Memory cell structures

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9755144-B2
Application number	US-201615171508-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 2, 2016
Priority date	Jul 1, 2011
Publication date	Sep 5, 2017
Grant date	Sep 5, 2017

Abstract

The present disclosure includes memory cell structures and method of forming the same. One such memory cell includes a first electrode having sidewalls angled less than 90 degrees in relation to a bottom surface of the first electrode, a second electrode, including an electrode contact portion of the second electrode, having sidewalls angled less than 90 degrees in relation to the bottom surface of the first electrode, wherein the second electrode is over the first electrode, and a storage element between the first electrode and the electrode contact portion of the second electrode.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A memory cell, comprising:
a first electrode having sidewalls angled less than 90 degrees in relation to a bottom surface of the first electrode;
a first dielectric material formed on the first electrode having sidewalls angled less than 90 degrees in relation to the bottom surface of the first electrode;
a second electrode, including an electrode contact portion of the second electrode, having sidewalls angled less than 90 degrees in relation to the bottom surface of the first electrode, wherein the second electrode is over the first electrode; and
a storage element between the first electrode and the electrode contact portion of the second electrode, wherein the storage element is formed on an upper surface of the first electrode and an upper surface of the first dielectric material, and wherein filament nucleation for the storage element is achieved between the first electrode and the second electrode.

2. The memory cell of claim 1 , wherein filament nucleation for the storage element is achieved between a portion of the first electrode that contacts the storage element and a portion of the second electrode that contacts the storage element.

3. The memory cell of claim 2 , wherein the second electrode is formed on a top surface of the storage element.

4. The memory cell of claim 1 , wherein the first electrode has a cross-sectional area selected from the group consisting of trapezoidal or triangular.

5. The memory cell claim 1 , wherein the first electrode has sidewalls that are selected from the group consisting of straight, concave, or convex.

6. The memory cell of claim 1 , wherein a top surface of the first electrode is an electrode contact portion of the first electrode and is in contact with the storage element.

7. The memory cell of claim 1 , wherein the storage element is formed on a peak of the first electrode such that the storage element includes a peak and angled sidewalls.

8. The memory cell of claim 7 , wherein the contact portion of the second electrode is formed on the peak of storage element.

9. The memory cell of claim 1 , wherein sidewalls of the electrode contact portion converge toward the storage element.

10. The memory cell of claim 1 , wherein the storage element includes a resistance variable material.

11. The memory cell of claim 1 , wherein the first electrode is a bottom electrode conductor line.

12. A memory cell, comprising:
a first electrode having sidewalls angled less than 90 degrees in relation to a bottom surface of the first electrode formed adjacent to a first dielectric material having sidewalls angled less than 90 degrees in relation to a bottom surface of the first electrode formed in a valley between the first electrode and an adjacent electrode;
a storage element formed on the first electrode and an upper surface of the first dielectric material; and
a second dielectric material formed on a top surface of the storage element and having a valley formed therein, wherein the second dielectric material has sidewalls angled less than 90 degrees in relation to the bottom surface of the first electrodes; and
a contact portion of a second electrode formed in the valley such that the contact portion has non-vertical sidewalls defined by the valley, wherein an active region of the storage element is localized between the first electrode and the contact portion of the second electrode.

13. The memory cell of claim 12 , wherein the active region of the storage element is localized between a portion of the first electrode that contacts the storage element and a portion of the second electrode that contacts the storage element.

14. The memory cell of claim 12 , wherein the sidewalls of the first electrode converge toward the storage element.

15. The memory cell of claim 12 , wherein the sidewalls of the second electrode converge toward the storage element.

16. The memory cell of claim 12 , the first electrode is a bottom electrode and the second electrode is a top electrode.

17. A method of forming a memory cell, comprising:
forming a first electrode having sidewalls angled less than 90 degrees in relation to a bottom surface of the first electrode;
forming a first dielectric material on the first electrode having sidewalls angled less than 90 degrees in relation to the bottom surface of the first electrode;
forming a resistance variable material on the first electrode and the first dielectric material; and
forming a second electrode having sidewalls angled less than 90 degrees in relation to the bottom surface of the first electrode on a top surface of the resistance variable material, wherein the sidewalls of the first electrode converge toward resistance variable material, wherein the sidewalls of the second electrode converge toward the resistance variable material, and wherein an active region of the resistance variable material is localized between the first electrode and the second electrode.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the method includes forming a dielectric material adjacent to the sidewalls of the first electrode.

19. The method of claim 17 , wherein the method includes achieving filament nucleation for the resistance variable material between a portion of the first electrode that contacts the resistance variable material and a portion of the second electrode that contacts the resistance variable material.

20. The method of claim 17 , wherein the method includes forming the resistance variable material on a peak of the first electrode such that the resistance variable material includes a peak and angled sidewalls.

Assignees

• Micron Technology Inc

Inventors

• Sills Scott E

Classifications

• H01L45/146

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L27/2463

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L27/2409

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L45/1616

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L45/085

  Electricity · mapped topic