Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

Young-Soo Lim

Yong-Ho Ha

Joon-Sang Park

Young-Lim Park

Jun-Soo Bae

Dong-Ho Ahn

Hyeong-Geun An

Sung-Un Kwon

Jun-Young Jang

Han-Bong Ko

Dong-Won Lim

Gyeo-Re Lee

Hideki Horii

Yong-Sun Ko

Ji-Hye Yi

Jeong-Hee Park

Jae-Seung Hwang

Doo-Hwan Park

Hyun-Suk Kwon

Myung-jin Kang

A nonvolatile memory cell includes a substrate and a phase changeable pattern configured to retain a state of the memory cell, on the substrate. An electrically insulating layer is provided, which contains a first electrode therein in contact with the phase changeable pattern. The first electrode has at least one of an L-shape when viewed in cross section and an arcuate shape when viewed from a plan perspective. A lower portion of the first electrode may be ring-shaped when viewed from the plan perspective. The lower portion of the first electrode may also have a U-shaped cross-section. An upper portion of the first electrode may also have an arcuate shape that spans more than 180&#xb0; of a circular arc.

Nonvolatile memory cells having phase changeable patterns therein for data storage

A phase changeable memory unit includes a lower electrode, an insulating interlayer structure having an opening, a phase changeable material layer and an upper electrode. The lower electrode is formed on a substrate. The insulating interlayer structure has an opening and is formed on the lower electrode and the substrate. The opening exposes the lower electrode and has a width gradually decreasing downward. The phase changeable material layer fills the opening and partially covers an upper face of the insulating interlayer structure. The upper electrode is formed on the phase changeable material layer.

Method of manufacturing a phase changeable memory unit having an enhanced structure to reduce a reset current

Phase change memory devices can have bottom patterns on a substrate. Line-shaped or L-shaped bottom electrodes can be formed in contact with respective bottom patterns on a substrate and to have top surfaces defined by dimensions in x and y axes directions on the substrate. The dimension along the x-axis of the top surface of the bottom electrodes has less width than a resolution limit of a photolithography process used to fabricate the phase change memory device. Phase change patterns can be formed in contact with the top surface of the bottom electrodes to have a greater width than each of the dimensions in the x and y axes directions of the top surface of the bottom electrodes and top electrodes can be formed on the phase change patterns, wherein the line shape or the L shape represents a sectional line shape or a sectional L shape of the bottom electrodes in the x-axis direction.

Methods of forming phase change memory devices having bottom electrodes

A method of manufacturing a phase change memory device includes forming at least one active device on a substrate, forming a bottom electrode electrically connected to the at least one active device, forming a phase change material layer and a top electrode on the bottom electrode, forming a capping layer on an upper surface of the top electrode and on side surfaces of the top electrode and phase change material layer, removing a portion of the capping layer overlapping the upper surface of the top electrode to define capping layer sidewall portions, forming an interlayer insulation film on the capping layer sidewall portions and on the top electrode, removing a portion of the interlayer insulation film from the top electrode to form a contact hole through the interlayer insulation film, and forming a contact plug in the contact hole.

Phase change memory device and method of manufacturing the same

The present invention relates to a method of forming a phase changeable structure wherein an upper electrode is formed on a phase changeable layer. A material including fluorine can be provided to the phase changeable layer and the upper electrode. The phase changeable layer can be etched to form a phase changeable pattern. Oxygen plasma or water vapor plasma can then be provided to the upper electrode and the phase changeable pattern.

Method of forming a phase changeable structure

The present invention relates to a phase changeable structure having decreased amounts of defects and a method of forming the phase changeable structure. A stacked composite is first formed by (i) forming a phase changeable layer including a chalcogenide is formed on a lower electrode, (ii) forming an etch stop layer having a first etch rate with respect to a first etching material including chlorine on the phase changeable layer, and (iii) forming a conductive layer having a second etch rate with respect to the first etching material on the etch stop layer. The conductive layer of the stacked composite is then etched using the first etching material to form an upper electrode. The etch stop layer and the phase changeable layer are then etched using a second etching material that is substantially flee of chlorine to form an etch stop pattern and a phase changeable pattern, respectively.

Phase changeable structure and method of forming the same

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Chungcheongbuk-do, South Korea

Young-Soo Lim