Fill-in confined cell PCM devices

A method for manufacturing a phase-change memory device comprising:

• providing a substrate including a plurality of bottom electrodes;
• patterning the substrate to form a plurality of pores in the substrate extending from a surface of the substrate to the bottom electrodes;
• depositing a crystalline phase-change material over the substrate, wherein the phase-change material is a GST film, to fill the plurality of pores and create an overburden portion on the surface of the substrate;
• implanting one or more of a Ge, Sb and Te in the phase-change material to amorphize the overburden at least a portion of the phase-change material inside the pores, during the implantation, without changing a composition of the GST, and avoiding introduction of impurities other than atoms already in the GST, while controlling an ion flux applied during the implantation such that a self-annealing caused by the implantation does not reach a crystallization temperature of the phase-change material;
• planarizing the device to expose the surface of the substrate;
• and
• forming a plurality of top electrodes over the pores, in contact with the phase-change material.