Methods of forming a nonvolatile memory cell and methods of forming an array of nonvolatile memory cells

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9034710-B2
Application number	US-201414148942-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 7, 2014
Priority date	Dec 27, 2010
Publication date	May 19, 2015
Grant date	May 19, 2015

Abstract

A method of forming a nonvolatile memory cell includes forming a first electrode and a second electrode of the memory cell. Sacrificial material is provided between the first second electrodes. The sacrificial material is exchanged with programmable material. The sacrificial material may additionally be exchanged with select device material.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of forming a nonvolatile memory cell, comprising:
forming first and second electrodes of the memory cell at different times, sacrificial material being between the first electrode and the second electrode; and
exchanging the sacrificial material with programmable material of the memory cell.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the first electrode is formed before the second electrode.

3. The method of claim 1 comprising forming the first electrode and the second electrode to be horizontally oriented.

4. The method of claim 1 comprising forming one of the first and the second electrodes to be horizontally oriented and the other of the first and second electrodes to be vertically oriented.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the sacrificial material is electrically insulative.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the sacrificial material is electrically conductive.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the sacrificial material is semiconductive.

8. The method of claim 1 being void of programmable material between the first and second electrodes before the exchanging.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the first electrode, the second electrode, and the sacrificial material are formed over a substrate; the exchanging comprising removing the sacrificial material from between the first and second electrodes and subsequently blanketly depositing the programmable material over the substrate.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the exchanging comprises removing the sacrificial material from between the first and second electrodes and subsequently selectively growing the programmable material from at least one of the first and second electrodes.

11. The method of claim 10 comprising selectively growing the programmable material from both of the first and second electrodes.

12. The method of claim 10 comprising selectively growing the programmable material from only one of the first and second electrodes.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the memory cell comprises a select device received between the first and second electrodes; and further comprising:
exchanging the sacrificial material with select device material in addition to exchanging the sacrificial material with programmable material.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the second electrode is formed elevationally outward of the first electrode, the exchanging comprising removing the sacrificial material from between the first and second electrodes and subsequently depositing the programmable material elevationally under the second electrode and elevationally over the first electrode.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the first and second electrodes are laterally oriented relative one another where such cross with the sacrificial material received laterally there-between; the exchanging comprises removing the sacrificial material from between the first and second electrodes and subsequently depositing the programmable material laterally between the first and second electrodes.

16. A method of forming an array of nonvolatile memory cells, comprising:
forming a plurality of horizontally oriented first electrode lines and a plurality of horizontally oriented second electrode lines elevationally outward of the first electrode lines;
providing sacrificial material elevationally between the first and second electrode lines where such cross; and
exchanging the sacrificial material with programmable material of memory cells of the array.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein said first electrode lines, said second electrode lines, and said programmable material there-between comprise a single tier of multiple vertically stacked tiers of nonvolatile memory cells of the array.

18. A method of forming an array of nonvolatile memory cells, comprising:
forming a plurality of horizontally oriented first electrode lines;
forming sacrificial lines elevationally outward of and laterally overlapping with the first electrode lines;
forming a plurality of horizontally oriented second electrode lines elevationally outward of the sacrificial lines;
removing the sacrificial lines to leave a void space elevationally between the first electrode lines and the second electrode lines where such cross; and
after the removing, forming programmable material in the void spaces.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein individual memory cells comprise a select device; and further comprising:
forming select device material in the void spaces before forming the programmable material.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein individual memory cells comprise a select device; and further comprising:
forming select device material in the void spaces after forming the programmable material.

21. The method of claim 18 wherein forming the programmable material comprises a selective deposition of the programmable material.

22. The method of claim 18 wherein forming the programmable material comprises a non-selective deposition of the programmable material.

Assignees

• Micron Technology Inc

Inventors

• Sills Scott E
• Sandhu Gurtej S

Classifications

• H01L45/144

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L45/1608 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L27/2463

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L45/1683

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L45/148

  Electricity · mapped topic