Ordered porosity to direct memory element formation

US7776682B1 · kind B1 · utility

Assignees

• Spansion LLC. · US
• GlobalFoundries Inc. · KY

Inventors

• Alexander H. Nickel · San Jose, US
• Suzette K. Pangrle · Cupertino, US
• Steven C. Avanzino · Cupertino, US
• Jeffrey A. Shields · Sunnyvale, US
• Fei Wang · San Jose, US
• Minh Quoc Tran · San Jose, US
• Juri Krieger · Brookline, US
• Igor Sokolik · Chelsea, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Apr 20, 2005
• Grant date: Aug 17, 2010
• Expiry date: Nov 5, 2027

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H10N70/8845

Abstract

Disclosed are methods and systems for improving cell-to-cell repeatability of electrical performance in memory cells. The methods involve forming an electrically non-conducting material having ordered porosity over a passive layer. The ordered porosity can facilitate formation of conductive channels through which charge carriers can migrate across the otherwise non-conductive layer to facilitate changing a state of a memory cell. A barrier layer can optionally be formed over the non-conductive layer, and can have ordered porosity oriented in a manner substantially perpendicular to the conductive channels such that charge carries migrating across the non-conductive layer cannot permeate the barrier layer. The methods provide for the manufacture of microelectronic devices with cost-effective and electrically reliable memory cells.