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US 5,330,630 AGranted
Switch with improved threshold voltage
AssigneeEnergy Conversion Devices, Inc.
InventorsPatrick J. Klersy, Stanford R. Ovshinsky
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The first fire voltage of chalcogenide-based switching devices is lowered to a value approximately equal to the threshold voltage by treatment of the chalcogenide material with fluorine either during or after deposition.
Claims18
A method of manufacturing an improved threshold switching device, said device comprising a body of chalcogenide threshold switching material disposed between two electrodes, said method including the steps of:
- vacuum depositing a body of chalcogenide threshold switching material, said chalcogenide material being characterized by an initial first fire threshold voltage;
- and
- exposing said body of chalcogenide threshold switching material to an atmosphere including fluorine therein, thereby reducing the first fire threshold voltage to a value substantially lower than the initial value.
A method of manufacturing a threshold switching device having a lowered first fire threshold, said method including the steps of:
- providing a substrate;
- providing a first electrode on said substrate;
- disposing said substrate in a vacuum deposition chamber;
- providing a sputtering cathode in said chamber, said cathode comprising a chalcogenide material;
- maintaining said chamber at a subatmospheric pressure;
- introducing a fluorine containing working gas into said chamber, while maintaining said chamber at a pressure below atmospheric;
- energizing said cathode whereby chalcogenide material is sputtered from the cathode and deposited onto the substrate so as to provide a body of chalcogenide material in electrical contact with said first electrode;
- and
- providing a second electrode in electrical communication with said body of chalcogenide material.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.