Altera Corporation

Intel Corporation

Richard G Smolen

Raminda U Madurawe

Peter John McElheny

Christopher J Pass

Andy Louie Lee

Jeffrey T Watt

Yue-Song He

Minchang Liang

Rusli Kurniawan

Myron Wai Wong

John C Costello

Shih-Lin S Lee

Charu Sardana

Peter Mcelheny

John E Turner

Jon M Long

James D Sansbury

Alok Nandini Roy

Anwen Liu

Peter J Mcelheny

Integrated circuits with an array of programmable resistive switch elements are provided. A programmable resistive switch element may include two non-volatile resistive memory elements connected in series and two varistors. A first of the two varistors is used to program a top resistive memory element in the resistive switch element, whereas a second of the two varistors is used to program a bottom resistive memory element in the resistive switch element. Row and column drivers implemented using only thin gate oxide transistors are used to program a selected resistive switch in the array without violating a maximum voltage level that satisfies predetermined defects per million (DPM) reliability criteria.

Methods and circuitry for programming non-volatile resistive switches using varistors

Integrated circuits with programmable resistive switch elements are provided. A programmable resistive switch element may include two non-volatile resistive elements connected in series and a programming transistor. The programmable resistive switch elements may be configured in a crossbar array and may be interposed within the user data path. Driver circuits may also be included for selectively turning on or turning off the switches by applying positive and optionally negative voltages.

Integrated circuits with programmable non-volatile resistive switch elements

Integrated circuits with memory elements are provided. A memory element may include non-volatile resistive elements coupled together in a back-to-back configuration or an in-line configuration. Erase, programming, and margining operations may be performed on the resistive elements. Each of the resistive memory elements may receive a positive voltage, a ground voltage, or a negative voltage on either the anode or cathode terminal.

Integrated circuits with complementary non-volatile resistive memory elements

Systems and methods for stacking a memory chip with respect to an integrated circuit (IC) chip are described. In the systems and methods, a plurality of like memory chips are stacked above one or more IC chip members of a family. The use of a plurality of like memory chips for the family may save costs and complications involved in designing, fabricating, and assembling memory chips of different sizes. The use of a plurality of the memory chips on a single IC chip can enable higher data transfer rates due to parallel data transmission.

Systems and methods for stacking a memory chip above an integrated circuit chip

The electrical fuse includes a cathode pad, an anode pad and a fuse link connecting the cathode pad to the anode pad. The cathode pad includes a group of multiple electrical contacts and a solitary electrical contact disposed a predetermined distance from the group and near the fuse link, i.e., between the group of multiple electrical contacts and the fuse link. The cathode and anode pads as well as the fuse link include a polysilicon layer and a silicide layer.

Electrical fuse with sacrificial contact

A memory circuit including a voltage divider with a first phase change memory (PCM) device and a second PCM device coupled to the first PCM device is described. In one embodiment, the first PCM device is in a set resistance state and the second PCM device is in a reset resistance state. Also, in one embodiment, the voltage divider further includes a first switch coupled to the first PCM device and a second switch coupled to the first switch and the second PCM device. In one embodiment, the memory circuit further includes a half latch coupled to the voltage divider and a cascade transistor coupled to the half latch and the voltage divider.

Non-volatile memory circuit including voltage divider with phase change memory devices

A split-gate memory cell includes a memory transistor and a select transistor. The memory transistor includes a drain, a source, a control gate and a floating gate. The select transistor includes a drain, a source and a select gate. The source of the select transistor is electrically connected to the drain of the memory transistor. The threshold state of the floating gate of the memory transistor determines the logic output of the memory cell. When the split-gate memory cell is erased or programmed a high voltage is only applied to the control gate and source of the memory transistor. As a result, no high voltage will be placed on any portion of the select transistor and the split-gate memory cell can achieve an increased cycling endurance.

Structure of a split-gate memory cell

Provided is a &ldquo;castled&rdquo; active area mask. A castled active area mask is one which has been lengthened to extend beyond its intended intersection with a tunnel dielectric to form the tunnel window of an EEPROM cell, and has also been widened in at least a portion of the extension. For example, in one preferred embodiment, a castled extension may have a &ldquo;T&rdquo; shape. The castled active area generated by such a mask provides a buffer to absorb field oxide encroachment before it reaches the EEPROM cell's TD window. A mask in accordance with the present invention may be used to fabricate EEPROM cells which are not subject to TD window size variations due to field oxide encroachment, and EEPROM cell arrays of increased density.

EEPROM active area castling

Castled active area mask

Disclosed is an EEPROM device, and a method of making such a device, which incorporates a self-aligned tunnel window having acceptably low gate capacitance at the tunnel oxide node, and which avoids the defects caused by field oxide induced stresses in the tunnel oxide. The EEPROM of the present invention includes a semiconductor substrate with a doped memory diffusion region. Overlying at least a portion of the memory diffusion is a tunnel oxide. Overlying at least a portion of the tunnel oxide is a floating gate structure including an extension. The tunnel window of the EEPROM of the present invention is defined within at least a portion of the tunnel oxide and having at least two edges defined by the floating gate extension, so that when a defined voltage is applied to the memory diffusion a tunnel current sufficient to change the state of the EEPROM flows between the memory diffusion and the floating gate structure.

Scalable tunnel oxide window with no isolation edges

Provided is a high resistance value vertically-integrated semiconductor interconnect with resistance in the 10 k&OHgr;-10 G&OHgr; range, and a process to make such highly resistive interconnects together with low resistive interconnects in a precisely controllable manner. In addition, provided is an SRAM cell with highly resistive contact processing for a pull-up resistor.

Highly resistive interconnects

Process for making an EEPROM active area castling

Provided is a high resistance value vertically-integrated semiconductor interconnect, and a process to make such highly resistive interconnects together with low resistive interconnects in a precisely controllable manner. In addition, provided is an SRAM cell with highly resistive contact processing for a pull-up resistor.

Growing community of inventors

Redwood City, CA, United States of America

Richard G Smolen