Experimental analysis of RESET resistance distribution in phase change memories

Author

Braga, Stefania ; Cabrini, Alessandro ; Torelli, Guido

Author_Institution

Dept. of Electron., Univ. of Pavia, Pavia, Italy

fYear

2009

fDate

12-17 July 2009

Firstpage

108

Lastpage

111

Abstract

Phase change memories (PCMs) are promising candidates for multilevel storage, thanks to the wide programming window. The multilevel approach requires good control of the programmed cell resistance. For any multilevel programming strategy, the RESET operation plays a key role for the accuracy of the intermediate programmed resistance levels. In this paper, we analyze the impact of the applied RESET pulse amplitude and the fabrication process spreads on the resistance distribution obtained after the RESET operation. To this end, we propose a model to estimate the impact of device parameter spreads on the amorphous cap thickness and, hence, on the cell resistance obtained after a RESET operation. The proposed model is verified by means of experimental characterization on a PCM cells array.

Keywords

electric resistance; phase change memories; PCM cells array; RESET resistance distribution; amorphous cap thickness; fabrication process; intermediate programmed resistance levels; multilevel programming strategy; multilevel storage; phase change memories; programmed cell resistance; pulse amplitude; Amorphous materials; Crystallization; Decoding; Electric resistance; Fabrication; Geometry; Phase change materials; Phase change memory; Resistance heating; Titanium;

fLanguage

English

Publisher

ieee

Conference_Titel

Research in Microelectronics and Electronics, 2009. PRIME 2009. Ph.D.

Conference_Location

Cork

Print_ISBN

978-1-4244-3733-7

Electronic_ISBN

978-1-4244-3734-4

Type

conf

DOI

10.1109/RME.2009.5201376

Filename

5201376