There is provided a continuous thin film comprising a metal chalcogenide, wherein the metal is selected from the periodic groups 13 or 14 and the chalcogen is: sulphur (S), selenide (Se), or tellurium (Te), and wherein the thin film has a thickness of less than 20 nm. There is also provided a method of forming the continuous thin film. In a particular embodiment, molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) is used to grow indium selenide (In.sub.2Se.sub.3) thin film from two precursors (In.sub.2Se.sub.3 and Se) and said thin film is used to fabricate a ferroelectric resistive memory device.

Switching oxide engineering technologies relating to low current RRAM-based crossbar array circuits are disclosed. An apparatus, in some implementations, includes: a substrate; a bottom electrode formed on the substrate; a switching oxide stack formed on the bottom electrode. The switching oxide stack includes one or more base oxide layers and one or more discontinuous oxide layers alternately stacked; An apparatus further includes a top electrode formed on the switching oxide stack. The base oxide layer includes TaO.sub.x, HfO.sub.x, TiO.sub.x, ZrO.sub.x, or a combination thereof. The discontinuous oxide layer includes Al.sub.2O.sub.3, SiO.sub.2, Si.sub.3N.sub.4, Y.sub.2O.sub.3, Gd.sub.2O.sub.3, Sm.sub.2O.sub.3, CeO.sub.2, Er.sub.2O.sub.3, or the combination thereof.

A method for fabricating a semiconductor device includes forming a conductive shell layer along a memory stack and a patterned hardmask disposed on the memory stack, and etching the patterned hardmask, the conductive shell layer and the memory stack to form a structure including a central core surrounded by a conductive outer shell disposed on a patterned memory stack.

A chalcogenide material according to one embodiment includes germanium (Ge); arsenic (As); sulfur (S); selenium (Se), and at least one group III metal selected from indium (In), gallium (Ga), and aluminum (Al), wherein the content of the Ge may be greater than about 10 at % and less than or equal to about 30 at %, the content of the As may be greater than about 30 at % and less than or equal to about 50 at %, the content of Se is greater than about 20 at % and less than or equal to about 60 at %, the content of S is greater than about 0.5 at % and less than or equal to about 10 at %, and the content of the group III metal may be in the range of 0.5 at % to 10 at %.

The present invention provides a preparation method of a bipolar gating memristor and a bipolar gating memristor. The preparation method includes: preparing a lower electrode; depositing a resistive material layer on the lower electrode; and depositing an upper electrode on the resistive material layer by using a magnetron sputtering manner to deposit the upper electrode, controlling upper electrode metal particles to have suitable kinetic energy by controlling sputtering power, controlling a vacuum degree of a region where the upper electrode and the resistive material layer are located, such that a redox reaction occurs spontaneously between the upper electrode and the resistive material layer during the deposition of the upper electrode to form a built-in bipolar gating layer; and continuously depositing the upper electrode on the built-in bipolar gating layer .

A Cu-doped Sb.sub.2Te.sub.3 system phase change material, a phase change memory, and a preparation method thereof belonging to the technical field of micro-nano electronics are provided. A Sb—Te system phase change material is doped with Cu element to form Cu.sub.3Te.sub.2 bonds with both tetrahedral and octahedral structures in the case of local enrichment of Cu. The strongly bonded tetrahedral structure improves the amorphous stability and data retention capability of the Sb—Te system phase change material, and the octahedral structure of the crystal configuration improves the crystallization speed of the Sb—Te system phase change material. A phase change memory including the phase change material and a preparation method of the phase change material are also provided. Through the phase change material provided by the invention, both the speed and amorphous stability of the device are improved, and the comprehensive performance of the phase change memory is also enhanced.

Providing for a resistive switching memory device is described herein. By way of example, the resistive switching memory device can comprise a bottom electrode, a conductive layer, a resistive switching layer, and a top electrode. Further, two or more layers can be selected to mitigate mechanical stress on the device. In various embodiments, the resistive switching layer and conductive layer can be formed of compatible metal nitride or metal oxide materials having different nitride/oxide concentrations and different electrical resistances. Further, similar materials can mitigate mechanical stress on the resistive switching layer and a conductive filament of the resistive switching memory device.

A method for fabricating a semiconductor device includes forming a conductive shell layer along a memory stack and a patterned hardmask disposed on the memory stack, and etching the patterned hardmask, the conductive shell layer and the memory stack to form a structure including a central core surrounded by a conductive outer shell disposed on a patterned memory stack.

A chalcogen compound layer exhibiting ovonic threshold switching characteristics, a switching device, a semiconductor device, and/or a semiconductor apparatus including the same are provided. The switching device and/or the semiconductor device may include two or more chalcogen compound layers having different energy band gaps. Alternatively, the switching device and/or semiconductor device may include a chalcogen compound layer having a concentration gradient of an element of boron (B), aluminum (Al), scandium (Sc), manganese (Mn), strontium (Sr), and/or indium (In) in a thickness direction thereof. The switching device and/or a semiconductor device may exhibit stable switching characteristics while having a low off-current value (leakage current value).

A Cu-doped Sb.sub.2Te.sub.3 system phase change material, a phase change memory, and a preparation method thereof belonging to the technical field of micro-nano electronics are provided. A Sb—Te system phase change material is doped with Cu element to form Cu.sub.3Te.sub.2 bonds with both tetrahedral and octahedral structures in the case of local enrichment of Cu. The strongly bonded tetrahedral structure improves the amorphous stability and data retention capability of the Sb—Te system phase change material, and the octahedral structure of the crystal configuration improves the crystallization speed of the Sb—Te system phase change material. A phase change memory including the phase change material and a preparation method of the phase change material are also provided. Through the phase change material provided by the invention, both the speed and amorphous stability of the device are improved, and the comprehensive performance of the phase change memory is also enhanced.