Sidewall thin film electrode with self-aligned top electrode and programmable resistance memory

A method for manufacturing a memory device comprising:

• forming an array of electrodes including rows and columns on a substrate including an array of access devices, at least some of the electrodes in the array comprising thin film plates of electrode material, the thin film plates respectively having lengths with respective proximal ends in electrical communication with corresponding access devices, and distal ends having contact surfaces with respective contact areas, so that the areas of the contact surfaces are determined by a thickness of the thin film plates at the contact surfaces and widths of the thin film plates at the contact surfaces;
• forming a plurality of self-aligned forms over corresponding columns in the array of electrodes, where forms corresponding to columns in the array of electrodes include trenches exposing the contact surfaces of the thin film plates of the electrodes in the corresponding columns;
• forming a layer of memory material in the forms in the plurality of self-aligned forms, extending into the forms and contacting the contact surfaces of the thin film plates of the electrodes in the corresponding columns;
• and
• forming a layer of top electrode material in the forms in contact with the layer of memory material.

A method for manufacturing a memory device, the method comprising:

• forming an array of contacts coupled to corresponding access devices;
• defining a plurality of strips of insulating material, the strips having side surfaces aligned over contacts in corresponding columns in the array;
• forming sidewalls on the side surfaces of the plurality of strips, the sidewalls comprising electrode material and contacting the contacts in the corresponding columns in the array;
• filling between the sidewalls with an insulating material, and planarizing the insulating material to expose top surfaces of the sidewalls;
• applying an etch mask defining lines along columns in the array of contacts, and etching the sidewalls to form separate thin film plates of the electrode material;
• applying an insulating fill material and planarizing the insulating fill material leaving exposed surfaces on the etch mask;
• removing the etch mask from the exposed surfaces to form resulting self-aligned trenches exposing top surfaces of the separate thin film plates, and depositing a sacrificial material within the self-aligned trenches;
• forming bodies of spacer material on the sacrificial material within the self-aligned trenches, the spacer material extending over the insulating fill material and expanding to a width greater than that of the self-aligned trenches;
• applying an insulating fill material and planarizing the insulating fill material leaving exposed surfaces of the spacer material;
• removing the spacer material and the sacrificial material to create self-aligned forms in the insulating fill material over the thin film plates;
• depositing memory material in the self-aligned forms;
• and
• depositing top electrode material in the self-aligned form.