Switching block configuration bit comprising a non-volatile memory cell

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10096362-B1
Application number	US-201715469179-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Mar 24, 2017
Priority date	Mar 24, 2017
Publication date	Oct 9, 2018
Grant date	Oct 9, 2018

Abstract

A configuration bit for a switching block routing array comprising a non-volatile memory cell is provided. By way of example, the configuration bit and switching block routing array can be utilized for a field programmable gate array, or other suitable circuit(s), integrated circuit(s), application specific integrated circuit(s), electronic device or the like. The configuration bit can comprise a switch that selectively connects or disconnects a node of the switching block routing array. A non-volatile memory cell connected to the switch can be utilized to activate or deactivate the switch. In one or more embodiments, the non-volatile memory cell can comprise a volatile resistance switching device connected in serial to a gate node of the switch, configured to trap charge at the gate node to activate the switch, or release the charge at the gate node to deactivate the switch.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A circuit, comprising:
a non-volatile switch comprising an input node, an output node and a control gate, the input node connected to a first conductive line of a switching block routing array and the output node connected to a second conductive line of the switching block routing array;
a volatile switch having a first contact and a second contact, the second contact is conductively connected to the control gate of the non-volatile switch; and
a program circuit configured to selectively provide a voltage from a voltage source to the first contact of the volatile switch.

2. The circuit of claim 1 , further comprising a capacitor having a first terminal and a second terminal, wherein the second terminal is conductively connected to the first contact of the volatile switch and the first terminal connected to the program circuit.

3. The circuit of claim 2 , wherein the capacitor, the volatile switch and the control gate are connected respectively in electrical series.

4. The circuit of claim 2 , wherein a magnitude of the voltage provided by the voltage source is divided among the capacitor, the volatile switch and the control gate of the non-volatile switch in proportion to the respective capacitances of the capacitor, the volatile switch and the control gate of the non-volatile switch.

5. The circuit of claim 1 , wherein the volatile switch is a volatile resistive switching device comprising a resistive switching material formed between the first contact and the second contact, wherein the first contact is formed of a first metal-containing material and the second contact is formed of a second metal-containing material.

6. The circuit of claim 5 , wherein the first metal-containing material is a first metal alloy comprising a first elemental metal and a first nonmetal, and the second metal-containing material is a second metal alloy comprising a second elemental metal and a second nonmetal, and at least one of:
the first metal alloy and the second metal alloy are the same; or
the first elemental metal and the second elemental metal are different, the first nonmetal and the second nonmetal are different or a first ratio of the first elemental metal to the first nonmetal is different from a second ratio of the second elemental metal to the second nonmetal.

7. The circuit of claim 5 , wherein the first metal-containing material is a first metallic compound and the second metal-containing material is a second metallic compound, and at least one of:
the first metallic compound and the second metallic compound are the same; or
the first metallic compound and the second metallic compound comprise different elemental metals, different nonmetallic elements, or different ratios of elemental metal and nonmetallic element.

8. The circuit of claim 5 , wherein the resistive switching material is selected from a group consisting of: an insulator, a non-stoichiometric oxide, a non-stoichiometric silicon oxide, SiOx where x is a positive number between about 0.1 and about 2, a chalcogenide, a solid-electrolyte comprising Ge, Sb, S and Te, and a metal-doped material.

9. The circuit of claim 5 , wherein:
the first contact is configured to provide first conductive ions of the first metal-containing material to the resistive switching material in response to a first voltage applied across the volatile switch;
the second contact is configured to provide second conductive ions of the second metal-containing material to the resistive switching material in response to a second voltage, having different polarity from the first voltage, applied across the volatile switch; and
the resistive switching material is configured to be permeable to the first conductive ions and to the second conductive ions.

10. The circuit of claim 9 , wherein:
the first conductive ions form a conductive filament facilitating electrical continuity between the first contact and the second contact in response to the first voltage exceeding a first threshold magnitude; and
the second conductive ions form a second conductive filament facilitating electrical continuity between the second contact and the first contact in response to the second voltage exceeding a second threshold magnitude of the different polarity from the first voltage, wherein the volatile switch lacks electrical continuity between the first contact and the second contact for voltages less than the first threshold magnitude and the second threshold magnitude.

11. The circuit of claim 5 , further comprising a first ion layer disposed between the first contact and the resistive switching material or a second ion layer disposed between the second contact and the resistive switching material, wherein the first ion layer or the second ion layer are formed of a material selected from a group consisting of: an ion conductor, a solid-electrolyte, a metal oxide and a metal oxide alloy.

12. The circuit of claim 1 , wherein the non-volatile switch is a transistor, and wherein the switching block routing array is implemented as part of a field programmable gate array.

13. A configuration bit for a node of a switching block routing array, comprising:
a transistor element having a control gate, a first terminal coupled to an input node of the switching block routing array and a second terminal coupled to an output node of the switching block routing array;
a two-terminal volatile resistive switching device, having a second electrode connected to the control gate and a first electrode; and
a programming input provided to the first electrode of the two-terminal volatile resistive switching device, wherein:
the programming input supplies a signal to the two-terminal volatile resistive switching device via the first electrode,
the two-terminal volatile resistive switching device has a high resistance state in response to a magnitude of the signal being zero or about zero,
the two-terminal volatile resistive switching device transitions to a low resistance state in response to the magnitude increasing to a non-zero threshold voltage, and
the two-terminal volatile resistive switching device transitions from the low electrical resistance to the high electrical resistance in response to the magnitude decreasing below the non-zero threshold voltage, or below a second non-zero threshold voltage.

14. The configuration bit of claim 13 , further comprising a capacitor positioned electrically in serial between the programming input and the two-terminal volatile resistive switching device, having a first node connected to the first electrode of the two-terminal volatile resistive switching device and a second node connected to the programming input.

15. The configuration bit of claim 13 , the programming input comprises a transistor configured to selectively connect or disconnect a voltage source to the configuration bit.

16. The configuration bit of claim 13 , wherein a ratio of electrical resistances of the high resistance state and the low resistance state at approximately the non-zero threshold voltage is within a range from about 10,000 to 1 to about 10,000,000 to 1.

17. The configuration bit of claim 13 , wherein the two-terminal volatile resistive switching device comprises a first metal-containing layer as the second electrode, a second metal-containing layer as the first electrode, and a volatile resistance switching layer positioned between the first metal-containing layer and the second metal-containing layer, wherein the volatile resistance switching layer is at least weakly permeable to a first metal of the first metal-containing layer or to a

Assignees

• Crossbar Inc

Inventors

• Nazarian Hagop
• Jo Sung Hyun

Classifications

• G11C2213/33

  Material including silicon · CPC title

• G11C2213/11

  Metal ion trapping, i.e. using memory material including cavities, pores or spaces in form of tunnels or channels wherein metal ions can be trapped but do not react and form an electro-deposit creating filaments or dendrites · CPC title

• G11C2213/34

  Material includes an oxide or a nitride · CPC title

• G11C13/004

  Reading or sensing circuits or methods · CPC title

• G11C2213/79

  Array wherein the access device being a transistor · CPC title