International Business Machines Corporation

Vara S P Jonnalagadda

Abu Sebastian

Wabe W Koelmans

Benedikt J Kersting

Martin Salinga

Iason Giannopoulos

Embodiments of the invention are directed to a method to modify material properties of a functional material of a nanoscale device post-fabrication. The method includes performing one or more conditioning steps. The conditioning steps include applying electrical conditioning signals of predefined form to the nanoscale device, thereby performing an in-situ heating of the functional material and inducing thermally a displacement of atoms, molecules or ions of the functional material of the nanoscale device. Embodiments of the invention further concerns a related electronic device.

Modifying material parameters of a nanoscale device post-fabrication

The invention is directed to a resistive memory device comprising a control unit for controlling a memory cell of the memory device. The memory cell includes a first terminal, a second terminal and a phase change segment comprising a phase-change material. The phase change segment is arranged between the first terminal and the second terminal. The phase change material is antimony. The phase change segment retains an amorphous region during a write operation. The control unit, during the write operation, applies an electrical programming pulse to the terminals to cause a portion of the phase change segment to transition from a crystalline phase to an amorphous phase comprising the amorphous region. A trailing edge duration of the electrical programming pulse is adjusted based on ambient temperature to prevent re-crystallization of the amorphous region. Shorter trailing edge durations are used at increasing ambient temperatures.

Resistive memory device

The invention is notably directed to a resistive memory device comprising a control unit for controlling the resistive memory device and a plurality of memory cells. The plurality of memory cells includes a first terminal, a second terminal and a phase change segment comprising a phase-change material for storing information in a plurality of resistance states. The phase change segment is arranged between the first terminal and the second terminal. The phase change material consists of antimony. Furthermore, at least one of the dimensions of the phase change segment is smaller than 15 nanometers. Additional implementations of the resistive memory device include a related method, a related control unit, a related memory cell and a related computer program product.

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Wallisellen, Switzerland

Vara S P Jonnalagadda