US Patent No: 6,972,430

Number of patents in Portfolio can not be more than 2000

Sublithographic contact structure, phase change memory cell with optimized heater shape, and manufacturing method thereof

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ALSO PUBLISHED AS: 20040012009
ATTORNEY / AGENT: (SPONSORED)
 

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Abstract

An electronic semiconductor device has a sublithographic contact area between a first conductive region and a second conductive region. The first conductive region is cup-shaped and has vertical walls which extend, in top plan view, along a closed line of elongated shape. One of the walls of the first conductive region forms a first thin portion and has a first dimension in a first direction. The second conductive region has a second thin portion having a second sublithographic dimension in a second direction transverse to the first dimension. The first and the second conductive regions are in direct electrical contact at their thin portions and form the sublithographic contact area. The elongated shape is chosen between rectangular and oval elongated in the first direction. Thereby, the dimensions of the contact area remain approximately constant even in presence of a small misalignment between the masks defining the conductive regions.

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First Claim

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Patent Owner(s)

Patent OwnerAddressTotal Patents
OVONYX, INC.BOISE, ID286
STMICROELECTRONICS S.R.L.AGRATE BRIANZA, MI2567

International Classification(s)

  • [Classification Symbol]
  • [Patents Count]

Inventor(s)

Inventor Name Address # of filed Patents Total Citations
Bez, Roberto Milan, IT 44 359
Casagrande, Giulio Vignate, IT 34 327
Pellizzer, Fabio Follina, IT 89 526

Cited Art

Patent Info (Count) # Cites Year
 
ROUND ROCK RESEARCH, LLC (6)
5,789,277 Method of making chalogenide memory device 448 1996
5,814,527 Method of making small pores defined by a disposable internal spacer for use in chalcogenide memories 369 1996
5,952,671 Small electrode for a chalcogenide switching device and method for fabricating same 236 1997
6,031,287 Contact structure and memory element incorporating the same 427 1997
5,970,336 Method of making memory cell incorporating a chalcogenide element 258 1997
2001/0002,046 Small electrode for a chalcogenide switching device and method for fabricating same 35 2000
 
BAE SYSTEMS INFORMATION AND ELECTRONIC SYSTEMS INTEGRATION INC. (2)
6,750,079 Method for making programmable resistance memory element 114 2001
6,613,604 Method for making small pore for use in programmable resistance memory element 363 2001
 
INTEL CORPORATION (1)
6,512,241 Phase change material memory device 372 2001
 
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION (1)
6,238,946 Process for fabricating single crystal resonant devices that are compatible with integrated circuit processing 65 1999
 
OVONYX, INC. (1)
2003/0075,778 Programmable resistance memory element and method for making same 18 2002
 
UNITED MICROELECTRONICS CORP. (1)
2002/0070,401 Semiconductor storage device and method of fabricating thereof 6 2001

