Micron Technology Incorporated

Stmicroelectronics S.r.l.

Other

Jinwook Lee

Ming Jin

Ilya V Karpov

Kuo-Wei Chang

Elijah V Karpov

Tim Minvielle

Jong-Won Sean Lee

Jong Won Lee

Soonwoo Cha

Narahari Ramanuja

Wim Deweerd

Yudong Kim

Jason S Reid

Shyam Prasad Teegapuram

Aleshandre M Diaz

Wim Y Deweerd

Subject matter disclosed herein relates to a method of manufacturing a semiconductor integrated circuit device, and more particularly to a method of fabricating a phase change memory device.

Keyhole-free sloped heater for phase change memory

Erosion of chalcogenides in phase change memories using ovonic threshold switch selectors can be reduced by controlling columnar morphology in electrodes used in the ovonic threshold switch. The columnar morphology may cause cracks to occur which allow etchants used to etch the ovonic threshold switch to sneak through the ovonic threshold switch and to attack chalcogenides, either in the switch or in the memory element. In one embodiment, the electrode may be split into two metal nitride layers separated by an intervening metal layer.

Phase change memory including ovonic threshold switch with layered electrode and methods for forming the same

Phase change memory including ovonic threshold switch with layered electrode and methods for forming same

A small critical dimension element, such as a heater for an ovonic unified memory, may be formed within a pore by using successive sidewall spacers. The use of at least two successive spacers enables the limitations imposed by lithography and the limitations imposed by bread loafing be overcome to provide reduced critical dimension elements.

Fabricating sub-lithographic contacts

A phase change memory formed by a plurality of phase change memory devices having a chalcogenide memory region extending over an own heater. The heaters 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 and a sacrificial layer. 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.

Semiconductor structure, in particular phase change memory device having a uniform height heater

By making an ovonic threshold switch using a carbon interfacial layer having a thickness of less than or equal to ten percent of the thickness of the associated electrode, cycle endurance may be improved. In some embodiments, a glue layer may be used between the carbon and the chalcogenide of the ovonic threshold switch. The glue layer may be effective to improve adherence between carbon and chalcogenide.

Forming a carbon passivated ovonic threshold switch

A small critical dimension element, such as a heater for an ovonic unified memory, may be formed within a pore by using successive sidewall spacers. The use of at least two successive spacers enables the limitations imposed by lithography and the limitations imposed by bread loafing to be overcome to provide reduced critical dimension elements.

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San Jose, CA, United States of America

Jinwook Lee