IP Library Granted Patent US 9,780,145
Granted Patent B2
US 9,780,145 · App. 15/167,905 · Granted Oct 3, 2017

Resistive random access memory (RRAM) structure

Inventors: Chih-Yang Chang (Yuanlin Township, TW); Wen-Ting Chu (Kaohsiung, TW); Kuo-Chi Tu (Hsin-Chu, TW); Yu-Wen Liao (New Taipei, TW); Hsia-Wei Chen (Taipei, TW); Chin-Chieh Yang (New Taipei, TW)
Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
H01L27/2436H01L27/2463H01L45/04H01L45/1233H01L45/1253H01L45/145H01L45/146H01L45/16H01L45/1675
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,780,145
App. No.
15/167,905
Granted
Oct 3, 2017
Kind
B2
Abstract

A resistive random access memory (RRAM) cell comprises a transistor having a gate and a source/drain region, a bottom electrode coplanar with the gate, a resistive material layer over the bottom electrode, a top electrode over the resistive material layer, and a conductive material electrically connecting the bottom electrode to the source/drain region.

Claims (46)

1. A semiconductor device, comprising:

a transistor having a gate and a source/drain region formed on a semiconductor substrate; and

a resistive random access memory (RRAM) structure adjacent the transistor, the RRAM structure comprising:

a bottom electrode coplanar with the gate;

a resistive material layer over the bottom electrode; and

a top electrode over the resistive material layer; and

a conductive material connecting the RRAM structure to the source/drain region wherein the conductive material physically interfaces the source/drain region and bottom electrode of the RRAM structure.

2. The semiconductor device of claim 1 , further comprising:

a contact extending from and over another source/drain region of the transistor; and

a first metal layer over and interfacing with the contact.

3. The semiconductor device of claim 2 , wherein the conductive material is coplanar with the contact.

4. The semiconductor device of claim 1 , wherein the bottom electrode and a gate electrode of the gate comprise a same material.

5. The semiconductor device of claim 1 , wherein the bottom electrode and the gate comprise at least one of aluminum, titanium, titanium nitride, tantalum nitride, and polysilicon.

6. The semiconductor device of claim 1 , further comprising:

a dielectric between the bottom electrode and the semiconductor substrate.

7. The semiconductor device of claim 1 , a spacer on a sidewall of the bottom electrode.

8. The semiconductor device of claim 1 , wherein the bottom electrode has a first width and the resistive material layer has a second width, the second width less than the first width.

9. The semiconductor device of claim 8 , wherein the gate has a third width less than the first width.

10. A memory cell structure, comprising:

a transistor comprising a gate and a source/drain region; and

a resistive random access memory (RRAM) structure comprising:

a bottom electrode;

a resistive material layer over the bottom electrode; and

a top electrode over the resistive material layer;

wherein a first spacer is disposed on sidewalls of the gate; and

a second spacer is disposed on sidewalls of the bottom electrode.

11. The memory cell structure of claim 10 , further comprising:

a shallow trench isolation (STI) structure under at least a portion of the bottom electrode.

12. The memory cell of claim 11 , further comprising:

a dielectric layer disposed between the STI structure and the bottom electrode.

13. The memory cell of claim 12 , wherein the dielectric layer is coplanar with a gate dielectric layer of the gate of the transistor.

14. The memory cell of claim 11 , wherein another portion of the bottom electrode is disposed over an active region adjacent to the STI structure, and wherein the source/drain region is also disposed in the active region.

15. The memory cell of claim 10 , wherein the source/drain region includes a first edge collinear with the first spacer edge and a second opposing edge of the source/drain region is collinear with the second spacer edge.

16. The memory cell of claim 10 , further comprising:

a conductive material extending from and over the source/drain region to over the bottom electrode.

17. The memory cell of claim 16 , wherein the conductive material electrically connects the bottom electrode and the source/drain region.

18. A semiconductor device, comprising:

a memory cell disposed on a semiconductor substrate, the memory cell, comprising:

a transistor having a first source/drain region and a second source/drain region wherein a contact extends from the first source/drain region;

a bottom electrode adjacent to the source/drain region and disposed over the semiconductor substrate;

a dielectric between the bottom electrode and the semiconductor substrate;

a resistive material layer over the bottom electrode;

a top electrode over the resistive material layer; and

a conductive material coplanar with the contact and electrically connecting the bottom electrode to the second source/drain region.

19. The semiconductor device of claim 18 , wherein the transistor includes a gate electrode, and wherein the bottom electrode and the gate electrode are coplanar along a plane parallel to a top surface of the semiconductor substrate.

20. The semiconductor device of claim 18 , wherein the contact extends to a first metal layer and the conductive material includes a vertically extending portion of conductive material coplanar with the contact and having a first portion of a bottom surface interfacing the gate electrode and a second portion of the bottom surface interfacing the second source/drain region.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 29, 2016
From: CHANG, CHIH-YANG; CHU, WEN-TING; TU, KUO-CHI; LIAO, YU-WEN; CHEN, HSIA-WEI; YANG, CHIN-CHIEH
To: TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING COMPANY, LTD.
Reel/Frame 039296/0224 →
Continuity (3)
Continuation 14684642 · Apr 13, 2015
Division 13722345 · Dec 20, 2012
Related Publication 20160276408A1 · Sep 22, 2016