International Business Machines Corporation

Macronix International Co., Ltd.

Leland Stanford Junior University

Wanki Kim

Chung H Lam

Devendra K Sadana

Robert L Wisnieff

Matthew Joseph BrightSky

Fabio Carta

Robert L Bruce

Ghavam G Shahidi

Ning Li

John Ulrich Knickerbocker

Vijay Narayanan

Daniel Joseph Friedman

Kenneth Parker Rodbell

Dirk Pfeiffer

Ramachandran Muralidhar

Eduard Albert Cartier

Yu Zhu

Frank Robert Libsch

Richard Harold Boivie

Li-Wen Hung

Seiji Munetoh

Qianwen Chen

Charanjit Singh Jutla

Kohji Hosokawa

Chandrasekara Kothandaraman

Yujun Xie

Hsiang-Lan Lung

Asit Kumar Ray

Bahman Hekmatshoartabari

Stephen W Bedell

Guy M Cohen

Cheng-Wei Cheng

Seyoung Kim

Tayfun Gokmen

Nanbo Gong

SangBum Kim

Siu-Weng Simon Wong

Sung Il Park

Zhiping Zhang

Maxence Bouvier

An electronic device includes a first electrode, a second electrode, and a memory component configured to store a resistive state. The memory component includes a layered region arranged in direct contact with the first electrode and a bulk region arranged in direct contact with the second electrode. The layered region includes a plurality of first layers made of a first material and a plurality of second layers made of a second material alternatingly arranged with one another. The first material is a phase-change material and the second material is a non-phase-change material. The bulk region is a continuous mass made of a third material that is different than the first material and the second material, and the bulk region is in direct contact with at least two of the first layers and at least one of the second layers of the layered region.

Phase-change memory cell with mixed-material switchable region

A phase change memory (PCM) structure configured for performing a gradual reset operation includes first and second electrodes and a phase change material layer disposed between the first and second electrodes. The PCM structure further includes a thermal insulation layer disposed on at least sidewalls of the first and second electrodes and phase change material layer. The thermal insulation layer is configured to provide non-uniform heating of the phase change material layer. Optionally, the thermal insulation layer may be formed as an air gap. The PCM structure may be configured having the first and second electrodes aligned in a vertical or a lateral arrangement.

Phase change memory having gradual reset

A method for fabricating a semiconductor device includes forming air gaps within respective dielectric layer portions to reduce thermal cross-talk between adjacent bits. Each of the dielectric portions is formed on a substrate each adjacent to sidewall liners formed on sidewalls of a phase change memory (PCM) layer. The method further includes forming a pillar including the sidewall liners and the PCM layer, and forming a selector layer on the pillar and the dielectric portions.

Integration of selector on confined phase change memory

A phase change (PCM) memory device that includes a PCM and a resistance-capacitance (RC) circuit. The PCM has one or more PCM properties, each PCM property has a plurality of PCM property states. As the PCM property states of a given property are Set or Reset, the PCM property states each produce an incremental change to a property level of the respective/associated PCM property, e.g., PCM conductance. The incremental changes to property level of the PCM memory device are in response to application of one or more of a pulse number of voltage pulses. The RC circuit produces a configuring current that flows through the PCM in response to one or more of the voltage pulses. The configuring current modifies one or more of the incremental changes to one or more of the property levels so that the property level changes lineally with respect to the pulse number. The PCM memory device has use in a synapse connector, e.g., in a memory array. The memory array can be used to store and/or read memory values associated with one or more of the property levels. The memory values can be used as weighting values in a neuromorphic computing application/system, like a neural network.

Linear phase change memory

According to one embodiment, a method, computer system, and computer program product for increasing linearity of a weight update of a phase change memory (PCM) cell is provided. The present invention may include applying a RESET pulse to amorphize the phase change material of the PCM cell; responsive to applying the RESET pulse, applying an incubation pulse to the PCM cell; and applying a plurality of partial SET pulses to incrementally increase the conductance of the PCM cell.

Pulsing synaptic devices based on phase-change memory to increase the linearity in weight update

A private key of a public-private key pair with a corresponding identity is written to an integrated circuit including a processor, a non-volatile memory, and a cryptographic engine coupled to the processor and the non-volatile memory. The private key is written to the non-volatile memory. The integrated circuit is implemented in complementary metal-oxide semiconductor 14 nm or smaller technology. The integrated circuit is permanently modified, subsequent to the writing, such that further writing to the non-volatile memory is disabled and such that the private key can be read only by the cryptographic engine and not off-chip. Corresponding integrated circuits and wafers are also disclosed.

