210. Material 220 may be an electrically conductive or a
thermally conductive material. Material 220 may serve as an
adhesive material suitable for adhering to a phase change material
(e.g., phase change material 300 in FIG. 9), and may be referred to
as an adhesive material, adhesive layer, or a glue layer in such
applications. In this example where material 220 serves as an
adhesive layer, the type of material used may be selected depending
on the phase chase material used in memory element 100. Using a
suitable adhesive material to bond with the phase change material
may reduce any problems with peeling. In the absence of material
220, the phase change material may directly contact insulating
material 210 and may not bond sufficiently to insulating material
210.
[0047] Material 220 may also serve an as a thermal ground plane to
reduce thermal disturb problems between adjacent memory elements.
Thermal disturb problems may arise when a target or selected memory
element is repeatedly heated during programming to place the phase
change material of the memory element in, for example, an amorphous
state. Due to scaling of memory devices where the distance between
memory elements is reduced, during heating of the target memory
element, unselected memory elements adjacent to the target memory
element may also be heated. Over time, this inadvertent heating of
the adjacent unselected memory elements may cause the unselected
memory elements to change states erroneously. As stated above,
thermal disturb problems may be reduced by providing material 220
at an appropriate thickness to serve as a thermal ground plane.
Increasing the thickness of material 220 may improve thermal
dissipation, thereby improving the thermal isolation between
adjacent memory elements.
[0048] Examples of material 220 may include materials comprising
polysilicon or titanium, although the scope of the claimed subject
matter is not limited in this respect. The thickness and the
technique used to formed material 220 may be selected depending on
the desired characteristics of memory element 100. In one
embodiment, material 220 may have a thickness ranging from about
200 angstroms to about 2,500 angstroms, although the scope of the
present invention is not limited in this respect. In one
embodiment, material 220 may be formed using a physical vapor
deposition (PVD), LPCVD, or a PECVD process.
[0049] FIG. 7 illustrates the structure of FIG. 6 after removal of
portions of materials 180, 210, and 220. A portion of the material
220, a portion of the insulating material 210, and a portion of
electrode material 180 may form a substantially planar surface 250.
In one embodiment, the structure shown in FIG. 6 may be subjected
to a planarization process such as, for example, a CMP process,
that removes portions of electrode material 180, insulating
material 210, and material 220.
[0050] As is seen in FIG. 7, portions of materials 180, 210, and
220 may be removed to expose a portion of electrode material 180.
Turning briefly to FIG. 8, what is shown is a top view of memory
element 100 at the stage of manufacture illustrated in FIG. 7. In
the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8, material 220 may
surround an upper portion of electrode material 180 and may be
separated from electrode material 180 by insulating material 210.
In addition, insulating material 210 may surround and contact an
upper portion of the sidewalls of electrode material 180.
[0051] FIG. 9 illustrates the structure shown in FIG. 7 after
forming a programmable material such as, for example, a phase
change material 300 on planar surface 250. As is illustrated in
FIG. 9, phase change material 300 may overlie and contact a portion
of material 220, a portion of insulating material 210, and a
portion of electrode material 180.
[0052] Examples of phase change material 300 may include, but are
not limited to, chalcogenide element(s) compositions of the class
of tellurium-germanium-antimony (TexGeySbz) material or GeSbTe
alloys, although the scope of the present invention is not limited
to just these. Alternatively, another phase change material may be
used whose electrical properties (e.g. resistance) may be changed
through the application of energy such as, for example, light,
heat, or electrical current. In one embodiment, phase change
material 300 may have a thickness ranging from about 150 angstroms
to about 1,500 angstroms, although the scope of the present
invention is not limited in this respect. In one embodiment, phase
change material 300 may be formed using a PVD process.
[0053] After forming phase change material 300, a barrier material
310 may be formed overlying phase change material 300 and a
conductive material 320 may be formed overlying barrier material
310. Barrier material 310 may serve, in one aspect, to prevent any
chemical reaction between phase change material 300 and conductive
material 320. Although the scope of the present invention is not
limited in this respect, barrier material 310 may be titanium,
titanium nitride, or carbon, and conductive material 320 may
comprise, for example, aluminum. Barrier material 310 is an
optional layer. In alternate embodiments, conductive material 320
may be formed overlying phase change material 300.
[0054] Conductive material 320 may serve as an address line to
address and program phase change material 300 of memory element
100. Conductive material 320 may be referred to as a bitline or
column line. Reducer material 120 may also serve as an address line
to program phase change material 300 and may be referred to as a
wordline or row line. Although not shown, electrode material 180
may be coupled to an access device such as, for example, a diode or
transistor, via reducer material 120. The access device may also be
referred to as an isolation device, a select device, or a switching
device.
[0055] Programming of phase change material 300 to alter the state
or phase of the material may be accomplished by applying voltage
potentials to conductive material 320 and reducer material 120. A
voltage potential applied to reducer material 120 may be
transferred to electrode material 180 via conductive plug 130. For
example, a voltage potential difference of about five volts may be
applied across the phase change material 300 and a bottom portion
of electrode 180 by applying about five volts to conductive
material 320 and about zero volts to the bottom portion of
electrode material 180. A current may flow through phase change
material 300 and electrode 180 in response to the applied voltage
potentials, and may result in heating of phase change material 300.
