Semiconductor constructions, and methods of forming cross-point memory arrays
View Patent ↗Some embodiments include vertical stacks of memory units, with individual memory units each having a memory element, a wordline, a bitline and at least one diode. The memory units may correspond to cross-point memory, and the diodes may correspond to band-gap engineered diodes containing two or more dielectric layers sandwiched between metal layers. Tunneling properties of the dielectric materials and carrier injection properties of the metals may be tailored to engineer desired properties into the diodes. The diodes may be placed between the bitlines and the memory elements, or may be placed between the wordlines and memory elements. Some embodiments include methods of forming cross-point memory arrays. The memory arrays may contain vertical stacks of memory unit cells, with individual unit cells containing cross-point memory and at least one diode.
1. A method of forming a cross-point memory array, comprising:
forming a first level of wordlines over a semiconductor substrate, the wordlines of the first level of wordlines having non-planar upper and lower surfaces;
forming a first level of diode dielectric stacks over the first level of wordlines, each of the diode dielectric stacks comprising at least two different dielectric materials in a vertical stack comprising at least three dielectric layers, each of the two different dielectric layers having a different barrier height and being selected from the group consisting of aluminum oxide, silicon oxide, silicon nitride, hafnium oxide and zirconium oxide, a dielectric material nearest the first level of wordlines having the highest barrier height relative to remaining dielectric materials comprised by the diode dielectric stack;
forming a conductive material over the first level of diode dielectric stacks;
forming a first level of memory elements over the conductive material the conductive material contacting dielectric material of the first level of dielectric stacks and a memory element material of the first level of memory elements;
forming a first level of bitlines over the first level of memory elements, the first level of bitlines, first level of memory elements and first level of conductive material forming a first level array of memory components;
forming a second level of wordlines over the first level of bitlines;
forming a second level of diode dielectric stacks over the second level of wordlines;
forming a second level of memory elements over the second level of diode dielectric stacks; and
forming a second level of bitlines over the second level of memory elements.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein each of the first and second diode dielectric stacks comprises two different dielectric materials.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of the first and second diode dielectric stacks comprises at least three different dielectric materials.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of the first and second diode dielectric stacks consists of three different dielectric materials.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein the first and second diode dielectric stacks are the same in composition as one another.
6. A method of forming a cross-point memory array, comprising:
forming a first level of wordlines over a semiconductor substrate, the first level of wordlines having non-planar upper and lower surfaces;
forming a first level of memory elements over the first level of wordlines;
forming a first level of conductive material over and in contact with the first level of memory elements; the first level of wordlines, the first level of memory elements and the first level of conductive material forming a first level of memory components;
forming a first level of diode dielectric stacks over and in contact with the first level of conductive material, diode dielectric stacks comprising at least two different dielectric materials in a vertical stack comprising at least three dielectric layers, each of the two different dielectric layers being selected from the group consisting of aluminum oxide, silicon oxide, silicon nitride, hafnium oxide and zirconium oxide;
forming a first level of bitlines over the first level of diode dielectric stacks;
forming a second level of wordlines over the first level of bitlines;
forming a second level of memory elements over the second level of word tines;
forming a second level of diode dielectric stacks over the second level of memory elements; and
forming a second level of bitlines over the second level of diode dielectric stacks.
7. The method of claim 6 wherein each of the first and second diode dielectric stacks comprises two different dielectric materials.
8. The method of claim 6 wherein at least one of the first and second diode dielectric stacks comprises at least three different dielectric materials.
9. The method of claim 6 wherein at least one of the first and second diode dielectric stacks consists of three different dielectric materials.
10. The method of claim 6 wherein the first and second diode dielectric stacks are the same in composition as one another.
11. A semiconductor construction comprising a vertical stack of memory units over a semiconductor substrate;
individual memory units each comprising:
a memory element;
a wordline having non-planar upper and lower surfaces;
a bitline; and
at least one diode comprising a first electrode conductive material that is also part of the memory element, a dielectric stack and a second electrode conductive material, the first electrode conductive material being in direct physical contact with the dielectric stack and the memory element, the first electrode conductive material containing a metal and the second electrode conductive material being free of the metal, the dielectric stack comprising at least two different dielectric materials having differing barrier heights in a vertical stack comprising at least three dielectric layers, each of the two different dielectric layers being selected from the group consisting of aluminum oxide, silicon oxide, silicon nitride, hafnium oxide and zirconium oxide, a first of the two different dielectric materials having a lowest barrier height relative to all other dielectric materials comprised by the dielectric stack and being disposed closest to the first electrode conductive material.
12. The construction of claim 11 wherein wordlines are at least partially recessed within an insulative material.
13. The construction of claim 11 wherein diodes of individual memory units are between bitlines and memory elements.
14. The construction of claim 13 wherein the bitlines comprise one or more of tantalum, platinum, tungsten, aluminum, copper, gold and conductively-doped silicon.
15. The construction of claim 11 wherein diodes of individual memory units are between wordlines and memory elements.
16. The construction of claim 15 wherein the wordlines comprise one or more of tantalum, platinum, tungsten, aluminum, copper, gold and conductively-doped silicon.
17. The construction of claim 11 wherein each memory unit comprises only one diode.
18. The construction of claim 11 wherein each memory unit comprises a plurality of parallel diodes.