Patent ID: 7696077

Claim:
A method for forming a bottom electrode contact structure for a phase change memory device comprising: forming conductive plugs; forming a first dielectric material on top of the conductive plugs; forming openings into the dielectric material to expose the conductive plugs; forming conformal conductive liners in the openings of the first dielectric material to make contact to the conductive plugs and line the sidewalls of each opening, the conformal conductive liners forming conductive liner bottom electrodes of a phase change cell; filling the lined openings with a second dielectric material; forming a third dielectric material over the filled lined openings; forming a conductive layer on the third dielectric material; patterning and etching the third dielectric material and the conductive layer to form a patterned stack of dielectric material and conductive material that covers a plurality of rows of bottom electrodes, wherein at least one patterned sidewall of the patterned stack of dielectric material and conductive material laterally bisects a row of bottom electrodes as viewed from a top view; and forming a phase change material liner on at least one patterned sidewalls of the patterned stack of the dielectric material and the conductive layer, wherein the phase change material liner contacts each bisected bottom electrode in at least two locations.