Source: http://www.google.com/patents/US20060211165?dq=6,600,481
Timestamp: 2017-12-14 07:06:00
Document Index: 526072822

Matched Legal Cases: ['Application No. 2003', 'art-325', 'art 325', 'art 325', 'art 325', 'art 325', 'art 319', 'art 325', 'art 319', 'art 325', 'art 325']

Patent US20060211165 - Methods for forming phase-change memory devices - Google Patents
Phase-change memory devices include a phase-change material layer and a first electrode having a contact area therebetween. The contact area extends into a recess of the first electrode to provide current density concentration....http://www.google.com/patents/US20060211165?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US20060211165 - Methods for forming phase-change memory devices
Publication number US20060211165 A1
Application number US 11/413,318
Also published as US7067837, US7351991, US20040195604
Publication number 11413318, 413318, US 2006/0211165 A1, US 2006/211165 A1, US 20060211165 A1, US 20060211165A1, US 2006211165 A1, US 2006211165A1, US-A1-20060211165, US-A1-2006211165, US2006/0211165A1, US2006/211165A1, US20060211165 A1, US20060211165A1, US2006211165 A1, US2006211165A1
Original Assignee Young-Nam Hwang, Young-Tae Kim
Patent Citations (7), Referenced by (114), Classifications (19), Legal Events (4)
Methods for forming phase-change memory devices
US 20060211165 A1
forming a phase-change material layer on the first electrode and extending into the recess.
anisotropic etching the first insulation layer exposed by the etching mask to form a temporary bottom opening having diameter of the bottom opening on the first insulation layer; and then isotropic etching a partial thickness of the first insulation layer defining the top of the temporary bottom opening to form the top opening, wherein a residual temporary bottom opening corresponds to the bottom opening.
after patterning the oxide layer, the nitride oxide layer, the second electrode layer, the phase-change material layer, the second insulation layer and the first electrode layer:
This application claims priority to and is a divisional of parent application Ser. No. 10/814,670, filed Mar. 31, 2004, which claims the benefit from Korean Patent Application No. 2003-20755, filed on Apr. 2, 2003, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference.
The phase-change material layer 325 is shown as being disposed on the second insulation layer 321 and filling the second opening 323. As a result, the contact area 320 between the phase-change material layer 325 and the first electrode 319 is formed in a sharp, in particular, “V,” shape. More specifically, referring to FIG. 3B, the phase-change material layer 325 includes the horizontal part-325H and the vertical part 325V. The horizontal part 325H is placed on the second insulation layer 321. The vertical part 325V extends from the horizontal part 325H and is in contact with the top surface 319Ss of the recessed slope part 319S of the first electrode 319. The tip of the vertical part 325V of the phase-change material layer 325 in the embodiments of FIG. 3B has a conical or “V” shape defined by the recessed slope part 319S of the first electrode 319. In other words, the vertical part 325V of the phase-change material layer 325 includes the vertical sidewall 325Vv and the slope sidewall 325Ss. The vertical sidewall 325Vv is vertical to the horizontal part 325H of the phase-change material layer 325 and the slope sidewall 325Ss defines a sharp tip of the phase-change material layer 325 extending into the lower electrode 319. Thus, FIG. 3B illustrates embodiments of the present invention where a phase-change material layer and a first electrode have a contact area therebetween that extends into a recess (shown as “V” shaped in FIG. 3B) of the first electrode to provide increased current density adjacent thereto as compared to a flat contact area.
Operations related to embodiments of forming an upper interconnection process will now be described with reference to FIG. 14. After patterning the second electrode layer 327, the phase-change material layer 325, the second insulation layer 321 and the first electrode layer 319, an upper interlayer dielectric layer 617 may be formed as shown in FIG. 14. The upper interlayer dielectric layer 617 may be continuously patterned to form a via hole 619 exposing the patterned second electrode layer 327, which forms the second electrode. A conductive material may be formed to fill the via hole 619 on the upper interlayer dielectric layer 617. The conductive material may be planarized to form the second electrode contact 621. The second electrode contact 621 may be formed, for example, of tungsten. An interconnection material may then be deposited on the second electrode contact 621 and on the upper interlayer dielectric layer 617. The interconnection material may be patterned to form an upper interconnection 623. For example, the upper interconnection 623 can be formed of aluminum, aluminum copper alloy, aluminum copper siliconalloy, tungsten silicide, titanium, tungsten, molybdenum, tantalum, tungsten titanium and/or copper.
US7510929 * Oct 18, 2006 Mar 31, 2009 Macronix International Co., Ltd. Method for making memory cell device
US9362495 * Nov 18, 2013 Jun 7, 2016 Micron Technology, Inc. Confined resistance variable memory cells and methods
US20140151629 * Nov 18, 2013 Jun 5, 2014 Micron Technology, Inc. Confined resistance variable memory cells and methods
International Classification H01L45/00, H01L27/24, H01L21/00, H01L27/10
Cooperative Classification H01L45/1233, H01L45/144, H01L45/1683, H01L27/2436, H01L45/1273, H01L45/06
European Classification H01L45/16P4, H01L45/12D4, H01L45/12E6, H01L45/14B6, H01L45/06, H01L27/24F