Cross point memory array using multiple thin films
AssigneeUnity Semiconductor Corporation
InventorsDarrell Rinerson, Steven W. Longcor, Edmond R. Ward, Steve Kuo-Ren Hsia, Wayne Kinney, Christophe J. Chevallier
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Abstract
Cross point memory array using multiple thin films. The invention is a cross point memory array that uses conductive array lines and multiple thin films as a memory plug. The thin films of the memory plug include a memory element and a non-ohmic device. The memory element switches between resistive states upon application of voltage pulses and the non-ohmic device imparts a relatively high resistance to the memory plug upon application of low magnitude voltages.
Claims34
A cross point memory array comprising:
- a first group of substantially parallel conductive array lines;
- a second group of substantially parallel conductive array lines, oriented substantially perpendicular to the first group of parallel conductive lines;
- and
- a plurality of memory plugs located at the intersections of the first group of parallel conductive array lines and the second group of parallel conductive array lines,
- wherein each memory plug includes multiple layers of thin films including
- a thin film layer of a memory element that switches from a first resistance state to a second resistance state upon application of a first write voltage pulse to the memory element and reversibly switches from the second resistance state back to the first resistance state upon application of a second write voltage pulse to the memory element having opposite polarity of the first write voltage pulse;
- and
- at least one thin film layer constituting a non-ohmic device that, upon application of low magnitude voltages to the non-ohmic device, imparts a relatively high resistance to the memory plug.
A cross point memory array comprising:
- a first layer of conductive array lines, the conductive array lines being arranged so that they do not come into direct contact with each other;
- a second layer of conductive array lines, the conductive array lines being arranged so that they do not come into direct contact with either each other or any of the conductive array lines of the first layer;
- and
- a plurality of memory plugs, each memory plug having multiple layers of thin films including
- a thin film layer of a memory element that switches from a first resistance state to a second resistance state upon application of a first write voltage pulse to the memory element and reversibly switches from the second resistance state back to the first resistance state upon application of a second write voltage pulse to the memory element;
- and
- at least one thin film layers constituting a non-ohmic device that imparts a relatively high resistance to the memory plug upon application of low magnitude voltages to the non-ohmic device, otherwise imparting a relative low resistance to the memory plug;
- wherein each memory plug is in electrical contact with one conductive array line from the first layer of conductive array lines and one conductive array line from the second layer of conductive array lines, the conductive array lines forming a unique pair for each memory plug.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.