Methods and structures provide horizontal conductive lines of fine pitch and self-aligned contacts extending from them, where the contacts have at least one dimension with a more relaxed pitch. Buried hard mask materials permit self-alignment of the lines and contacts without a critical mask, such as for word-line electrode lines and word-line contacts in a memory device.

A method includes: providing a modulation circuit, determined an operation mode of a memory array, providing a first voltage corresponding to a positive temperature coefficient in response to a read operation of the memory array, and providing a second voltage corresponding to a negative temperature coefficient in response to a write operation of the memory array. The modulation circuit is configured to generate a temperature-dependent voltage and provide the same to the memory array.

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 memory device of the memory array comprises a substrate and a memory cell stack formed between and electrically connected to first and second conductive lines. The memory cell stack comprises a first memory element over the substrate and a second memory element formed over the first element, wherein one of the first and second memory elements comprises a storage element and the other of the first and second memory elements comprises a selector element. The memory cell stack additionally comprises a first pair of sidewalls opposing each other and a second pair of sidewalls opposing each other and intersecting the first pair of sidewalls. The memory device additionally comprises first protective dielectric insulating materials formed on a lower portion of the first pair of sidewalls and an isolation dielectric formed on the first protective dielectric insulating material and further formed on an upper portion of the first pair of sidewalls.

A method for manufacturing a semiconductor memory device includes forming a first doped semiconductor layer on a conductive layer, forming a second doped semiconductor layer stacked on the first doped semiconductor layer, forming a third doped semiconductor layer stacked on the second doped semiconductor layer, and forming a memory stack layer on the third doped semiconductor layer. The memory stack layer and the first, second and third doped semiconductor layers are patterned into a plurality of pillars spaced apart from each other. In the method, a plurality of extrinsic base layers are formed adjacent the patterned second doped semiconductor layers. The patterned first, second and third doped semiconductor layers in each pillar of the plurality of pillars are components of a bipolar junction transistor device, and the plurality of pillars are parts of a memory cell array having a cross-point structure.

Semiconductor memory is provided wherein a memory cell includes a capacitorless transistor having a floating body configured to store data as charge therein when power is applied to the cell. The cell further includes a nonvolatile memory comprising a resistance change element configured to store data stored in the floating body under any one of a plurality of predetermined conditions. A method of operating semiconductor memory to function as volatile memory, while having the ability to retain stored data when power is discontinued to the semiconductor memory is described.

A circuit includes: a first node to receive a first current; a first resistive element receiving a first branch current of the first current; first transistors each including a first terminal connected to the second end of the first resistive element; a second resistive element connected to the first node and receiving a second branch current of the first current; a second node to receive a second current; a second transistor including a first terminal, the first terminal of the second transistor connected to the second node and receiving a first branch current of the second current; a third resistive element connected to the second node and receiving a second branch current of the second current; wherein a temperature coefficient is adjusted by a resistance of the second resistive element and a resistance of the third resistive element and corresponding to the first current.

A method of fabricating a memory device is disclosed. In one aspect, the method comprises patterning a first conductive line extending in a first direction. The method additionally includes forming a free-standing pillar of a memory cell stack on the first conductive line after patterning the first conductive line. Forming the free-standing pillar includes depositing a memory cell stack comprising a selector material and a storage material over the conductive line and patterning the memory cell stack to form the free-standing pillar. The method further includes patterning a second conductive line on the pillar after patterning the memory cell stack, the second conductive line extending in a second direction crossing the first direction.

A method for manufacturing a semiconductor memory device includes forming a plurality of doped semiconductor layers in a stacked configuration on a dielectric layer. The plurality of doped semiconductor layers each comprise a single crystalline semiconductor material. In the method, a memory stack layer is formed on an uppermost doped semiconductor layer of the plurality of doped semiconductor layers, and the memory stack layer and a plurality of doped semiconductor layers are patterned into a plurality of pillars spaced apart from each other. The patterned plurality of doped semiconductor layers in each pillar of the plurality of pillars are components of a bipolar junction transistor device, and the plurality of pillars are parts of a memory cell array having a cross-point structure.

A memory device includes a first electrode line layer including a plurality of first electrode lines extending on a substrate in a first direction and being spaced apart from each other, a second electrode line layer including a plurality of second electrode lines extending on the first electrode line layer in a second direction that is different from the first direction and being spaced apart from each other, and a memory cell layer including a plurality of first memory cells located at a plurality of intersections between the plurality of first electrode lines and the plurality of second electrode lines, each first memory cell including a selection device layer, an intermediate electrode and a variable resistance layer that are sequentially stacked. A side surface of the variable resistance layer is perpendicular to a top surface of the substrate or inclined to be gradually wider toward an upper portion of the variable resistance layer. The first memory cell has a side surface slope so as to have a width gradually decreasing toward its upper portion.

Memory cell architectures and methods of forming the same are provided. An example memory cell can include a switch element and a memory element formed in series with the switch element. A smallest lateral dimension of the switch element is different than a smallest lateral dimension of the memory element.