INTEGRATED REACTIVE MATERIAL ERASURE ELEMENT WITH PHASE CHANGE MEMORY
First Claim
1. A semiconductor structure comprising:
- a phase change memory (PCM) cell comprising a first bottom electrode, a phase change material element and a top electrode; and
a reactive material (RM) erasure element located on one side of the PCM cell and contacting a top surface of a second bottom electrode.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A reactive material erasure element comprising a reactive material is located between PCM cells and is in close proximity to the PCM cells. The reaction of the reactive material is trigger by a current applied by a bottom electrode which has a small contact area with the reactive material erasure element, thereby providing a high current density in the reactive material erasure element to ignite the reaction of the reactive material. Due to the close proximity of the PCM cells and the reactive material erasure element, the heat generated from the reaction of the reactive material can be effectively directed to the PCM cells to cause phase transformation of phase change material elements in the PCM cells, which in turn erases data stored in the PCM cells.
-
Citations
20 Claims
-
1. A semiconductor structure comprising:
-
a phase change memory (PCM) cell comprising a first bottom electrode, a phase change material element and a top electrode; and a reactive material (RM) erasure element located on one side of the PCM cell and contacting a top surface of a second bottom electrode. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
-
-
10. A semiconductor structure comprising:
-
an array of phase change memory (PCM) cells arranged in rows and columns, wherein each of the PCM cells comprises a first bottom electrode, a phase change material element and a top electrode; and at least one reactive material (RM) erasure element, wherein the at least one RM erasure elements is disposed between each pair of adjacent columns of the PCM cells and contacts a top surface of a second bottom electrode. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14)
-
-
15. A method for forming a semiconductor structure comprising:
-
forming a first bottom electrode and a second bottom electrode extending through an insulator layer, wherein the first bottom electrode contacts a top surface of a first bottom contact structure and the second bottom electrode contacts a top surface of a second bottom contact structure, the first and second bottom contact structures electrically coupled to an access circuitry; forming a stack of, from bottom to top, a phase change material element and a top electrode contacting a top surface of the first bottom electrode; forming a dielectric layer over the stack, the second bottom electrode and the insulator layer; forming a trench extending through the dielectric layer, the trench exposing the second bottom electrode; forming a reactive material (RM) erasure element in the trench, wherein the RM erasure element has a top surface located below a top surface of the dielectric layer; and forming a trench fill portion over the RM erasure element to completely fill the trench. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
-
Specification