Methods, systems, and devices related to a memory device with a thermal barrier are described. The thermal barrier (e.g., a low density thermal barrier) may be positioned between an access line (e.g., a digit line or a word line) and a cell component. The thermal barrier may be formed on the surface of a barrier material by applying a plasma treatment to the barrier material. The thermal barrier may have a lower density than the barrier material and may be configured to thermally insulate the cell component from thermal energy generated in the memory device, among other benefits.

Provided is a resistive random access memory (RRAM) including at least one memory cell. The at least one memory cell includes a top electrode, a bottom electrode, a data storage layer, an oxygen gettering layer, a first barrier layer, and an oxygen supplying layer. The data storage layer is disposed between the top electrode and the bottom electrode. The oxygen gettering layer is disposed between the data storage layer and the top electrode. The first barrier layer is disposed between the oxygen gettering layer and the data storage layer. The oxygen supplying layer is disposed between the oxygen gettering layer and the top electrode and/or between the oxygen gettering layer and the first barrier layer.

A crested barrier memory device may include a first electrode, a first self- rectifying layer, and a combined barrier and active layer. The first self-rectifying layer may be between the first electrode and the active layer. A conduction band offset between the first self-rectifying layer and the combined barrier and active layer may be greater than approximately 1.5 eV. A valence band offset between the first self-rectifying layer and the combined barrier and active layer may be less than approximately −0.5 eV. The device may also include a second electrode. The active layer may be between the first self-rectifying layer and the second electrode.

Technologies relating to implementing memristor crossbar arrays using non-filamentary RRAM cells are disclosed. In some implementations, an apparatus comprises: a first row wire; a first column wire; a non-filamentary RRAM; and an access control device. The non-filamentary RRAM and the access control device are serially connected; the non-filamentary RRAM and the access control device connect the first row wire with the first column wire. The non-filamentary RRAM and the access control device may form a cross-point device. The cross-point device may be less than 40×40 nm.sup.2. A set current of the non-filamentary RRAM may be no more than 10 μA; and a reset current of the non-filamentary RRAM is no more than 10 μA. The access control device may comprise a transistor or a selector.

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, applying a setting voltage across first and second electrodes, wherein a nanowire with a first electrical resistance is electrically connected between the first and second electrodes, wherein the applying of the setting voltage causes a migration of ions from the first and/or second electrodes to a surface of the nanowire, and wherein the migration of ions effectuates a reduction of electrical resistance of the nanowire from the first electrical resistance to a second electrical resistance that is lower than the first electrical resistance; and applying a reading voltage across the pair of electrodes, wherein the reading voltage is less than the setting voltage, and wherein the reading voltage is sufficiently small such that the applying of the reading voltage causes no more than an insignificant change of the electrical resistance of the nanowire from the second electrical resistance. Other embodiments are disclosed.

According to an embodiment, a semiconductor memory device comprises first wiring lines, second wiring lines, and first variable resistance elements. The first wiring lines are arranged in a first direction and have as their longitudinal direction a second direction intersecting the first direction. The second wiring lines are arranged in the second direction and have the first direction as their longitudinal direction. The first variable resistance elements are respectively provided at intersections of the first wiring lines and the second wiring lines. In addition, this semiconductor memory device comprises a first contact extending in a third direction that intersects the first direction and second direction and having one end thereof connected to the second wiring line. The other end and a surface intersecting the first direction of this first contact are covered by a first conductive layer.

According to an embodiment, a phase-change memory device comprises: an upper electrode and a lower electrode; a phase-change layer in which a crystal state thereof is changed by heat supplied by the upper electrode and the lower electrode; and a selector which selectively switches the heat supplied by the upper electrode and the lower electrode to the phase-change layer, wherein the selector is formed of a compound which includes a transition metal in the phase-change material so as to have a high resistance when the crystalline state of the selector is crystalline and so as to have a low resistance when the crystalline state of the selector is non-crystalline.

Provided is a resetting method of a resistive random access memory (RRAM) including the following steps. A first resetting operation and a first verifying operation on the at least one resistive memory cell are performed. Whether to perform a second resetting operation according to a verifying result of the first verifying operation is determined. A second verifying operation is performed after the second resetting operation is determined to be performed and is finished. To determine whether to perform a healing resetting operation according to a verifying result of the second verifying operation, which comprises: performing the healing resetting operation when a verifying current of the second verifying operation is greater than a predetermined current, wherein a resetting voltage of the healing resetting operation is greater than a resetting voltage of the second resetting operation.

A memory cell includes a first electrode, a second electrode, a variable resistance layer located between the first electrode and the second electrode, and a ferroelectric layer located between the variable resistance layer and the second electrode, wherein the variable resistance layer is maintained in an amorphous state during a program operation.

A storage device of an embodiment of the present disclosure includes: a first electrode; a second electrode; a storage layer provided between the first electrode and the second electrode and including at least copper, aluminum, zirconium, and tellurium; and a barrier layer provided between the storage layer and the second electrode and including zirconium at a higher concentration than at least the storage layer, the barrier layer having a copper concentration, at an interface with the second electrode, being lower than the storage layer.