Patent ID: 8803121

Claim:
A resistive memory array comprising: a plurality of resistive memory elements, each resistive memory element comprising: a top electrode element lying in a plane parallel to a reference plane, and having, in perpendicular projection on the reference plane, a top electrode projection; a bottom electrode element lying in a plane parallel to the reference plane, and having, in perpendicular projection on the reference plane, a bottom electrode projection; an active layer with changeable resistivity interposed between the top electrode element and the bottom electrode element, wherein: the top electrode projection and the bottom electrode projection overlap in an overlapping region that comprises at least one of a corner of the top electrode projection and a corner of the bottom electrode projection, and an area of the overlapping region constitutes less than 10% of a total projected area of the top electrode element and the bottom electrode element on the reference plane; a first level of bottom electrode programming lines electrically contacting some of the bottom electrode elements via a plurality of first bottom electrode contacts; a second level of bottom electrode programming lines electrically contacting some of the bottom electrode elements via a plurality of second bottom electrode contacts; the bottom electrode programming lines of the first level extending in a first direction and the bottom electrode programming lines of the second level extending in a second direction; a third level of bottom electrode programming lines electrically contacting some of the top electrode elements via a plurality of third top electrode contacts; a fourth level of bottom electrode programming lines electrically contacting some of the top electrode elements via a plurality of fourth top electrode contacts; the top electrode programming lines of the third level extending in a third direction and the top electrode programming lines of the fourth level extending in a fourth direction; and the top electrode programming lines of the third level and the top electrode programming lines of the fourth level are perpendicularly crossing.