# US 10,374,011 B2 · Resistance change memory devices

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- Number: US 10,374,011 B2
- Document ID: US10374011B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/986,932
- Filed: 2018-05-23
- Published: 2018-12-13
- Granted: 2019-08-06
- Earliest claimed: 2017-06-08
- Assignees: SK hynix Inc.
- Applicants: SK hynix Inc.
- Inventors: Sanghun Lee
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10374011B2

## CPC

- H10B 63/80: {Arrangements comprising multiple bistable or multi-stable switching components of the same type on a plane parallel to the substrate, e.g. cross-point arrays}
- G11C 11/22: using ferroelectric elements
- G11C 13/0007: {comprising metal oxide memory material, e.g. perovskites}
- G11C 13/0069: {Writing or programming circuits or methods}
- H10N 70/231: {based on solid-state phase change, e.g. between amorphous and crystalline phases, Ovshinsky effect}
- H10N 70/24: {based on migration or redistribution of ionic species, e.g. anions, vacancies}
- H10N 70/245: {the species being metal cations, e.g. programmable metallization cells}
- H10N 70/826: {adapted for essentially vertical current flow, e.g. sandwich or pillar type devices}
- H10N 70/841: {Electrodes}
- H10N 70/8822: {Sulfides, e.g. CuS}
- H10N 70/8825: {Selenides, e.g. GeSe}
- H10N 70/8828: {Tellurides, e.g. GeSbTe}
- H10N 70/8833: {Binary metal oxides, e.g. TaOx}
- H10N 70/8836: {Complex metal oxides, e.g. perovskites, spinels}
- H10B: ELECTRONIC MEMORY DEVICES
- G11C: STATIC STORES (semiconductor memory devices H10B)
- H10N: ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR

## Abstract

A resistance change memory device includes a lower electrode, a ferroelectric material layer disposed on the lower electrode, a resistance switching material layer disposed on the ferroelectric material layer, and an upper electrode disposed on the resistance switching material layer.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A resistance change memory device comprising:
a lower electrode;
a ferroelectric material layer disposed on the lower electrode;
a resistance switching material layer disposed on the ferroelectric material layer; and
an upper electrode disposed on the resistance switching material layer,
wherein the resistance change memory device further comprises an interfacial insulation layer located between the upper electrode and the resistance switching material layer, and
wherein formation or decomposition of the interfacial insulation layer is controlled by an external voltage between the lower electrode and the upper electrode.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The resistance change memory device of claim 1, wherein the resistance switching material layer is disposed directly on the ferroelectric material layer.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The resistance change memory device of claim 1, wherein a remanent polarization in the ferroelectric material layer applies an electrical attractive force or an electrical repulsive force to the resistance switching material layer.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The resistance change memory device of claim 1, wherein after an applied voltage is removed from the upper electrode, a remanent polarization in the ferroelectric material layer induces charges to accumulate at an interface between the ferroelectric material layer and the resistance switching material layer.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The resistance change memory device of claim 4, wherein the induced charges create an electric field across the resistance switching material layer that controls the movement of charges in the resistance switching material layer.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The resistance change memory device of claim 1, wherein the resistance switching material layer includes movable oxygen ions.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The resistance change memory device of claim 6,
wherein when a positive voltage is applied to the upper electrode, then the upper electrode is combined with movable oxygen ions to form the interfacial insulation layer located between the resistance switching material layer and the upper electrode; and
wherein when a negative voltage is applied to the upper electrode, then the movable oxygen ions are released from the interfacial insulation layer, which decomposes.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The resistance change memory device of claim 7,
wherein when a first remanent polarization having an orientation from the upper electrode toward the lower electrode is formed in the ferroelectric material layer by the positive voltage applied to the upper electrode, then the first remanent polarization reduces the number of movable oxygen ions that are released from the interfacial insulation layer; and
wherein when a second remanent polarization having an orientation from the lower electrode toward the upper electrode is formed in the ferroelectric material layer by the negative voltage applied to the upper electrode, then the second remanent polarization reduces the amount of movable oxygen ions in the resistance switching material layer moving toward the upper electrode.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The resistance change memory device of claim 1, wherein the resistance switching material layer includes a perovskite type oxide material.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The resistance change memory device of claim 9, wherein the perovskite type oxide material includes at least one of a PCMO(Pr1-xCaxMnO3, where, 0<x<1) material, a LCMO(La1-xCaxMnO3, where, 0<x<1) material, a BSCFO(Ba0.5Sr0.5Co0.8Fe0.2O3-δ) material, a YBCO(YBa2Cu3O7-x, where, 0<x<1) material, a (Ba,Sr)TiO3(Cr, Nb-doped) material, a SrZrO3(Cr,V-doped) material, a (La, Sr)MnO3 material, a Sr1-xLaxTiO3(where, 0<x<1) material, a La1-xSrxFeO3(where, 0<x<1) material, a La1-xSrxCoO3(where, 0<x<1) material, a SrFeO2.7 material, a LaCoO3 material, a RuSr2GdCu2O3 material and a YBa2Cu3O7 material.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The resistance change memory device of claim 1, wherein the resistance switching material layer includes a metal oxide material having a nonstoichiometric composition.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The resistance change memory device of claim 11, wherein the metal oxide material includes at least one of a titanium oxide material, an aluminum oxide material, a nickel oxide material, a copper oxide material, a zirconium oxide material, a manganese oxide material, a hafnium oxide material, a tungsten oxide material, a tantalum oxide material, a niobium oxide material and a ferrum oxide material.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The resistance change memory device of claim 1, wherein the ferroelectric material layer includes a metal oxide material having a perovskite crystalline structure.

