Plasma co-doping to reduce the forming voltage in resistive random access memory (ReRAM) devices

US11844290B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignees

• TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED · JP
• International Business Machines Corporation · US

Inventors

• Devi Koty · Hopewell Junction, US
• Qingyun Yang · Hopewell Junction, US
• Hongwen Yan · Somers, US
• Hiroyuki Miyazoe · White Plains, US
• Takashi Ando · Tuckahoe, US
• Marinus Hopstaken · Carmel, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Jun 3, 2021
• Grant date: Dec 12, 2023
• Expiry date: Feb 15, 2042

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H10N70/8833

Abstract

Embodiments of process flows and methods are provided for forming a resistive switching random access memory (ReRAM). More specifically, process flows and methods are provided for reducing the forming voltage needed to form a conductive path in the ReRAM cells. A wide variety of plasma doping processes are used to introduce a plurality of different dopants into a metal-oxide dielectric film. By utilizing at least two different dopants, the plasma doping processes described herein reduce the forming voltage of the subsequently formed ReRAM cell compared to conventional processes that use only one dopant. In some embodiments, the forming voltage may be further reduced by applying a bias power during the plasma doping process, wherein the bias power is preselected to increase the number of ions introduced into the metal-oxide dielectric film during the plasma doping process.