Title :
Reliability issues and scaling projections for phase change non volatile memories
Author :
Lacaita, A.L. ; Ielmini, D.
Author_Institution :
Politecnico di Milano, Milan
Abstract :
While the semiconductor industry is gaining confidence in the phase change memory (PCM) technology, many issues about reliability and scaling limitations are still debated. PCM reliability is mainly affected by crystallization and relaxation mechanisms in the metastable amorphous structure. The ultimate scaling limit for PCM is also believed to be determined by the structural stability of nm-sized amorphous volumes. To improve the reliability and to predict the ultimate scaling perspectives of PCM technology, a comprehensive understanding of crystallization and relaxation physics is necessary. This work reviews the current understanding of the reliability properties of PCMs. The possibility to tailor the cell reliability by composition changes in the chalcogenide material will be addressed. Experimental results about size-dependent crystallization in amorphous chalcogenide materials will be finally discussed.
Keywords :
amorphous state; chalcogenide glasses; crystallisation; integrated circuit reliability; phase change materials; random-access storage; stability; PCM reliability; chalcogenide material; metastable amorphous structure; phase change memory technology; phase change non volatile memories; relaxation mechanisms; reliability issues; semiconductor industry; size-dependent crystallization; structural stability; ultimate scaling limitations; Amorphous materials; Crystalline materials; Crystallization; Electronics industry; Metastasis; Phase change materials; Phase change memory; Physics; Semiconductor device reliability; Structural engineering;
Conference_Titel :
Electron Devices Meeting, 2007. IEDM 2007. IEEE International
Conference_Location :
Washington, DC
Print_ISBN :
978-1-4244-1507-6
Electronic_ISBN :
978-1-4244-1508-3
DOI :
10.1109/IEDM.2007.4418890