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

The resistance change memory device of claim 1, wherein the ferroelectric material layer includes at least one of a hafnium oxide material, a zirconium oxide material and a hafnium zirconium oxide material.

### Claim 15 (depends on 1)

The resistance change memory device of claim 1, wherein the upper electrode includes at least one of an aluminum (Al) material, a molybdenum (Mo) material, a platinum (Pt) material, a titanium (Ti) material, a nickel (Ni) material, a tungsten (W) material, a tantalum (Ta) material, a titanium nitride (TiN) material and a tungsten silicide (WSi2) material.

### Claim 16

A resistance change memory device comprising:
a lower electrode;
a ferroelectric material layer disposed on the lower electrode having a remanent polarization;
a resistance switching material layer including movable oxygen ions disposed on the ferroelectric material layer; and
an upper electrode disposed on the resistance switching material layer,
wherein a resistance value of the resistance change memory device is determined according to formation or decomposition of an interfacial insulation layer located between the upper electrode and the resistance switching material layer when an external voltage is applied to the upper electrode while the lower electrode is grounded.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The resistance change memory device of claim 16, wherein after the external voltage is removed, the remanent polarization induces charges to accumulate at an interface between the ferroelectric material layer and the resistance switching material layer.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The resistance change memory device of claim 17, wherein the accumulated charges create an electric field across the resistance switching material layer that control movement of the movable oxygen ions in the resistance switching material layer.

### Claim 19 (depends on 16)

The resistance change memory device of claim 16,
wherein when the external voltage has a first polarity, then the upper electrode is combined with movable oxygen ions to form the interfacial insulation layer; and
wherein when the external voltage has a second polarity, then movable oxygen ions are released from the interfacial insulation layer, which decomposes.

### Claim 20 (depends on 19)

The resistance change memory device of claim 19,
wherein when the remanent polarization in the ferroelectric material layer has a direction from the upper electrode toward the lower electrode, then the remanent polarization reduces the number of movable oxygen ions released from the interfacial insulation layer; and
wherein when the remanent polarization in the ferroelectric material layer has a direction from the lower electrode toward the upper electrode, then the remanent polarization reduces the amount of movable oxygen ions in the resistance switching material layer that move toward the upper electrode.