A semiconductor memory device including a substrate; a first conductive line on the substrate and extending in a first direction that is parallel to an upper surface of the substrate; a second conductive line extending in a second direction that intersects the first direction; a memory cell between the conductive lines and including a lower electrode pattern, a data storage element, an intermediate electrode pattern, a switching element, and an upper electrode pattern sequentially stacked on the first conductive line; and a sidewall spacer on a side surface of the memory cell, wherein the side surface of the memory cell includes a first concave portion at a side surface of the switching element, and the sidewall spacer includes a first portion on a side surface of the upper electrode pattern, and a second portion on the first concave portion, the second portion being thicker than the first portion.

Methods, systems, and devices for memory cells with asymmetrical electrode interfaces are described. A memory cell with asymmetrical electrode interfaces may mitigate shorts in adjacent word lines, which may be leveraged for accurately reading a stored value of the memory cell. The memory device may include a self-selecting memory component with a top surface area in contact with a top electrode and a bottom surface area in contact with a bottom electrode, where the top surface area in contact with the top electrode is a different size than the bottom surface area in contact with the bottom electrode.

Methods, systems, and devices for dimension control for raised lines are described. For example, the techniques described herein may be used to fabricate raised lines (e.g., orthogonal raised lines). The lines may be fabricated such that an overall area of each line is consistent. In some examples, the techniques may be applied to form memory cells across multiple memory tiles, multiple memory arrays, and/or multiple wafers such that each memory cell comprises a consistent overall area. To form the lines and/or memory cells, a material associated with a desired properties may be deposited after performing a first cut. Due to the properties associated with the material, a width of the second cut may be affected, thus resulting in more uniform lines and/memory cells.

An electronic device includes a semiconductor memory that includes: a first conductive pattern disposed over a substrate; a first selection element layer disposed over the first conductive pattern and having one or more first grooves therein, the first grooves overlapping the first conductive pattern; a first variable resistance layer whose sidewalls and bottom are surrounded by the first selection element layer, the first variable resistance layer being buried in the first groove; and a second conductive pattern that overlaps the first variable resistance layer and is disposed over the first variable resistance layer

A semiconductor memory device includes a first memory cell provided on a substrate, a second memory cell provided on the substrate and spaced apart from the first memory cell, a passivation layer extending along a side surface of the first memory cell and a side surface of the second memory cell, and a gap fill layer covering the passivation layer. Each of the first memory cell and the second memory cell includes a selection pattern having ovonic threshold switching characteristics, and a storage pattern provided on the selection pattern. The passivation layer includes a lower portion filling a space between the selection pattern of the first memory cell and the selection pattern of the second memory cell, and an upper portion extending along a side surface of the storage pattern of each of the first memory cell and the second memory cell.

A two-terminal device comprises a bottom electrode. A device element is formed upon the bottom electrode. The two-terminal device also comprises a top electrode that is formed upon the device element. The bottom electrode and the top electrode are aligned. The bottom electrode and top electrode also have a same width and depth.

A stacked phase change memory structure having a cross-point architecture is provided. The stacked phase change memory structure includes at least two phase change material element-containing structures stacked one atop the other. Each phase change material element-containing structure of the plurality of phase change material element-containing structures has a cross-point architecture and includes, from bottom to top, at least one bottom electrode, a phase change material element, and a top electrode.

A variable resistance memory device includes a substrate, a first conductive line on the substrate, the first conductive line extending in a first horizontal direction, a second conductive line extending on the first conductive line in a second horizontal direction perpendicular to the first horizontal direction, and a memory cell at an intersection between the first conductive line and the second conductive line, the memory cell having a selection element layer, an intermediate electrode layer, and a variable resistance layer, and the variable resistance layer having a shape of stairs with a concave center.

A reactive material erasure element comprising a reactive material is located between PCM cells and is in close proximity to the PCM cells. The reaction of the reactive material is trigger by a current applied by a bottom electrode which has a small contact area with the reactive material erasure element, thereby providing a high current density in the reactive material erasure element to ignite the reaction of the reactive material. Due to the close proximity of the PCM cells and the reactive material erasure element, the heat generated from the reaction of the reactive material can be effectively directed to the PCM cells to cause phase transformation of phase change material elements in the PCM cells, which in turn erases data stored in the PCM cells.

Provided are a substrate treating apparatus and method of manufacturing a phase-change layer having superior deposition characteristics. The substrate treating method of manufacturing a phase-change memory includes forming a bottom electrode on a substrate on which a pattern is formed, performing surface treating for removing impurities generated or remaining on a surface of the substrate while the bottom electrode is formed, performing nitriding on the surface of the substrate from which the impurities are removed, and successively depositing a phase-change layer and a top electrode on the bottom electrode. The substrate treating apparatus for manufacturing a phase-change memory includes a load lock chamber into/from which a plurality of substrates are loaded or unloaded, the load lock chamber being converted between an atmosphere state and a vacuum state, a nitriding chamber in which nitriding is performed on a surface of a substrate on which a bottom electrode is disposed, the nitriding chamber being coupled to one side of a plurality of sides of the vacuum transfer chamber, and a process chamber in which a phase-change layer is deposited on the surface of the substrate on which nitriding is performed in the nitriding process chamber, the process chamber being coupled to one of the plurality of sides of the vacuum transfer chamber.