This heating and subsequent cooling may alter the memory state or
phase of phase change material 300.
[0056] During programming, insulating materials 140 and 210 may
provide electrical and thermal isolation and material 220 may serve
as a thermal ground plane as discussed above.
[0057] Memory element 100 shown in FIG. 9 may be referred to as a
vertical phase change memory structure since current may flow
vertically through phase change material 300 between upper and
lower electrodes. It should be noted that memory element 100 may
also be referred to as a memory cell and may be used in a phase
change memory array having a plurality of memory elements 100 for
storing information.
[0058] In other embodiments, memory element 100 may be arranged
differently and include additional layers and structures. For
example, it may be desirable to form isolation structures,
peripheral circuitry (e.g., addressing circuitry), etc. It should
be understood that the absence of these elements is not a
limitation of the scope of the present invention.
[0059] The embodiment of memory element 100 illustrated in FIG. 9
provides a self-aligned adhesive layer offset from a raised bottom
electrode by an insulating spacer.
[0060] FIG. 10 illustrates the structure of FIG. 5 at a later stage
of fabrication in accordance with another embodiment for
manufacturing memory element 100. In this embodiment, insulating
material 210 may be patterned using, for example, etching
techniques, to form spacers 210A along the sidewalls of electrode
material 180. After forming spacers 210A, material 220 may be
formed overlying insulating material 140, spacers 210A, and the top
surface of electrode material 180.
[0061] FIG. 11 illustrates the structure of FIG. 10 after the
removal of portions of materials 180, 210A, and 220. A portion of
the material 220, a portion of spacers 210A, and a portion of
electrode material 180 may form a planar surface 250. In one
embodiment, the structure shown in FIG. 10 may be subjected to a
planarization process such as, for example, a CMP process, that
removes portions of electrode material 180, spacers 210A, and
material 220. In another embodiment, an etching process may be used
to form planar surface 250. After forming planar surface 250, a
phase change material may be disposed on planer surface 250.
[0062] FIG. 12 illustrates the structure shown in FIG. 11 after
forming a programmable material such as, for example, a phase
change material 300 on planar surface 250. As is illustrated in
FIG. 12, phase change material 300 may overlie and contact a
portion of material 220, a portion of spacers 210A, and a portion
of electrode material 180. After forming phase change material 300,
a barrier material 310 may be formed overlying phase change
material 300 and a conductive material 320 may be formed overlying
barrier material 310.
[0063] Turning to FIG. 13, a portion of a system 500 in accordance
with an embodiment of the present invention is described. System
500 may be used in wireless devices such as, for example, a
personal digital assistant (PDA), a laptop or portable computer
with wireless capability, a web tablet, a wireless telephone, a
pager, an instant messaging device, a digital music player, a
digital camera, or other devices that may be adapted to transmit
and/or receive information wirelessly. System 500 may be used in
any of the following systems: a wireless local area network (WLAN)
system, a wireless personal area network (WPAN) system, or a
cellular network, although the scope of the present invention is
not limited in this respect.
[0064] System 500 may include a controller 510, an input/output
(I/O) device 520 (e.g. a keypad, display), a memory 530, and a
wireless interface 540 coupled to each other via a bus 550. It
should be noted that the scope of the present invention is not
limited to embodiments having any or all of these components.
[0065] Controller 510 may comprise, for example, one or more
microprocessors, digital signal processors, microcontrollers, or
the like. Memory 530 may be used to store messages transmitted to
or by system 500. Memory 530 may also optionally be used to store
instructions that are executed by controller 510 during the
operation of system 500, and may be used to store user data. Memory
530 may be provided by one or more different types of memory. For
example, memory 530 may comprise a volatile memory (any type of
random access memory), a non-volatile memory such as a flash memory
and/or a phase change memory that includes a memory element such
as, for example, memory element 100 illustrated in FIG. 9 or
12.
[0066] I/O device 520 may be used by a user to generate a message.
System 500 may use wireless interface 540 to transmit and receive
messages to and from a wireless communication network with a radio
frequency (RF) signal. Examples of wireless interface 540 may
include an antenna or a wireless transceiver, although the scope of
the present invention is not limited in this respect.
[0067] Although the scope of the present invention is not limited
in this respect, system 500 may use one of the following
communication air interface protocols to transmit and receive
messages: Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), cellular
radiotelephone communication systems, Global System for Mobile
Communications (GSM) cellular radiotelephone systems, North
American Digital Cellular (NADC) cellular radiotelephone systems,
Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) systems, Extended-TDMA
(E-TDMA) cellular radiotelephone systems, third generation (3G)
systems like Wide-band CDMA (WCDMA), CDMA-2000, or the like.
[0068] While certain features of the invention have been
illustrated and described herein, many modifications,
substitutions, changes, and equivalents will now occur to those
skilled in the art. It is, therefore, to be understood that the
appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and
changes as fall within the true spirit of the invention.
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