The present disclosure discloses a memory cell and a memory device including the same. The memory cell includes a thin film transistor layer, a gate conductive layer, a first heater, a second heater, a phase change layer, and a dielectric layer. The thin film transistor layer includes a channel layer and a first source/drain structure and a second source/drain structure in contact with opposite sides of the channel layer. The gate conductive layer is disposed beneath the gate dielectric layer to control turn-on or turn-off of the channel layer. The first and second heaters are respectively disposed over the first and second source/drain structures. The phase change layer is disposed over the channel layer and in contact with the first and second heaters. The dielectric layer is disposed beneath the phase change layer, and the phase change layer is separated from the channel layer by the dielectric layer.

The present invention provides a thermal hardware-based data security device that is capable of physically, hardware-wise, and permanently erasing data stored in a memory and of enabling a storage device to be reused, and a method thereof. The thermal hardware-based data security device includes: a memory chip capable of storing data; a heater module which supplies heat to permanently erase the data stored in a memory cell within the memory chip; and a switch module which short-circuits the heater module between a power supply unit and a ground when switched on, and thus, controls the heater module to be operated.

According to one embodiment, a semiconductor memory device includes: a first and a second wirings; a third wiring disposed between them; a first phase change layer disposed between the first and the third wirings; a first conducting layer disposed on a first wiring side surface of the first phase change layer; a second conducting layer disposed on a third wiring side surface of the first phase change layer; a second phase change layer disposed between the third and the second wirings; a third conducting layer disposed on a third wiring side surface of the second phase change layer; and a fourth conducting layer disposed on a second wiring side surface of the second phase change layer. The first and the fourth conducting layers have coefficients of thermal conductivity larger or smaller than the coefficients of thermal conductivity of the second and the third conducting layers.

A resistive memory apparatus and an operating method thereof are provided. In the method, a set operation having a first enhanced bias is performed on at least one memory cell in a resistive memory array of the resistive memory apparatus, in which the first enhanced bias is larger than a bias used in a normal execution of the set operation. A heat process is performed on the memory cell. A set operation having a second enhanced bias is performed on the memory cell, in which the second enhanced bias is larger than or equal to the first enhanced bias.

A method for fabricating a semiconductor device includes forming first contacts to a heater for programming, and forming second contacts to a phase-change material layer for resistance readout. The phase-change material layer is formed in proximity to the heater, and the first contacts are electrically isolated from the second contacts to provide separate programming and resistance readout control.

Methods, systems, and devices for mimicking neuro-biological architectures that may be present in a nervous system are described herein. A memory device may include a memory unit configured to store a value. A memory unit may include a first memory cell (e.g., an aggressor memory cell) and a plurality of other memory cells (e.g., victim memory cells). The memory unit may use thermal disturbances of the victim memory cells that may be based on an access operation to store the analog value. Thermal energy output by the aggressor memory cell during an access operation (e.g., a write operation) may cause the state of the victim memory cells to alter based on thermal relationship between the aggressor memory cell and at least some of the victim memory cells. The memory unit may be read by detecting and combining the weights of the victim memory cells during a read operation.

A carbon nanotube (CNT) single ion memory (or memory device) may include a mobile ion conductor with a CNT on one side and an ion drift electrode (IDE) on the other side. The mobile ion conductor may be used as a transport medium to shuttle ions to and from the CNT and the IDE. The IDE may move the ions towards or away from the CNT.

A memory cell includes a heating element topped with a phase-change material. Two first silicon oxide regions laterally surround the heating element along a first direction. Two second silicon oxide regions laterally surround the heating element along a second direction orthogonal to the first direction. Top surfaces of the heating element and the two first silicon oxide regions are coplanar such that the heating element and the two first silicon oxide regions have a same thickness.

In some embodiments, the present disclosure relates to a method of operating a phase change memory cell, which includes writing a first data state and a second data state to the phase change memory cell. To write the first data state, a phase change material (PCM) is heated to a melting point of the PCM, and then cooled to an ambient temperature below the melting point of the PCM over a first predetermined time period, thereby solidifying the PCM to correspond to the first data state. To write the second data state, the PCM is heated to the melting point of the PCM, and then cooled to the ambient temperature over a second predetermined cooling time period, thereby solidifying the PCM to correspond to the second data state. The second predetermined cooling time period differs from the first predetermined time period.

A phase-change memory cell is formed by a heater, a crystalline layer disposed above the heater, and an insulating region surrounding sidewalls of the crystalline layer. The phase-change memory cell supports programming with a least three distinct data levels based on a selective amorphization of the crystalline layer.