Title :
On the Effect of Cell Geometry on the Amorphization Process in Phase-Change Memories
Author :
Braga, Stefania ; Cabrini, Alessandro ; Torelli, Guido
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Electron., Univ. of Pavia, Pavia
Abstract :
In phase change memories, the crystalline to amorphous phase transition is strongly affected by the cell geometry. In this paper, we study the amorphization process by analyzing the effects of amorphizing (RESET) pulses on the phase distribution inside the active chalcogenide portion of the memory cell. The purpose is to investigate how the shape and the volume of the amorphous cap are affected by the cell structure. In particular, the analysis is carried out considering two of the most popular cell architectures, namely, the Lance and the Pillar structures.
Keywords :
amorphisation; amorphous semiconductors; antimony compounds; germanium compounds; phase change memories; semiconductor thin films; Ge2Sb2Te5; Lance cell architectures; Pillar cell architectures; RESET pulses; amorphization process; cell geometry; chalcogenide materials; chalcogenide portion; crystalline-amorphous phase transition; phase-change memories; thin GST film; Amorphous materials; Contacts; Crystalline materials; Crystallization; Electric resistance; Electrodes; Geometry; Phase change materials; Phase change memory; Tellurium; Lance cell; Pillar cell; amorphization model; phase-change memory;
Conference_Titel :
Microsystems, Packaging, Assembly & Circuits Technology Conference, 2008. IMPACT 2008. 3rd International
Conference_Location :
Taipei
Print_ISBN :
978-1-4244-3623-1
Electronic_ISBN :
978-1-4244-3624-8
DOI :
10.1109/IMPACT.2008.4783801
