Thin-film structure for chalcogenide electrical switching devices and process therefor

US5177567A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• Energy Conversion Devices, Inc. · US

Inventors

• Patrick Klersy · Lake Orion, US
• David Jablonski · Drayton Plains, US
• Stanford R. Ovshinsky · Bloomfield Hills, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Jul 19, 1991
• Grant date: Jan 5, 1993
• Expiry date: Jul 19, 2011

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H10N70/882

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a novel thin-film structure for solid state thin-film electrical switching devices fabricated of chalcogenide material that overcomes a number of design weaknesses existing in the prior art. The novel structure of the instant invention employs a thin layer of insulating material beneath the body of chalcogenide material so as to carefully define the filament location. Since the filament location has been fixed, switching, due to edge conduction pathways has been substantially eliminated. At the same time, the use of a thin insulating layer precludes step coverage faults of the prior art. The requirement for the thin layer of insulator material to withstand the switching voltage is addressed through the use of a second thicker layer of insulator material which is deposited only after the chalcogenide material has been formed. This improved structure demonstrates the advantages of higher fabrication yields and more repeatable electrical switching characteristics.