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AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsArmin Beck, Coorg Bednorz, Christoph Gerber, Christophe P. Rossel
Estimating the term…
A microelectronic device is designed such that it includes a region between electrodes having a switchable ohmic resistance wherein the region is made of a substance comprising components Ax, By, and oxygen Oz. The ohmic resistance in the region is reversibly switchable between different states by applying different voltage pulses. The different voltage pulses lead to the respective different states. An appropriate amount of dopant(s) in the substance improves the switching, whereby the microelectronic device becomes controllable and reliable.
A microelectronic device for storing digital information, the device having a switchable ohmic resistance between electrodes, which said ohmic resistance is reversibly switchable between different states in response to application of different voltage pulses to the electrodes, each different state corresponding to a different value of stored information;
A memory cell arrangement comprising a microelectronic device, said microelectronic device having a switchable ohmic resistance between electrodes, which said ohmic resistance is reversibly switchable between different states in response to application of different voltage pulses to the electrodes, each different state corresponding to a different value of stored information;
A semiconductor device comprising a microelectronic device, said microelectronic device having a switchable ohmic resistance between electrodes, which said ohmic resistance is reversibly switchable between different states in response to application of different voltage pulses to the electrodes, each different state corresponding to a different value of stored information;
A method for writing information into a memory cell arrangement, said memory cell arrangement comprising a microelectronic device having a switchable ohmic resistance between electrodes, which said ohmic resistance is reversibly switchable between different states in response to application of different voltage pulses to the electrodes, each different state corresponding to a different value of stored information;
A method for reading information out of a memory cell arrangement, said memory cell arrangement comprising a microelectronic device having a switchable ohmic resistance between electrodes, which said ohmic resistance is reversibly switchable between different states in response to application of different voltage pulses to the electrodes, each different state corresponding to a different value of stored information;
Use of a substance for storing digital information, the substance comprising components Ax, By, and oxygen Oz, for making a switchable ohmic resistance within a capacitor-like structure, in which:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
Using electric elements: using ferroelectric elements
Using storage elements with more than two stable states represented by steps, e.g. of voltage, current, phase, frequency: using storage elements…
Using resistive RAM [RRAM] elements: comprising metal oxide memory material, e.g. perovskites
Solid-state devices having no potential barriers, and specially adapted for rectifying, amplifying, oscillating or switching: multistable…
Term ended 18 Oct 2021 (estimated)
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electronic and microelectronic devices. In particular, the present invention relates to a plurality of materials showing a switching phenomenon and a built-in memory by the aid of which a new principle of storing and reading information in memory cells of semiconductor chips and a plurality of fundamental improvements on electronic or microelectronic devices can be achieved.
2. Description and Disadvantages of Prior Art
The present invention is illustrated by way of example and is not limited by the shape of the figures of the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a schematic drawing of a perovskite oxide capacitor-like structure of a microelectronic device usable as memory cell in accordance with the present invention.
FIGS. 2A to 2C show current-voltage characteristics of a 300 nm thick Cr doped oxide capacitor-like structure in accordance with the present invention.
Generally, an elementary cell of the corresponding lattice structure comprises a cell center molecule which is surrounded by a plurality of oxygen-molecules each having in turn a center molecule. Both types of said center locations can principally be taken by either of the component A, or B, respectively. In other words, there are a plurality of substances, i.e., where chemically appropriate, in which A and B can change their locations. In view of the large plurality of the different usable substances this understanding of the basic formula given above should be stressed in order to assure the intended scope and to conserve clarity and conciseness of the appended claims, a concurrently.
Said substances comprise some specific range of amount of a dopant of one of or a combination of Chromium, Vanadium, or Manganese, or further transition metals.
In particular, any substance comprising components A x, B y, and oxygen Oz, in which substance said component A is a member of Alkaline metals (group IA), or Alkaline Earth metals (group IIA), or Rare Earth elements, or Scandium, or Yttrium, and said component B is a transition metal being member of one of the groups IB to VII, or a member of one of the groups IIIA, IVA, VA are substances which are able to solve the problem underlying to the present invention, when doped with a dopant of one of or a combination of transition metals, in particular but not exclusively with Chromium, Vanadium, or Manganese, the total dopant amount in atomic percentage being larger than 0% and smaller than 5%, and preferably about 0.2% when (BaSr)TiO3 is doped with Chromium only.