According to one embodiment, a memory device includes a first memory cell, a second memory cell adjacent to the first memory cell in a first direction, and a third memory cell adjacent to the first memory cell in a second direction, each of the first, second, and third memory cells including a resistance change memory element and a switching element. The switching element includes first and second electrodes, and a switching material layer between the first and second electrodes, the first and second electrodes overlap each other when viewed from the first direction, the first electrodes in the first and second memory cells are apart from each other, and the switching material layers in the first and second memory cells are continuously provided.

According to an embodiment, a semiconductor memory device comprises first wiring lines, second wiring lines, and first variable resistance elements. The first wiring lines are arranged in a first direction and have as their longitudinal direction a second direction intersecting the first direction. The second wiring lines are arranged in the second direction and have the first direction as their longitudinal direction. The first variable resistance elements are respectively provided at intersections of the first wiring lines and the second wiring lines. In addition, this semiconductor memory device comprises a first contact extending in a third direction that intersects the first direction and second direction and having one end thereof connected to the second wiring line. The other end and a surface intersecting the first direction of this first contact are covered by a first conductive layer.

A method for manufacturing an OxRAM type resistive memory cell including a silicon oxide layer, the method including determining manufacturing parameter values enabling the resistive memory cell to have an initial resistance between 10.sup.7Ω and 3.Math.10.sup.9Ω; and forming on a substrate a stack successively including a first electrode, the silicon oxide layer and a second electrode, by applying the manufacturing parameter values.

A method for determining a value of a manufacturing parameter of a resistive memory cell, the resistive memory cell including a stack of layers, includes providing reference memory cells corresponding to technological alternatives of the stack of layers; measuring for each reference memory cell an initial resistance value; determining for each reference memory c ell a programming parameter value selected from among the resistance in a high resistance state and the programming window; establishing a relationship between the programming parameter and the initial resistance from the initial resistance values and the programming parameter values; and determining the manufacturing parameter value for which the programming parameter is greater than or equal to a target value, from the relationship between the programming parameter and the initial resistance and from a dependency relationship between the initial resistance and the manufacturing parameter.

A semiconductor memory cell and arrays of memory cells are provided In at least one embodiment, a memory cell includes a substrate having a top surface, the substrate having a first conductivity type selected from a p-type conductivity type and an n-type conductivity type; a first region having a second conductivity type selected from the p-type and n-type conductivity types, the second conductivity type being different from the first conductivity type, the first region being formed in the substrate and exposed at the top surface; a second region having the second conductivity type, the second region being formed in the substrate, spaced apart from the first region and exposed at the top surface; a buried layer in the substrate below the first and second regions, spaced apart from the first and second regions and having the second conductivity type; a body region formed between the first and second regions and the buried layer, the body region having the first conductivity type; a gate positioned between the first and second regions and above the top surface; and a nonvolatile memory configured to store data upon transfer from the body region.

An approach to provide a semiconductor structure for a phase change memory cell with a first liner material surrounding a sidewall of a hole in a dielectric material where the hole in the dielectric is on a bottom electrode in the dielectric material. The semiconductor structure includes a layer of a second liner material on the first liner material, where the second liner material has an improved contact resistance to a phase change material. The semiconductor structure includes the phase change material abutting the layer of the second liner material on the first liner material. The phase change material fills the hole in the dielectric material. The second liner material that is between the phase change material and the first liner material provides a lower contact resistivity with the phase change material in the crystalline phase than the first liner material.

A semiconductor device including at least one memory cell is provided. The memory cell includes: a first electrode layer; a second electrode layer; a selection element layer coupled between the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer; and an insulating layer coupled between the first electrode layer and the second electrode such that a side surface of the insulating layer is in contact with a side surface of the selection element layer, wherein the selection element layer includes an insulating material doped with a first element, and wherein the insulating layer includes the insulating material doped with the first element at a lower concentration than the selection element layer, or the insulating material not doped with the first element.

A semiconductor device that includes: first conductive lines; second conductive lines disposed over the first lines to be spaced apart from the first lines; and a selector layer disposed between the first lines and the second lines and including a dielectric material and a dopant doped with a uniform dopant profile.

A semiconductor device includes a diffusion barrier structure, a bottom electrode, a top electrode over the bottom electrode, a switching layer and a capping layer. The bottom electrode is over the diffusion barrier structure. The top electrode is over the bottom electrode. The switching layer is between the bottom electrode and the top electrode, and configured to store data. The capping layer is between the top electrode and the switching layer. A thermal conductivity of the diffusion barrier structure is greater than approximately 20 W/mK.

A semiconductor memory structure includes a memory cell, an encapsulation layer over a sidewall of the memory cell, and a nucleation layer between the sidewall of the memory cell and the encapsulation layer. The memory cell includes a top electrode, a bottom electrode and a data-storage element sandwiched between the bottom electrode and the top electrode. The nucleation layer includes metal oxide.