Patent ID: 7848139

Claim:
A memory device comprising: a phase-change material storage cell including a first side, a second side and a third side, the first side extending between the second and third sides, the second and third sides being opposite one another and defining a width of the storage cell; a conductive write line extending in a first direction and including a resistive heating portion for setting and resetting the storage cell, the resistive heating portion extending alongside the first side of the storage cell, a width of the resistive heating portion extending between the second and third sides of the storage cell and being less than the width of the storage cell and less than a width of the adjacent portions of the write line; a dielectric interface extending between the resistive heating portion of the write line and the first side of the storage cell, the interface providing electrical insulation while allowing for a thermal coupling between the resistive heating portion of the write line and the first side of the storage cell; and a conductive read line extending in a second direction and being coupled to the storage cell for passing sensing current through the storage cell.