The disclosed technology relates generally to integrated circuit devices, and in particular to cross-point memory arrays and methods for fabricating the same. In one aspect, a method of fabricating cross-point memory arrays comprises forming a memory cell material stack which includes a first active material and a second active material over the first active material, wherein one of the first and second active materials comprises a storage material and the other of the first and second active materials comprises a selector material. The method of fabricating cross-point arrays further comprises patterning the memory cell material stack, which includes etching through at least one of the first and second active materials of the memory cell material stack, forming protective liners on sidewalls of the at least one of the first and second active materials after etching through the one of the first and second active materials, and further etching the memory cell material stack after forming the protective liners on the sidewalls of the one of the first and second active materials.

A storage device includes a first electrode, a second electrode, a storage element, a spacer and a barrier structure. The second electrode is opposite to the first electrode. The storage element is disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode. The spacer is formed on a sidewall of the second electrode, and the spacer has a notch positioned on a top surface of the spacer. The barrier structure is embedded in a lateral of the spacer, and the barrier structure has a top extending upwards past a bottom of the notch. In addition, a method of manufacturing the storage device is disclosed as well.

A resistive random access memory includes a lower electrode, an upper electrode and a resistive layer between the lower electrode and the upper electrode, wherein the resistive layer includes a constant-resistance portion and a variable-resistance portion surrounding the constant-resistance portion.

Systems and methods for providing a Barrier Modulated Cell (BMC) structure that may comprise a reversible resistance-switching memory element within a memory array are described. The BMC structure may include a barrier layer comprising a layer of amorphous germanium or amorphous silicon germanium paired with a conductive metal oxide, such as titanium dioxide (TiO2), strontium titanate (SrTiO3), or a binary metal oxide. The BMC structure may include a conductive metal oxide in series with an amorphous layer of a low bandgap material. The low bandgap material may comprise a semiconductor material with a bandgap energy (Eg) less than 1.0 eV. The improved BMC structure may be used for providing multi-level memory elements within a three dimensional memory array.

A volatile resistive memory device includes a resistive memory element including a barrier material portion and a charge-modulated resistive memory material portion. The barrier material portion includes a material selected from germanium and a silicon-germanium alloy, and the charge-modulated resistive memory material portion includes a non-filamentary, electrically conductive metal oxide. The resistive memory device may be a volatile eDRAM device. In operation, reading a resistance state of the resistive memory element does not disturb the resistance state of the charge-modulated resistive memory material portion.

A method of fabricating a resistive semiconductor memory structure that provides in-situ selective etch of phase change materials during deposition of dielectric at low temperature (in the same chamber). The method provides, to a single processing chamber, a semiconductor wafer including a trimmed resistive memory device structure having one or more layers of phase change material used to form a resistive memory device. The one or more layers of phase change material have oxidized sidewall surfaces as a result of a prior etching step where a whole stack structure of the layers forming the resistive memory structure is etched. Then, an encapsulating of the trimmed resistive memory device structure is performed by depositing, within the processing chamber, using a PECVD, a layer of dielectric material, and during the encapsulating, etching, within the processing chamber, the wafer to selectively remove the phase change material oxidation at the sidewall surfaces.

A memristor structure may be provided that includes a first electrode, a second electrode, and a buffer layer disposed on the first electrode. The memristor structure may include a switching layer interposed between the second electrode and the buffer layer to form, when a voltage is applied, a filament or path that extends from the second electrode to the buffer layer and to form a Schottky-like contact or a heterojunction between the filament and the buffer layer.

Some embodiments relate to an integrated circuit device. The integrated circuit device includes a resistive random access memory (RRAM) cell, which includes a top electrode and a bottom electrode that are separated by a RRAM dielectric layer. The top electrode of the RRAM cell has a recess in its upper surface. A via is disposed over the RRAM cell and contacts the top electrode within the recess.

A memory element can include a first electrode; at least one switching layer formed over the first electrode; a second electrode layer; and at least one conductive cap layer formed over the second electrode layer having substantially no grain boundaries extending through to the second electrode layer; wherein the at least one switching layer is programmable between different impedance states by application of electric fields via that first and second electrode. Methods of forming such memory elements are also disclosed.

A method to fabricate a resistive change element. The method may include forming a stack over a substrate. The stack may include a conductive material, a resistive change material, a first surface, and a second surfaces opposite the first surface. The method may further include depositing a first material over the stack such that the first material directly contacts at least one of the first surface and the second surface of the stack. The method may also include after depositing the first material, forming a second material over the first material and evaporating a portion of the first material through the second material to create a gap between the second material and the at least one of the first surface and the second surface of the stack.