Electrically erasable memory elements characterized by reduced current and improved thermal stability
US5359205A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | May 8, 1992 |
| Grant date | Oct 25, 1994 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 8, 2012 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG11C2213/72
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
Disclosed herein is a solid state, directly overwritable, non-volatile, high density, low cost, low energy, high speed, readily manufacturable, single cell memory element having reduced switching current requirements and an increased thermal stability of data retention. The memory element includes a volume of memory material which is a transition metal modified chalcogen. The memory element exhibits orders of magnitude higher switching speeds at remarkably reduced switching energy levels. The novel memory element of the instant invention is in turn characterized, inter alia, by at least two stable and non-volatile detectable configurations of local atomic and/or electronic order, which configurations can be selectively and repeatably accessed by electrical input signals of designated energy levels. The memory elements are further characterized by enhanced thermal stability of data retention, which stability is achieved by elementally modifying Te--Ge--Sb semiconductor material from which previous memory elements were fabricated.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.