A device and a method of forming same are provided. The device includes a substrate, a first dielectric layer over the substrate, a bottom electrode extending through the first dielectric layer, a phase-change layer over the bottom electrode, and a top electrode over the phase-change layer. The phase-change layer includes a first portion extending into the bottom electrode and a second portion over the first portion and the first dielectric layer. A width of the first portion decreases as the first portion extends toward the substrate. The second portion has a first width. The top electrode has the first width.

A control method to operate a memory device, a control method to operate a memory system and a control system are provided. The control method includes providing a first voltage to a memory device for accessing a memory element of the memory device; obtaining an aging information of the memory device; and providing a second voltage to the memory device according to the aging information, wherein the first voltage and the second voltage are reverse biased voltages.

Various embodiments of the present application are directed towards a resistive random-access memory (RRAM) cell comprising a barrier layer to constrain the movement of metal cations during operation of the RRAM cell. In some embodiments, the RRAM cell further comprises a bottom electrode, a top electrode, a switching layer, and an active metal layer. The switching layer, the barrier layer, and the active metal layer are stacked between the bottom and top electrodes, and the barrier layer is between the switching and active metal layers. The barrier layer is conductive and between has a lattice constant less than that of the active metal layer.

A semiconductor memory device is provided. The memory device includes a first electrode, a resistive layer, and a second electrode. The resistive layer is arranged over the first electrode. The second electrode is arranged over the resistive layer. The second electrode includes a lower surface and an extension extending from under the lower surface. The extension is at least partially arranged within the resistive layer.

Switching oxide engineering technologies relating to low current RRAM-based crossbar array circuits are disclosed. A method for fabricating a crossbar device may include forming a bottom electrode on a substrate, forming a switching oxide stack on the bottom electrode, and forming a top electrode on the switching oxide stack. Fabricating the switching oxide stack may include fabricating a plurality of base oxide layers and a plurality of discontinuous oxide layers alternately stacked, wherein the base oxide layers comprise one or more base oxides, wherein the one or more base oxides comprise at least one of TaOx, HfOx, TiOx, or ZrOx.

A conductive bridge random access memory and its manufacturing method are provided. The conductive bridge random access memory includes a bottom electrode, an inter-metal dielectric, a resistance switching assembly, and a top electrode. The bottom electrode is disposed on a substrate, and the inter-metal dielectric is disposed above the bottom electrode. The resistance switching assembly is disposed on the bottom electrode and positioned in the inter-metal dielectric. The resistance switching assembly has a reverse T-shape cross-section. The top electrode is disposed on the resistance switching assembly and the inter-metal dielectric.

The present disclosure describes an exemplary method that can prevent or reduce out-diffusion of Cu from interconnect layers to magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) structures. The method includes forming an interconnect layer over a substrate that includes an interlayer dielectric stack with openings therein; disposing a metal in the openings to form corresponding conductive structures; and selectively depositing a diffusion barrier layer on the metal. In the method, selectively depositing the diffusion barrier layer includes pre-treating the surface of the metal; disposing a precursor to selectively form a partially-decomposed precursor layer on the metal; and exposing the partially-decomposed precursor layer to a plasma to form the diffusion barrier layer. The method further includes forming an MTJ structure on the interconnect layer over the diffusion barrier layer, where the bottom electrode of the MTJ structure is aligned to the diffusion barrier layer.

Various embodiments of the present disclosure are directed towards a memory cell comprising a high electron affinity dielectric layer at a bottom electrode. The high electron affinity dielectric layer is one of multiple different dielectric layers vertically stacked between the bottom electrode and a top electrode overlying the bottom electrode. Further, the high electrode electron affinity dielectric layer has a highest electron affinity amongst the multiple different dielectric layers and is closest to the bottom electrode. The different dielectric layers are different in terms of material systems and/or material compositions. It has been appreciated that by arranging the high electron affinity dielectric layer closest to the bottom electrode, the likelihood of the memory cell becoming stuck during cycling is reduced at least when the memory cell is RRAM. Hence, the likelihood of a hard reset/failure bit is reduced.

A device and a method of forming the same are provided. The device includes a substrate, a first dielectric layer over the substrate, a bottom electrode extending through the first dielectric layer, a first buffer layer over the bottom electrode, a phase-change layer over the first buffer layer, a top electrode over the phase-change layer, and a second dielectric layer over the first dielectric layer. The second dielectric layer surrounds the phase-change layer and the top electrode. A width of the top electrode is greater than a width of the bottom electrode.

A device structure includes at least one selector device. Each selector device includes a vertical stack including, from bottom to top, a bottom electrode, a metal oxide semiconductor channel layer, and a top electrode and located over a substrate, a gate dielectric layer contacting sidewalls of the bottom electrode, the metal oxide semiconductor channel layer, and the top electrode, and a gate electrode formed within the gate dielectric layer and having a top surface that is coplanar with a top surface of the top electrode. Each top electrode or each bottom electrode of the at least one selector device may be contacted by a respective nonvolatile memory element to provide a one-selector one-resistor memory cell.