Patent Citation Ranking

Forward Cites

Patent Info (Count) # Cites Year
 
MACRONIX INTERNATIONAL CO., LTD. (106)
7,385,235 Spacer chalcogenide memory device 81 2004
7,608,503 Side wall active pin memory and manufacturing method 7 2005
7,432,206 Self-aligned manufacturing method, and manufacturing method for thin film fuse phase change ram 2 2006
7,471,555 Thermally insulated phase change memory device 4 2006
7,599,217 Memory cell device and manufacturing method 3 2006
8,062,833 Chalcogenide layer etching method 0 2006
7,554,144 Memory device and manufacturing method 5 2006
7,928,421 Phase change memory cell with vacuum spacer 1 2006
7,423,300 Single-mask phase change memory element 82 2006
7,459,717 Phase change memory cell and manufacturing method 9 2006
7,414,258 Spacer electrode small pin phase change memory RAM and manufacturing method 2 2006
7,560,337 Programmable resistive RAM and manufacturing method 19 2006
7,696,506 Memory cell with memory material insulation and manufacturing method 1 2006
7,785,920 Method for making a pillar-type phase change memory element 1 2006
7,741,636 Programmable resistive RAM and manufacturing method 1 2006
7,450,411 Phase change memory device and manufacturing method 2 2006
7,772,581 Memory device having wide area phase change element and small electrode contact area 11 2006
7,863,655 Phase change memory cells with dual access devices 1 2006
7,476,587 Method for making a self-converged memory material element for memory cell 13 2006
7,903,447 Method, apparatus and computer program product for read before programming process on programmable resistive memory cell 0 2006
7,688,619 Phase change memory cell and manufacturing method 36 2006
7,786,460 Phase change memory device and manufacturing method 25 2007
7,483,292 Memory cell with separate read and program paths 2 2007
7,956,344 Memory cell with memory element contacting ring-shaped upper end of bottom electrode 0 2007
7,786,461 Memory structure with reduced-size memory element between memory material portions 4 2007
7,569,844 Memory cell sidewall contacting side electrode 22 2007
7,514,334 Thin film plate phase change RAM circuit and manufacturing method 44 2007
7,884,342 Phase change memory bridge cell 0 2007
7,729,161 Phase change memory with dual word lines and source lines and method of operating same 3 2007
8,178,386 Phase change memory cell array with self-converged bottom electrode and method for manufacturing 0 2007
7,642,125 Phase change memory cell in via array with self-aligned, self-converged bottom electrode and method for manufacturing 3 2007
7,551,473 Programmable resistive memory with diode structure 12 2007
7,919,766 Method for making self aligning pillar memory cell device 1 2007
7,646,631 Phase change memory cell having interface structures with essentially equal thermal impedances and manufacturing methods 1 2007
7,639,527 Phase change memory dynamic resistance test and manufacturing methods 1 2008
7,884,343 Phase change memory cell with filled sidewall memory element and method for fabricating the same 3 2008
7,879,643 Memory cell with memory element contacting an inverted T-shaped bottom electrode 2 2008
7,879,645 Fill-in etching free pore device 7 2008
7,619,311 Memory cell device with coplanar electrode surface and method 9 2008
8,158,965 Heating center PCRAM structure and methods for making 0 2008
7,935,564 Self-converging bottom electrode ring 3 2008
8,084,842 Thermally stabilized electrode structure 1 2008
7,791,057 Memory cell having a buried phase change region and method for fabricating the same 4 2008
7,701,750 Phase change device having two or more substantial amorphous regions in high resistance state 7 2008
8,415,651 Phase change memory cell having top and bottom sidewall contacts 0 2008
7,642,123 Thermally insulated phase change memory manufacturing method 3 2008
7,867,815 Spacer electrode small pin phase change RAM and manufacturing method 0 2008
7,777,215 Resistive memory structure with buffer layer 7 2008
7,932,506 Fully self-aligned pore-type memory cell having diode access device 1 2008
7,903,457 Multiple phase change materials in an integrated circuit for system on a chip application 3 2008
7,719,913 Sensing circuit for PCRAM applications 1 2008
8,324,605 Dielectric mesh isolated phase change structure for phase change memory 0 2008
7,897,954 Dielectric-sandwiched pillar memory device 0 2008
8,036,014 Phase change memory program method without over-reset 3 2008
7,902,538 Phase change memory cell with first and second transition temperature portions 1 2008
7,638,359 Method for making a self-converged void and bottom electrode for memory cell 2 2008
7,749,854 Method for making a self-converged memory material element for memory cell 0 2008
7,869,270 Set algorithm for phase change memory cell 2 2008
