PHASE CHANGEABLE MEMORY DEVICES INCLUDING NITROGEN AND/OR SILICON

• US 20080169457A1
• Filed: 02/28/2008
• Published: 07/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Yi, Ji-Hye, Ha, Yong-Ho, Kuh, Bong-Jin, Hideki, Horii, Park, Jeong-hee
• Granted Patent: US 7,462,900 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 257/2
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 13/0004 comprising amorphous/crystalline phase transition cells
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 2213/79 Array wherein the access device being a transistor
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00
• CPC Class Codes: H10B 63/30 comprising selection components having three or more electrodes, e.g. transistors
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 70/026 by physical vapor deposition, e.g. sputtering
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 70/063 by etching of pre-deposited switching material layers, e.g. lithography
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 70/231 based on solid-state phase change, e.g. between amorphous and crystalline phases, Ovshinsky effect
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 70/826 adapted for essentially vertical current flow, e.g. sandwich or pillar type devices
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 70/8825 Selenides, e.g. GeSe
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 70/8828 Tellurides, e.g. GeSbTe
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 257/904 with passive components,, e.g. polysilicon resistors

Abstract

Phase-changeable memory devices and method of fabricating phase-changeable memory devices are provided that include a phase-changeable material pattern of a phase-changeable material that may include nitrogen atoms and/or silicon atoms. First and second electrodes are electrically connected to the phase-changeable material pattern and provide an electrical signal thereto. The phase-changeable material pattern may have a polycrystal line structure.

Claims

1-17. -17. (canceled)

18. A phase-changeable memory device, comprising:

a phase-changeable material pattern, wherein the phase-changeable material pattern includes nitrogen atoms and further comprises A_xB_100-x, wherein component A comprises tellurium, selenium, sulfur and/or polonium, and component B comprises antimony, arsenic, germanium, tin, phosphate, silver, oxygen, indium and/or bismuth and wherein x≦

80 and x and 100-x are atomic percentages; and

first and second electrodes electrically connected to the phase-changeable material pattern and providing an electrical signal thereto.

19. The device of claim 18, wherein the phase-changeable material pattern comprises (Te_aSb_bGe_100-(a+b))_nN_100-n and a≦

80, 5≦

b≦

50, 75≦

n≦

99.75 where a,b and 100-(a+b) are atomic percentages of the TeSbGe composition and n and 100-n are atomic percentages of the total composition.

20. A phase-changeable memory device, comprising:

a transistor including a source region, a drain region and a gate electrode disposed on the semiconductor substrate;

a lower interconnection electrically connected to the drain region;

a contact pad comprising the same material and at the same height as the lower interconnection;

a variable resistor comprising a phase-changeable material pattern electrically connected to the contact pad; and

an upper interconnection electrically connected to the variable resistor, wherein the variable resistor is interposed between the two electrodes and includes silicon atoms.

21-36. -36. (canceled)

37. A phase-changeable memory device, comprising:

a transistor including a source region, a drain region and a gate electrode disposed on the semiconductor substrate;

a lower interconnection electrically connected to the drain region;

a contact pad comprising the same material and placed at the same height as the lower interconnection;

a variable resistor electrically connected to the contact pad; and

an upper interconnection electrically connected to the variable resistor,

wherein the variable resistor is interposed between the two electrodes and includes nitrogen atoms and further comprises A_xB_100-x, wherein component A comprises tellurium, selenium, sulfur and/or polonium and component B comprises antimony, arsenic, germanium, tin, phosphate, silver, oxygen, indium and/or bismuth and wherein x≦

80 and x and 100-x are atomic percentages with respect to the AB composition; and

first and second electrodes electrically connected to the phase-changeable material pattern and providing an electrical signal thereto, the electrodes facing each other.

38. The device of claim 37, wherein the variable resistor comprises (Te_aSb_bGe_100-(a+b))_nN_100-n, and a≦

80, 5≦

b≦

50, 75≦

n≦

99.75, where x and 100-x are atomic percentages with respect to the AB composition and n and 100-n are atomic percentages with respect to the total composition.

39-95. -95. (canceled)

96. A memory device, comprising:

a variable resistivity material having resistivity-increasing dopants therein that comprise from about 0.1% to about 25% of a total number of atoms in the variable resistivity material; and

first and second electrodes electrically coupled to the variable resistivity material.

