Patent ID: 7579616

Claim:
A semiconductor structure comprising: a semiconductor substrate; a first dielectric layer located on a surface of said semiconductor substrate, said first dielectric layer having a conductive material embedded therein; a second dielectric layer located atop the first dielectric layer and said conductive material, said second dielectric layer including at least one first via filled with a first phase change material, said first phase change material having a surface directly contacting an upper surface of the conductive material; a patterned heating material located on an upper surface of the second dielectric layer and directly atop the at least one first via, wherein a lower surface of the patterned heating material is in direct contact with an upper surface of the first phase change material; a third dielectric layer having at least one second via filled with a second phase change material located on said patterned heating material and exposed surfaces of said second dielectric layer, said at least one second via is substantially aligned to said at least one first via; and a patterned diffusion barrier located on an exposed upper surface of said at least one second via, wherein a lower surface of the second phase change material is in direct contact with an upper surface of the patterned heating material.