Encryption engine with an undetectable/tamper-proof private key in late node CMOS technology

An apparatus includes an analog phase change memory array, including an array of cells addressable and accessible through first lines and second lines. The apparatus includes device(s) coupled to one or more of the first lines. The device(s) is/are able to be coupled to or decoupled from the one or more first lines to compensate for phase change memory resistance drift in resistance of at least one of the cells in the one or more first lines. The apparatus may also include control circuitry configured to send, using the first lines and second lines, a same set pulse through the device(s) to multiple individual phase change memory resistors in the phase change memory array sequentially once every period.

Compensating PCM drift for neuromorphic applications

A method of forming an electrical device is provided that includes forming microprocessor devices on a microprocessor die; forming memory devices on an memory device die; forming component devices on a component die; and forming a plurality of packing devices on a packaging die. Transferring a plurality of each of said microprocessor devices, memory devices, component devices and packaging components to a supporting substrate, wherein the packaging components electrically interconnect the memory devices, component devices and microprocessor devices in individualized groups. Sectioning the supporting substrate to provide said individualized groups of memory devices, component devices and microprocessor devices that are interconnected by a packaging component.

Heterogeneous miniaturization platform

Encryption engine with an undetectable/tamper proof private key in late node CMOS technology

A method of fabricating an access device in a crosspoint memory array structure during BEOL processing includes: forming at least a first doped semiconductor layer on an upper surface of a first conductive layer, the first doped semiconductor layer being in electrical connection with the first conductive layer; exposing at least a portion of the first doped semiconductor layer to a directed energy source to cause localized annealing in the first doped semiconductor layer to activate a dopant of a first conductivity type in the first doped semiconductor layer, thereby converting at least a portion of the first doped semiconductor layer into a polycrystalline layer; forming a second conductive layer over a least a portion of the first doped semiconductor layer; and etching the first doped semiconductor layer and the first and second conductive layers to form an access device that is self-aligned with the first and second conductive layers.

Crosspoint phase change memory with crystallized silicon diode access device

A phase change memory array and method for fabricating the same. The phase change memory array includes a plurality of bottom electrodes, top electrodes, and memory pillars. Each of the memory pillars includes phase change material surrounded by a dielectric casing. The phase change material is positioned between, and in series circuit with, a respective bottom electrode from the bottom electrodes and a respective top electrode from the top electrodes. A continuous layer of selector material is positioned between the memory pillars and the plurality of bottom electrodes. The selector material is configured to conduct electricity only when a voltage across the selector material exceeds a voltage threshold.

Integration of confined phase change memory with threshold switching material

A system includes an analog memory architecture for performing differential reading. The analog memory architecture includes a weight array including first cross-point devices located at intersections of a first set of conductive column wires and a first set of conductive row wires, and a reference array operatively coupled to the weight array and including second cross-point devices located at intersections of a second set of conductive column wires and a second set of conductive row wires. The second cross-point devices include differential unipolar switching memory devices configured to enable zero-value shifting of the outputs of the first cross-point devices.

Architecture for enabling zero value shifting

The embodiments described herein facilitate performing bipolar switching of a confined phase change memory (PCM) with a metallic liner, wherein the phase change memory and the metallic liner are located between a first electrode and a second electrode of a semiconductor structure, wherein a first voltage is applied to the first electrode while the second electrode is grounded, and wherein a second voltage is applied to the second electrode while the first electrode is grounded. The bipolar switching can be performed so as to produce a plurality of resistance states. Thus, this confined PCM can be utilized as a multi-level cell (MLC) memory.

Bipolar switching operation of confined phase change memory for a multi-level cell memory

Techniques for void reduction in phase change memory (PCM) devices are provided. In one embodiment, the system is provided that comprises a PCM device comprising a first electrode and a second electrode. The system can further comprise a first connector coupled to the first electrode and that applies a negative voltage to the first electrode, and a second connector coupled to the second electrode and that applies a ground voltage to the second electrode, wherein applying the negative voltage to the first electrode and applying the ground voltage to the second electrode comprises negatively biasing the PCM device. The system can further comprise the first connector applying the positive voltage to the first electrode, and the second connector applying a ground voltage to the second electrode, wherein applying the positive voltage to the first electrode and applying the ground voltage to the second electrode comprises positively biasing the PCM device.

Void control of confined phase change memory

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Chappaqua, NY, United States of America

Wanki Kim