Switching Components and Memory Units

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016118441-A1
Application number	US-201614989625-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 6, 2016
Priority date	Feb 19, 2014
Publication date	Apr 28, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Some embodiments include a switching component which includes a selector region between a pair of electrodes. The selector region contains silicon doped with one or more of nitrogen, oxygen, germanium and carbon. Some embodiments include a memory unit which includes a memory cell and a select device electrically coupled to the memory cell. The select device has a selector region between a pair of electrodes. The selector region contains semiconductor doped with one or more of nitrogen, oxygen, germanium and carbon. The select device has current versus voltage characteristics which include snap-back voltage behavior.

First claim

1 . A switching component, comprising:
a selector region between a pair of electrodes; and wherein the selector region comprises silicon doped with nitrogen.

2 . The switching component of claim 1 wherein the dopant comprises nitrogen to a total concentration within a range of from greater than 0 atomic percent to about 10 atomic percent.

3 . (canceled)

4 . The switching component of claim 1 wherein the electrodes are a same composition as one another.

5 . The switching component of claim 1 wherein the electrodes are different compositions relative to one another.

6 . The switching component of claim 1 wherein at least one of the electrodes comprises one or more of Ta, Ti and W, in combination with nitrogen.

7 . The switching component of claim 1 wherein said at least one of the electrodes further comprises one or more of O, C and Al.

8 . The switching component of claim 1 wherein both of the electrodes comprise carbon.

9 . The switching component of claim 1 wherein at least one of the electrodes consists of carbon and nitrogen.

10 . The switching component of claim 1 wherein the selector region is a single homogenous material that directly contacts each electrode of said pair of electrodes.

11 . The switching component of claim 10 wherein the single homogenous material comprises silicon doped with nitrogen to a concentration within a range of from greater than 0 atomic percent to about 10 atomic percent.

12 . The switching component of claim 11 wherein both electrodes of said pair consist of carbon.

13 . The switching component of claim 1 wherein the selector region comprises two or more different materials.

14 . A switching component, comprising:
a first electrode; a selector region over the first electrode; a second electrode over the selector region; and wherein the selector region comprises a stack of alternating first and second materials, with one of the first and second materials comprising semiconductor and the other of the first and second materials comprising oxide or nitrogen-doped semiconductor.

15 . The switching component of claim 14 wherein said one of the first and second materials comprises silicon and said other of the first and second materials is oxide comprising strontium oxide.

16 . The switching component of claim 15 wherein the oxide has a thickness within a range of from about 3 Å to about 20 Å.

17 . The switching component of claim 15 wherein the selector region comprises the silicon directly against each of the electrodes.

18 . The switching component of claim 15 wherein the selector region comprises the oxide directly against each of the electrodes.

19 . The switching component of claim 14 wherein said other of the first and second materials comprises nitrogen-doped silicon silicon.

20 . The switching component of claim 14 wherein each of the first and second materials has a thickness within a range of from about 20 Å to about 350 Å.

21 . The switching component of claim 14 wherein said other of the first and second materials comprises silicon doped with nitrogen to a concentration within a range of from greater than 0 atomic percent to about 10 atomic percent; and wherein said one of the first and second materials consists of silicon.

22 . The switching component of claim 21 wherein the selector region comprises the nitrogen-doped silicon directly against each of the electrodes.

23 . The switching component of claim 21 wherein the selector region comprises the material consisting of silicon directly against each of the electrodes.

24 - 26 . (canceled)

27 . The switching component of claim 14 wherein the stack comprises first material/second material/first material.

28 . The switching component of claim 14 wherein the stack comprises first material/second material/first material/second material/first material.

29 . A memory unit, comprising:
a memory cell; and a select device electrically coupled to the memory cell; the select device comprising a selector region between a pair of electrodes, wherein the selector region comprises semiconductor doped with nitrogen, and has current versus voltage characteristics which include snap-back voltage behavior.

30 . The memory unit of claim 29 wherein the semiconductor comprises silicon.

31 . The memory unit of claim 29 wherein the selector region is a single homogenous material that directly contacts each electrode of said pair of electrodes.

32 . The memory unit of claim 31 wherein the single homogenous material comprises silicon doped with nitrogen to a concentration within a range of from greater than 0 atomic percent to about 10 atomic percent.

33 . The memory unit of claim 32 wherein both electrodes of said pair consist of carbon.

34 . The memory unit of claim 29 wherein the selector region comprises two or more different materials.

35 . The memory unit of claim 29 wherein the selector region comprises a stack having a first material alternating with a second material.

Assignees

• Micron Technology Inc

Inventors

• Rawaswamy Durai Vishak Nirmal

Classifications

• G11C11/16

  using elements in which the storage effect is based on magnetic spin effect · CPC title

• H01L45/1253

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L45/148

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L27/2409 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H10N70/8833

  Binary metal oxides, e.g. TaOx · CPC title