US 7,402,455 B2 · Manufacturing method of a contact structure and phase change memory cell with elimination of double contacts

Abstract

The method forms a phase change memory cell with a resistive element and a memory region of a phase change material. The resistive element has a first thin portion having a first sublithographic dimension in a first direction; and the memory region has a second thin portion having a second sublithographic dimension in a second direction which is transverse to said first direction. The first and second thin portions are in direct electrical contact and define a contact area having sublithographic extent. The second thin portion is formed in a slit of sublithographic dimensions. According to a first solution, oxide spacer portions are formed in a lithographic opening, delimited by a mold layer. According to a different solution, a sacrificial region is formed on top of a mold layer and is used for forming the sublithographic slit in the mold layer.

Claims25

Dependent claims

A process for manufacturing a contact structure in a semiconductor electronic device, comprising:

forming a first conductive region comprising a wall having a closed shape including a first thin portion having a first sublithographic dimension in a first direction;
and
forming a second conductive region of a phase change material, said second conductive region including a second thin portion having a second sublithographic dimension extending in a second direction transverse to said first direction, said second thin portion crossing, and being in direct electrical contact with, said first conductive region only at said first thin portion so as to form a single contact area having a sublithographic extension.

A process for forming a pair of adjacent memory cells in a first direction, comprising the steps of:

forming a pair of resistive elements, each having a first thin portion of a first sublithographic dimension in said first direction;
and
forming a common memory region of a phase change material including a second thin portion in direct electrical contact with said first thin portions and having a second sublithographic dimension in a second direction transverse to said first direction;
each resistive element forming, with said second thin region, a respective single contact area having a sublithographic extension.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application

11/156,989Filed 20 Jun 2005 · division

Priority

EP 0242508920 Feb 2002

Published

US 2005/0255665 A117 Nov 2005

Granted

22 Jul 2008

Term ends

Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification12 codes

G11C 11/56
Digital stores characterised by the use of particular electric or magnetic storage elements; Storage elements therefor: using storage elements…
G11C 11/5678
Using storage elements with more than two stable states represented by steps, e.g. of voltage, current, phase, frequency: using…
G11C 13/0004
Using resistive RAM [RRAM] elements: comprising amorphous/crystalline phase transition cells
H10B 63/32
Comprising selection components having three or more electrodes, e.g. transistors: of the bipolar type

Family

Application10/313,991Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 5 Dec 2002

Application10/372,639Parent of this division · filed 20 Feb 2003

US 2005/0255665 A1Pre-grant publication · published 17 Nov 2005

US 6,930,913 B2Parent of this division

US 7,227,171 B2Parent of this continuation-in-part

Application10/372,639Parent of this continuation-in-part

US 2003/0214856 A1Published application

US 2003/0219924 A1Published application

US 7,402,455 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

Manufacturing method of a contact structure and phase change memory cell with elimination of double contacts

Life of this patent

Manufacturing method of a contact structure and phase change memory cell with elimination of double contacts

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims25