IP Library Granted Patent US 9,385,315
Granted Patent B2
US 9,385,315 · App. 14/571,752 · Granted Jul 5, 2016

Memory cell structures

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,385,315
App. No.
14/571,752
Granted
Jul 5, 2016
Kind
B2
Abstract

The present disclosure includes memory cell structures and method of forming the same. One such memory cell includes a first electrode having sidewalls angled less than 90 degrees in relation to a bottom surface of the first electrode, a second electrode, including an electrode contact portion of the second electrode, having sidewalls angled less than 90 degrees in relation to the bottom surface of the first electrode, wherein the second electrode is over the first electrode, and a storage element between the first electrode and the electrode contact portion of the second electrode.

Claims (31)

1. A memory cell, comprising:

a first electrode having sidewalls angled less than 90 degrees in relation to a bottom surface of the first electrode;

a first dielectric material formed on the first electrode having sidewalls angled less than 90 degrees in relation to the bottom surface of the first electrode;

a second electrode, including an electrode contact portion of the second electrode, having sidewalls angled less than 90 degrees in relation to the bottom surface of the first electrode, wherein the second electrode is over the first electrode; and

a storage element between the first electrode and the electrode contact portion of the second electrode, wherein the storage element is formed on an upper surface of the first electrode and an upper surface of the first dielectric material.

2. The memory cell of claim 1 , wherein an angled sidewall of the second electrode is adjacent to an angled sidewall of a second dielectric material.

3. The memory cell of claim 2 , wherein the second dielectric material is formed on a top surface of the storage element.

4. The memory cell of claim 1 , wherein the first electrode has a cross-sectional area selected from the group consisting of trapezoidal or triangular.

5. The memory cell claim 1 , wherein the first electrode has sidewalls that are selected from the group consisting of straight, concave, or convex.

6. The memory cell of claim 1 , wherein a top surface of the first electrode is an electrode contact portion of the first electrode and is in contact with the storage element.

7. The memory cell of claim 1 , wherein the storage element is formed on a peak of the first electrode such that the storage element includes a peak and angled sidewalls.

8. The memory cell of claim 7 , wherein the contact portion of the second electrode is formed on the peak of storage element.

9. The memory cell of claim 1 , wherein sidewalls of the electrode contact portion converge toward the storage element.

10. The memory cell of claim 1 , wherein the storage element includes a resistance variable material.

11. The memory cell of claim 1 , wherein the first electrode is a bottom electrode conductor line.

12. A memory cell, comprising:

a first electrode having sidewalls angled less than 90 degrees in relation to a bottom surface of the first electrode formed adjacent to a first dielectric material having sidewalls angled less than 90 degrees in relation to a bottom surface of the first electrode formed in a valley between the first electrode and an adjacent electrode;

a resistance variable material formed on the first electrode and an upper surface of the first dielectric material;

a second dielectric material formed on a top surface of the resistance variable material and having a valley formed therein, wherein the second dielectric material has angled sidewalls angled less than 90 degrees in relation to a bottom surface of a first electrode formed on the first electrode; and

a contact portion of a second electrode formed in the valley such that the contact portion has non-vertical sidewalls defined by the valley.

13. The memory cell of claim 12 , wherein a remaining portion of the second electrode is formed over the contact portion of a second electrode within the valley such that the remaining portion of the second electrode has angled sidewalls defined by the valley.

14. The memory cell of claim 12 , wherein an angled sidewall of the first dielectric material is adjacent to an angled sidewall of the first electrode.

15. The memory cell of claim 12 , the first electrode is a bottom electrode and the second electrode is a top electrode.

16. An array of memory cells, comprising:

a first number of electrodes each having sidewalls angled less than 90 degrees in relation to bottom surfaces of the first number of electrodes;

a first number of dielectric portions formed on the first number of electrodes, each portion having sidewalls angled less than 90 degrees in relation to the bottom surface of the first electrode;

a second number of electrodes, each including an electrode contact portion, having sidewalls angled less than 90 degrees in relation to the bottom surfaces of the first number of electrodes, wherein the second number of electrodes are formed over the first number of electrodes and are formed on a second number of dielectric material portions each having sidewalls angled less than 90 degrees in relation to the bottom surface of the first number of electrodes; and

a number of storage elements between the first number of electrodes and the electrode contact portions of the second number of electrodes.

17. The array of claim 16 , wherein each of the first number of electrodes are separated from each other by the first number of dielectric material portions.

18. The array of claim 16 , wherein each of the second number of electrodes are separated from each other by the second number of dielectric material portions.

19. The array of claim 16 , wherein the array of memory cells is configured in a cross-point memory cell array.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 1, 2016
From: MICRON TECHNOLOGY, INC
To: OVONYX MEMORY TECHNOLOGY, LLC
Reel/Frame 039974/0496 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 16, 2014
From: SILLS, SCOTT E.
To: MICRON TECHNOLOGY, INC.
Reel/Frame 034516/0141 →