Mitigating damage from a chemical mechanical planarization process

US9437814B1 · kind B1 · utility

Assignee

• CrossBar, Inc. · US

Inventors

• Harry Yue Gee · Santa Clara, US
• Majid Milani · San Jose, US
• Natividad Vasquez · San Francisco, US
• Steven Patrick Maxwell · Sunnyvale, US
• Sundar Narayanan · Santa Clara, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Aug 29, 2014
• Grant date: Sep 6, 2016
• Expiry date: Sep 5, 2034

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H10N70/883

Abstract

During fabrication of a two-terminal memory device, a terminal (e.g., bottom terminal) can be formed. After formation of the terminal, a chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) process can be applied that, depending on the composition of the terminal, can cause damage that affect operating characteristics of the finished memory device or cell. In some embodiments, such damage can be removed by one or more post-CMP processes. In some embodiments, such damage can be mitigated so as to prevent the damage from occurring at all, by, e.g., forming a sacrificial layer atop the terminal prior to performing the CMP process. Thus, the sacrificial layer can operate to protect the terminal from damage resulting from the CMP process, with the remainder of the sacrificial layer being removed prior to completing the fabrication of the two-terminal memory device.