Method for manufacturing phase change memory
Method(s) and apparatuses for forming a phase change memory. A method includes: forming a crystalline phase-change layer at a first position in along a surface of a first semiconductor layer, and forming an amorphous phase-change layer at a second position along the surface of a second semiconductor layer, wherein the crystalline phase-change layer and the amorphous phase-change layer are in contact.
1. A method for manufacturing a phase-change memory the method comprising:
forming a crystalline phase-change layer at a first position within a recess of an insulation layer; and
forming an amorphous phase-change layer at second position which differs from the first position within the recess; and
forming a recess liner layer that bounds side and bottom portions of the recess.
2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein forming the amorphous phase-change layer is performed after forming the crystalline phase-change layer.
3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein forming the crystalline phase-change layer is performed after forming the amorphous phase-change layer.
4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein
forming the amorphous phase-change layer includes forming a first amorphous phase-change layer, and
the method further comprises forming a second amorphous phase-change layer at a third position in the recess after forming the crystalline phase-change layer, wherein the third position differs from the first position and the second position.
5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein
forming the crystalline phase-change layer and forming the amorphous phase-change layer fills a cavity defined by the recess with the crystalline phase-change layer and the amorphous phase-change layer, and
the amorphous phase-change layer and the crystalline phase-change layer are formed in the cavity of the recess so that the amorphous phase-change layer has a smaller volume than the crystalline phase-change layer.
6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein forming the crystalline phase-change layer comprises:
forming the crystalline phase-change layer with a different material composition than the amorphous phase-change layer but includes elements that are also included in the amorphous phase-change layer.
7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the insulation layer is set to have a higher temperature when the crystalline phase-change layer is formed than when the amorphous phase-change layer is formed.
8. A method comprising:
forming a crystalline phase-change layer at a first position within a recess along a surface of a first semiconductor layer;
forming an amorphous phase-change layer at a second position within the recess, wherein the crystalline phase-change layer and the amorphous phase-change layer contact; and
forming a recess liner layer that bounds side and bottom portions of the recess.
9. The method according to claim 8 further comprising:
forming a single polycrystalline phase-change layer from the amorphous phase-change layer and the the crystalline phase-change layer.
10. The method according to claim 9 further comprising:
forming a first electrode and a second electrode in contact with the single polycrstalline phase-change layer.
11. The method according to claim 8 , wherein forming the crystalline phase-change layer is performed after forming the amorphous phase-change layer.
12. The method according to claim 11 further comprising:
forming a liner in contact with the crystalline phase-change layer without contacting the amorphous-change layer; and
forming a first electrode in contact with the liner.
13. The method according to claim 12 further comprising:
forming a single polycrystalline phase-change layer from the amorphous phase-change layer and the the crystalline phase-change layer, wherein the single polycrstalline phase-change layer is in contact with the liner.
14. The method according to claim 13 , wherein forming the single polycrystalline phase-change layer from the amorphous phase-change layer and the the crystalline phase-change layer comprises:
heating the amorphous phase-change layer and the crystalline phase-change layer to a crystalline temperature or higher.
15. The method according to claim 14 further comprising:
forming a second electrode over the single polycrstalline phase-change layer.
16. The method according to claim 12 , wherein the single polycrstalline phase-change layer is between ninety-three percent to ninety-seven percent void free.
17. The method according to claim 12 , wherein the single polycrstalline phase-change layer is approximately ninety-seven percent void free.
18. The method according to claim 12 , wherein the single polycrstalline phase-change layer is a germanium antimony telluride (Ge x Sb y Te z :GST) layer.