Ultrahigh Storage Densities via the Scaling of Patterned Probe Phase-Change Memories
Hayat, H; Kohary, K; Wright, CD
Date: 31 March 2017
Journal
IEEE Transactions on Nanotechnology
Publisher
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
Publisher DOI
Abstract
The scaling potential of patterned probe phase-change memory (PP-PCM) cells is investigated, down to single-nanometer dimensions, using physically realistic simulations that combine electro-thermal modelling with a Gillespie Cellular Automata (GCA) phase-change model. For this study, a trilayer TiN/Ge 2 Sb 2 Te 5 /TiN cell structure ...
The scaling potential of patterned probe phase-change memory (PP-PCM) cells is investigated, down to single-nanometer dimensions, using physically realistic simulations that combine electro-thermal modelling with a Gillespie Cellular Automata (GCA) phase-change model. For this study, a trilayer TiN/Ge 2 Sb 2 Te 5 /TiN cell structure (isolated by a SiO 2 insulator) was preferred, due to its good performance and practicability, over previously investigated probe-based structures such as those that used diamond-like carbon capping layers or immersion in an inert liquid to protect the phase-change layer (while still allowing for electrical contact). We found that PP-PCM cells with dimensions as small as 5 nm could be successfully amorphized and re-crystallized (RESET and SET) using moderate voltage pulses. The resistance window between the RESET/SET states decreased with a reduction in cell dimensions, but it was still more than order of magnitude even for the smallest cells, predicting that PP-PCM cells are indeed scalable and operable in the sub-10 nm region. Most importantly, it was found that the storage density could be increased by cell size scaling with storage densities as high as 10 Tb/in 2 being achieved, which is significantly higher than the storage densities previously reported in phase-change probe storage, and other probe-based technologies such as thermomechanical, magnetic and ferroelectric probe storage.
Engineering
Faculty of Environment, Science and Economy
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