Phase change materials and associated memory devices
AssigneesInternational Business Machines Corporation, Macronix International Co., Ltd.
InventorsYi-Chou Chen, Frances Anne Houle, Simone Raoux, Charles Thomas Rettner, Alejandro Gabriel Schrott
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Abstract
A memory device utilizes a phase change material as the storage medium. The phase change material includes at least one of Ge, Sb, Te, Se, As, and S, as well as a nitride compound as a dopant. The memory device can be a solid-state memory cell with electrodes in electrical communication with the phase change medium, an optical phase change storage device in which data is read and written optically, or a storage device based on the principle of scanning probe microscopy.
Claims35
A device, comprising:
- a phase change material that includes:
- i) at least one of the elements Ge, Sb, Te, Se, As, and S;
- and
- ii) at least one nitride compound as a dopant, wherein the nitride compound constitutes at least 1 atomic percent of the phase change material,
- wherein the dopant, said at least one element, and concentrations of the dopant and said at least one element are selected so that the phase change material has a crystallization temperature of at least 250° C., a resistivity of at least 0.001 Ohm-cm, and a crystallization time of less than 20 nanoseconds;
- and
- a component that includes at least one of the following:
- a) electrodes for passing current through the phase change material, thereby heating the phase change material, b) a scanning probe microscopy-based element for applying heat to the phase change material, and c) a laser having output used to heat the phase change material, wherein the component enables at least one of the following:
- reading data from the phase change material and writing data into the phase change material.
A device, comprising:
- a phase change material that includes:
- i) the elements Ge and Sb;
- and
- ii) at least one nitride compound as a dopant, wherein the nitride compound constitutes at least 1 atomic percent of the phase change material, wherein the dopant and concentrations of the dopant and the elements are selected so that the phase change material has a crystallization temperature of at least 250° C. and a resistivity of at least 0.001 Ohm-cm;
- and
- a component that includes at least one of the following:
- a) electrodes for passing current through the phase change material, thereby heating the phase change material, b) a scanning probe microscopy-based element for applying heat to the phase change material, and c) a laser having output used to heat the phase change material, wherein the component enables at least one of the following:
- reading data from the phase change material and writing data into the phase change material.
A phase change material, comprising:
- Ge and Sb;
- and
- a nitride compound as a dopant, wherein the nitride compound constitutes at least 5 atomic percent of the phase change material,
- wherein the phase change material has at least two phases having respective resistivities whose ratio is at least 100.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.