Carbon-containing interfacial layer for phase-change memory
View Patent ↗A phase-change memory cell may be formed with a carbon-containing interfacial layer that heats a phase-change material. By forming the phase-change material in contact, in one embodiment, with the carbon containing interfacial layer, the amount of heat that may be applied to the phase-change material, at a given current and temperature, may be increased. In some embodiments, the performance of the interfacial layer at high temperatures may be improved by using a wide band gap semiconductor material such as silicon carbide.
1. A method comprising:
forming a carbon-containing interfacial layer on a semiconductor;
increasing the electrical conductivity of said carbon-containing interfacial layer; and
forming a phase-change material over said carbon-containing interfacial layer.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein forming a carbon-containing interfacial layer on a semiconductor includes forming said interfacial layer over a conductive layer formed over a semiconductor.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein forming a carbon-containing interfacial layer includes forming a layer including a wide band gap semiconductor material.
4. The method of claim 3 wherein forming a carbon-containing interfacial layer includes forming a silicon carbide layer.
5. The method of claim 4 further including doping said silicon carbide layer.
6. The method of claim 5 further including doping said silicon carbide layer using ion implantation.
7. The method of claim 1 including forming a pore through an insulator, depositing said carbon-containing interfacial layer over said semiconductor and in said pore.
8. The method of claim 7 including depositing the phase-change material over the carbon-containing interfacial layer in said pore.
9. The method of claim 8 including forming a sidewall spacer between said interfacial layer and said phase-change material.
10. The method of claim 1 wherein forming a phase-change material includes depositing a chalcogenide layer over said interfacial layer.