Patent ID: 9548110
Date: 2017-01-17
CPC Classifications: G11C,H01L

Claim:
1. A memory device for thermoelectric heat confinement, the memory device having a plurality of phase-change memory cells, wherein each of the phase-change memory cells comprises: a first electrode; a second electrode; and a phase-change material, wherein the first electrode and the phase-change material are arranged such that a surface normal of an interface for a current flow between the first electrode and the phase-change material points on one side to the phase-change material of the phase-change memory cell and on an opposite side to a phase-change material of a neighboring phase-change memory cell, wherein the first electrode is a cup-shaped electrode having a too region and a side region, wherein the top region of the cup-shaped electrode interfaces a top region of the phase-change material and the side region of the cup-shaped electrode interfaces a side region of the phase-change material, and wherein each of the plurality of phase-change memory cells has a geometry fulfilling the following condition, ρpcm·A where A where A where ρpcm designates an electrical resistivity of the phase-change material; and where ρel designates an electrical resistivity of the cup-shaped top electrode.