RESISTIVE MEMORY WITH A THERMALLY INSULATING REGION
A resistive memory includes a memory cell having a first electrode, a second electrode and a resistive memory element between the first electrode and the second electrode. The memory cell includes a thermally insulating region. The thermally insulating region may be included in at least one electrode of the memory cell and/or within an electrically insulating region. The thermally insulating region can confine heat within the memory cell and thereby can reduce the current and/or voltage needed to write information in the resistive memory element.
1 . A resistive memory comprising:
a memory cell, including:
a first electrode having a thermally insulating region;
a second electrode; and
a ReRAM memory element between the first electrode and the second electrode.
2 . The resistive memory of claim 1 , wherein the thermally insulating region comprises a thermally insulating material.
3 . The resistive memory of claim 2 , wherein the thermally insulating material comprises at least one of a titanium nitride material, a tantalum nitride material, a titanium carbon nitride material, a tantalum carbon nitride material, a titanium carbon oxynitride material, a tantalum carbon oxynitride material and a porous metal.
4 . The resistive memory of claim 1 , wherein the thermally insulating region comprises a first region of the first electrode having a cross-sectional area less than that of a second region of the first electrode.
5 . The resistive memory of claim 4 , further comprising a dielectric material that at least partially fills a cavity in the first electrode.
6 . The resistive memory of claim 5 , wherein the dielectric material comprises at least one of a porous silica material, a silicon nitride material, a carbon material, an SiCO material and a polymer material.
7 . The resistive memory of claim 4 , wherein the first region has a cross-sectional area less than ½ of that of the second region.
8 . The resistive memory of claim 1 , wherein the thermally insulating region comprises a thermally insulating material having a thermal conductivity of less than 10 W/(m·K).
9 . The resistive memory of claim 1 , wherein the thermally insulating region is structured to confine heat within the memory cell.
10 . A resistive memory comprising:
a memory cell, including:
a first electrode;
a second electrode;
a ReRAM memory element between the first electrode and the second electrode; and
a dielectric region comprising a thermally insulating material.
11 . The resistive memory of claim 10 , wherein the thermally insulating material comprises at least one a porous silica material, a carbon material, an SiCO material and a polymer material.
12 . The resistive memory of claim 10 , wherein the dielectric region at least partially surrounds the ReRAM memory element.
13 . The resistive memory of claim 10 , wherein the dielectric region contacts the ReRAM memory element.
14 . The resistive memory of claim 10 , wherein the dielectric region electrically insulates the ReRAM memory element from a second ReRAM memory element of the resistive memory.
15 . The resistive memory of claim 10 , wherein the dielectric region comprises a gas or a vacuum.
16 . The resistive memory of claim 10 , wherein the thermally insulating material has a thermal conductivity of less than 1 W/(m·K).