PCM switch and method of making the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10700270-B2
Application number	US-201615188754-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 21, 2016
Priority date	Jun 21, 2016
Publication date	Jun 30, 2020
Grant date	Jun 30, 2020

Abstract

One example includes a method for making a switch. The method includes forming an insulating layer over a substrate. The method also includes forming a resistive heating material over the insulating layer. The method also includes depositing a thermally conductive electrically insulating barrier layer over the heating material. The method also includes forming a phase-change material (PCM) component over the barrier layer spaced apart and proximal to the resistive heating material. The method also includes forming a quench layer proximal to at least one of the resistive heating material and the PCM component. The method further includes forming conductive lines from ends of the PCM component and control lines from ends of the resistive heating material.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for making a switch, the method comprising:
forming an insulating layer over a substrate;
forming a quench layer over the insulating layer, the quench layer being adapted to dissipate heat associated with a resistive heating material and a phase-change material (PCM) component, the quench layer being formed as at least one of Silicon (Si), Silicon Carbide (SiC), or diamond;
forming the resistive heating material over the quench layer;
depositing a thermally conductive electrically insulating barrier layer over the resistive heating material;
forming the phase-change material (PCM) component over the barrier layer spaced apart and proximal to the resistive heating material and the quench layer; and
forming conductive lines from ends of the PCM component and control lines from ends of the resistive heating material.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein forming the quench layer comprises forming the quench layer over the PCM component and the conductive lines.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising polishing the quench layer to provide a substantially planar surface of the quench layer on which the resistive heating material is formed.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the insulating layer is a first insulating layer, the method further comprising forming a second insulating layer in contact with at least one peripheral surface of the resistive heating material over the quench layer, such that the second insulating layer and the resistive heating material overly the quench layer.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein forming the quench layer comprises:
forming a first quench layer over the insulating layer;
polishing the first quench layer to provide a substantially planar surface, wherein forming the resistive heating material comprises forming the resistive heating material over the substantially planar surface of the first quench layer; and
forming a second quench layer over the PCM component and the conductive lines.

6. A method for making a switch, the method comprising:
forming an insulating layer over a substrate;
forming a first quench layer over the insulating layer, the first quench layer being formed as one of Silicon (Si), Silicon Carbide (SiC), or diamond;
forming a resistive heating material over the first quench layer;
depositing a thermally conductive electrically insulating barrier layer over the resistive heating material;
forming a phase-change material (PCM) component over the barrier layer spaced apart and proximal to the resistive heating material;
forming conductive lines from ends of the PCM component and control lines from ends of the resistive heating material; and
forming a second quench layer over the resistive heating material and the PCM component, the second quench layer being adapted to dissipate heat associated with at least one of the resistive heating material and the PCM component, the second quench layer being formed as one of Silicon (Si), Silicon Carbide (SiC), or diamond.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising polishing the first quench layer to provide a substantially planar surface of the first quench layer on which the resistive heating material is formed.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein the insulating layer is a first insulating layer, the method further comprising forming a second insulating layer in contact with at least one peripheral surface of the resistive heating material over the first quench layer, such that the second insulating layer and the resistive heating material overly the first quench layer.

Assignees

• Borodulin Pavel
• El Hinnawy Nabil Abdel Meguid
• Young Robert Miles
• Northrop Grumman Systems Corp

Inventors

• Borodulin Pavel
• El-Hinnawy Nabil Abdel-Meguid
• Young Robert Miles

Classifications

• H10N70/253 Primary

  having three or more electrodes, e.g. transistor-like devices · CPC title

• H10N70/231 Primary

  based on solid-state phase change, e.g. between amorphous and crystalline phases, Ovshinsky effect · CPC title

• H10N70/823

  adapted for essentially horizontal current flow, e.g. bridge type devices · CPC title

• H10N70/8613

  Heating or cooling means other than resistive heating electrodes, e.g. heater in parallel · CPC title

• H10N70/8828

  Tellurides, e.g. GeSbTe · CPC title