Spacer chalcogenide memory method and device

Details Spacer chalcogenide memory method and device Spacer chalcogenide memory method and device

2003-09-04

2004-12-14

Nelms, David (Department: 2818)

Semiconductor device manufacturing: process

Making device or circuit responsive to nonelectrical signal

Responsive to electromagnetic radiation

C438S095000, C438S595000, C438S900000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06830952

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Chalcogenide materials are widely used in read-write optical disks. These materials have at least two solid phases, generally amorphous and generally crystalline. Laser pulses are used in read-write optical disks to switch between phases and to read the optical properties of the material after the phase change.
Chalcogenide materials also can be caused to change phase by application of electrical current. This property has generated interest in using programmable resistive material to form nonvolatile memory circuits.
One direction of development has been toward using small quantities of programmable resistive material, particularly in small pores. Patents illustrating development toward small pores include: Ovshinsky, “Multibit Single Cell Memory Element Having Tapered Contact,” U.S. Pat. No. 5,687,112, issued Nov. 11, 1997; Zahorik et al., “Method of Making Chalogenide [sic] Memory Device,” U.S. Pat. No. 5,789,277, issued Aug. 4, 1998; Doan et al., “Controllable Ovonic Phase-Change Semiconductor Memory Device and Methods of Fabricating the Same,” U.S. Pat. No. 6,150,253, issued Nov. 21, 2000.
Accordingly, an opportunity arises to devise methods and structures that form memory cells with structures that use small quantities of programmable resistive material.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention includes devices and methods to form memory cell devices including a spacer comprising a programmable resistive material alloy.
Particular aspects of the present invention are described in the claims, specification and drawings.


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