Memory cells and methods of forming memory cells
View Patent ↗Some embodiments include methods of forming memory cells. Programmable material may be formed directly adjacent another material. A dopant implant may be utilized to improve adherence of the programmable material to the other material by inducing bonding of the programmable material to the other material, and/or by scattering the programmable material and the other material across an interface between them. The memory cells may include first electrode material, first ovonic material, second electrode material, second ovonic material and third electrode material. The various electrode materials and ovonic materials may join to one another at boundary bands having ovonic materials embedded in electrode materials and vice versa; and having damage-producing implant species embedded therein. Some embodiments include ovonic material joining dielectric material along a boundary band, with the boundary band having ovonic material embedded in dielectric material and vice versa.
1. A method of forming a memory cell, comprising:
forming a programmable material directly adjacent another material, the programmable material joining said material along an interface; and
implanting dopant simultaneously into both the programmable material and said other material to enhance adhesion of the programmable material and said other material across the interface.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the implant scatters the programmable material and the other material across said interface.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein the implant breaks bonds along the interface, and further comprising utilizing a thermal anneal to reconstruct bonds along the interface, the thermal anneal increasing an amount of bonding between the programmable material and the other material relative to an amount of such bonding prior to the implant and the thermal anneal.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein said other material is electrically insulative.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein said other material is an electrically conductive electrode material.
6. The method of claim 5 wherein the electrode material is a first electrode material, and further comprising forming a second electrode material over the programmable material, and wherein the implanting of the dopant occurs prior to forming the second electrode material.
7. The method of claim 5 wherein the electrode material is a first electrode material, and further comprising forming a second electrode material over the programmable material, and wherein the implanting of the dopant occurs after forming the second electrode material.
8. The method of claim 5 wherein the programmable material comprises a chalcogenide.
9. The method of claim 5 wherein the dopant comprises one or more of arsenic, boron, germanium, argon, nitrogen, antimony, indium and xenon.
10. The method of claim 1 wherein the dopant comprises BF 2 + .
11. A memory cell comprising a programmable material directly against another material, with said other material not being programmable material and joining to the programmable material along a boundary region; the boundary region being a diffuse band and having programmable material embedded in the other material and vice versa, and having damage-producing implant species embedded in the boundary region and in both the other material and the programmable material.
12. The memory cell of claim 11 wherein the other material is electrically insulative.
13. The memory cell of claim 11 wherein the other material is electrically conductive.
14. The memory cell of claim 11 wherein the programmable material comprises a chalcogenide.
15. The memory cell of claim 11 wherein the programmable material comprises one or more of germanium, antimony, tellurium and indium.
16. The memory cell of claim 11 wherein the damage-producing implant species includes at least one metal.
17. The memory cell of claim 11 wherein the damage-producing implant species includes one or more of arsenic, boron, germanium, argon, nitrogen, antimony, indium and xenon.