Crystalline-as-deposited ALD phase change material confined PCM cell for high density storage class memory

Abstract

We show, for the first time, a robust high aspect ratio (~4:1) confined PCM cell which utilizes a dense and highly reliable nano-crystalline-as-deposited ALD phase change material. The 33nm diameter pore structures were filled utilizing an in-situ metal nitride liner plus nano-crystalline ALD Ge-Sb-Te material. The tuned process for depositing and integrating the phase change material brings the programming endurance to beyond 2.8×1011. We demonstrate a fast programming speed of 80ns with 10x switching and, with the aid of simulation, show a path for these elements to create a high density PCM cell suitable for Storage Class Memory.