8,089,137 Integrated circuit memory with single crystal silicon on silicide driver and manufacturing method 1 2009
7,923,285 Method for forming self-aligned thermal isolation cell for a variable resistance memory array 1 2009
8,107,283 Method for setting PCRAM devices 3 2009
8,030,635 Polysilicon plug bipolar transistor for phase change memory 2 2009
7,910,906 Memory cell device with circumferentially-extending memory element 0 2009
8,084,760 Ring-shaped electrode and manufacturing method for same 0 2009
8,173,987 Integrated circuit 3D phase change memory array and manufacturing method 0 2009
8,077,505 Bipolar switching of phase change device 0 2009
8,097,871 Low operational current phase change memory structures 0 2009
8,134,857 Methods for high speed reading operation of phase change memory and device employing same 1 2009
7,933,139 One-transistor, one-resistor, one-capacitor phase change memory 3 2009
7,972,893 Memory device manufacturing method 0 2009
8,350,316 Phase change memory cells having vertical channel access transistor and memory plane 0 2009
7,968,876 Phase change memory cell having vertical channel access transistor 1 2009
8,158,963 Programmable resistive RAM and manufacturing method 0 2009
8,406,033 Memory device and method for sensing and fixing margin cells 0 2009
8,064,247 Rewritable memory device based on segregation/re-absorption 0 2009
8,110,822 Thermal protect PCRAM structure and methods for making 1 2009
7,894,254 Refresh circuitry for phase change memory 3 2009
8,198,619 Phase change memory cell structure 0 2009
8,064,248 2T2R-1T1R mix mode phase change memory array 1 2009
7,972,895 Memory cell device with coplanar electrode surface and method 1 2009
7,993,962 I-shaped phase change memory cell 0 2009
8,143,612 Phase change memory cell in via array with self-aligned, self-converged bottom electrode and method for manufacturing 0 2009
7,893,418 Phase change memory cell having interface structures with essentially equal thermal impedances and manufacturing methods 0 2009
7,929,340 Phase change memory cell and manufacturing method 0 2010
8,238,149 Methods and apparatus for reducing defect bits in phase change memory 0 2010
8,059,449 Phase change device having two or more substantial amorphous regions in high resistance state 0 2010
8,363,463 Phase change memory having one or more non-constant doping profiles 0 2010
8,178,387 Methods for reducing recrystallization time for a phase change material 0 2010
8,178,405 Resistor random access memory cell device 0 2010
7,978,509 Phase change memory with dual word lines and source lines and method of operating same 0 2010
8,178,388 Programmable resistive RAM and manufacturing method 1 2010
8,310,864 Self-aligned bit line under word line memory array 0 2010
7,964,437 Memory device having wide area phase change element and small electrode contact area 0 2010
7,943,920 Resistive memory structure with buffer layer 0 2010
8,008,114 Phase change memory device and manufacturing method 0 2010
7,875,493 Memory structure with reduced-size memory element between memory material portions 0 2010
8,395,935 Cross-point self-aligned reduced cell size phase change memory 0 2010
8,110,430 Vacuum jacket for phase change memory element 0 2010
8,110,456 Method for making a self aligning memory device 0 2010
8,094,488 Set algorithm for phase change memory cell 0 2010
8,263,960 Phase change memory cell with filled sidewall memory element and method for fabricating the same 0 2010
8,315,088 Multiple phase change materials in an integrated circuit for system on a chip application 0 2011
8,228,721 Refresh circuitry for phase change memory 0 2011
8,222,071 Method for making self aligning pillar memory cell device 0 2011
8,313,979 Phase change memory cell having vertical channel access transistor 0 2011
8,237,144 Polysilicon plug bipolar transistor for phase change memory 0 2011
 
QIMONDA AG (3)
7,541,609 Phase change memory cell having a sidewall contact 3 2006
8,030,634 Memory array with diode driver and method for fabricating the same 1 2008
7,825,398 Memory cell having improved mechanical stability 0 2008
 
MICRON TECHNOLOGY, INC. (1)
7,135,696 Phase change memory with damascene memory element 25 2004
 
OVONYX, INC. (1)
7,338,857 Increasing adherence of dielectrics to phase change materials 2 2004
 
SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD. (1)
7,888,667 Phase change memory device 0 2008
 
SEAGATE TECHNOLOGY LLC (1)
7,848,139 Memory device structures including phase-change storage cells 0 2008
 
TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING COMPANY, LTD. (1)
7,759,764 Elevated bipolar transistor structure 0 2007
 
Other [Check patent profile for assignment information] (1)
8,467,238 Dynamic pulse operation for phase change memory 0 2010

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