97. The memory device of claim 96, wherein the variable resistivity material has a polycrystalline structure.

98. The memory device of claim 96, wherein the dopants comprise silicon atoms and/or nitrogen atoms.

99. The memory device of claim 98, wherein the nitrogen atoms included in the variable resistivity material are from about 0.1% to about 20% of a total number of atoms in the variable resistivity material.

100. The memory device of claim 99, wherein the silicon atoms are from about 0.25 to about 8 atomic percent and the nitrogen atoms from about 0.25 to about 10 atomic percent of the variable resistivity material.

101. The memory device of claim 96, wherein the variable resistivity material comprises Ge—

Sb—

Te—

Si, As—

Sb—

Te—

Si, As—

Ge—

Sb—

Te—

Si, Sn—

Sb—

Te—

Si, In—

Sn—

Sb—

Te—

Si, Ag—

In—

Sb—

Te—

Si, 5A group element-Sb—

Te—

Si, 6A group element-Sb—

Te—

Si, 5A group element-Sb—

Se—

Si, and/or 6A group element-Sb—

Se—

Si.

102. The memory device of claim 96, wherein the variable resistivity material comprises (Te_aSb_bGe_100-(a+b))_nSi_100-n, wherein a≦

80, 5≦

b≦

50, 85≦

n≦

99.9, where a,b and 100-(a+b) are atomic percentages with respect to the TeSbGe composition and n and 100-n are atomic percentages with respect to the total composition.

103. The memory device of claim 98, wherein the variable resistivity material comprises (Te_aSb_bGe_100-(a+b))_nSi_cN_100-(n+c), wherein a≦

80, 5≦

b≦

50, 0.1≦

c≦

15, 80≦

n≦

99.9, where a,b and 100-(a+b) are atomic percentages with respect to the TeSbGe composition and n, c and 100-(n+c) are atomic percentages with respect to the total composition.

104. The memory device of claim 98, wherein the variable resistivity material comprises (Te_aSb_bGe_100-(a+b))_nSi_cN_100-(n+c), wherein a≦

80, 5≦

b≦

50, 0.25≦

c≦

8, 90≦

n≦

99.75, where a,b and 100-(a+b) are atomic percentages with respect to the TeSbGe composition and n, c and 100-(n+c) are atomic percentages with respect to the total composition.

105. The memory device of claim 96, wherein the variable resistivity material comprises A_xB_100-x, wherein component A is tellurium, selenium, sulfur, and/or polonium and component B is antimony, arsenic, germanium, tin, phosphorus, silver, oxygen, indium and/or bismuth and wherein x≦

80 and x and 100-x are atomic percentages.

106. The memory device of claim 105, wherein the variable resistivity material comprises (A_xB_100-x)_nSi_100-n, wherein x≦

80, 85≦

n≦

99.9, where x and 100-x are atomic percentages with respect to the AB composition and n and 100-n are atomic percentages with respect to the total composition.

107. The memory device of claim 105, wherein the variable resistivity material comprises (A_xB_100-x)_nSi_cN_100-(n+c), wherein x≦

80, 65≦

n≦

99.8, 80≦

n+c≦

99.9 0.1≦

c≦

15, where x and 100-x are atomic percentages with respect to the AB composition and n, c and 100-(n+c) are atomic percentages with respect to the total composition.

108. A memory device, comprising:

a variable resistivity material, wherein the variable resistivity material includes nitrogen atoms and further comprises A_xB_100-x, wherein component A comprises tellurium, selenium, sulfur and/or polonium, and component B comprises antimony, arsenic, germanium, tin, phosphorus, silver, oxygen, indium and/or bismuth and wherein x≦

80 and x and 100-x are atomic percentages; and

first and second electrodes electrically coupled to the variable resistivity material.

109. The memory device of claim 108, wherein the variable resistivity material comprises (Te_aSb_bGe_100-(a+b)nN_100-n and a≦

80, 5≦

b≦

50, 75≦

n≦

99.75 where a,b and 100-(a+b) are atomic percentages of the TeSbGe composition and n and 100-n are atomic percentages of the total composition.

110. A memory cell, comprising:

a variable resistivity material doped with resistivity-increasing dopants to a level in a range from about 0.1% to about 15% by atomic percentage; and

first and second electrodes electrically coupled to the variable resistivity material.

111. The memory cell of claim 110, wherein the resistivity-increasing dopants include nitrogen.

112. The memory cell of claim 111, wherein the resistivity-increasing dopants include silicon.