Taiwan semiconductor manufacturing company, ltd. (20240237560). PHASE-CHANGE MEMORY DEVICE WITH TAPERED THERMAL TRANSFER LAYER simplified abstract

From WikiPatents
Jump to navigation Jump to search

PHASE-CHANGE MEMORY DEVICE WITH TAPERED THERMAL TRANSFER LAYER

Organization Name

taiwan semiconductor manufacturing company, ltd.

Inventor(s)

Tsung-Hsueh Yang of Taichung City (TW)

Chang-Chih Huang of Taichung (TW)

Yu-Wen Wang of Taichung City (TW)

Fu-Ting Sung of Yangmei City (TW)

PHASE-CHANGE MEMORY DEVICE WITH TAPERED THERMAL TRANSFER LAYER - A simplified explanation of the abstract

This abstract first appeared for US patent application 20240237560 titled 'PHASE-CHANGE MEMORY DEVICE WITH TAPERED THERMAL TRANSFER LAYER

The memory device described in the patent application includes a first electrode and a second electrode over a first dielectric layer, with a heater layer laterally between them. A thermal transfer layer, including a first tapered region, is over the heater layer. A phase-change layer extends laterally from the top surface of the first electrode to the top surface of the second electrode, with a first lateral region over the first electrode and a first step region directly over the first tapered region of the thermal transfer layer. The phase-change layer has different thicknesses along these regions, with a small difference between them.

  • Key Features and Innovation:

- Memory device design with a phase-change layer for data storage. - Integration of a thermal transfer layer and heater layer for efficient operation. - Variation in thickness of the phase-change layer for optimized performance. - Specific layout of electrodes and dielectric layers for precise functionality.

  • Potential Applications:

- Data storage devices in computers and other electronic systems. - Non-volatile memory applications in consumer electronics. - High-speed memory solutions for servers and data centers.

  • Problems Solved:

- Enhanced data storage capabilities. - Improved efficiency and reliability of memory devices. - Optimized performance in various applications.

  • Benefits:

- Faster data access and retrieval. - Lower power consumption. - Increased durability and longevity of memory devices.

  • Commercial Applications:

- Potential use in solid-state drives (SSDs) for faster data storage. - Integration into IoT devices for efficient data processing. - Adoption in cloud computing servers for high-speed memory solutions.

  • Prior Art:

- Researchers have explored phase-change memory technology for data storage applications. - Previous patents may exist related to memory devices with similar features.

  • Frequently Updated Research:

- Ongoing studies on phase-change materials for memory applications. - Research on improving the efficiency and performance of memory devices.

Questions about memory devices with phase-change layers: 1. How does the thickness variation in the phase-change layer impact the performance of the memory device? 2. What are the potential challenges in scaling up this technology for mass production?


Original Abstract Submitted

a memory device including a first electrode and a second electrode are over a first dielectric layer. a heater layer is laterally between the first electrode and the second electrode. a thermal transfer layer is over the heater layer. the thermal transfer layer includes a first tapered region between the first electrode and the heater layer. a phase-change layer is over the thermal transfer layer and extends laterally from a top surface of the first electrode to a top surface of the second electrode. the phase-change layer includes a first lateral region over the first electrode and a first step region directly over the first tapered region of the thermal transfer layer. the phase-change layer has a first thickness along the first step region and a second thickness along the first lateral region. a difference between the first thickness and the second thickness is less than 20%.