A Single Element Phase Change Memory

Sang-Hyeon LEE  Moonkyung KIM  Byung-ki CHEONG  Jooyeon KIM  Jo-Won LEE  Sandip TIWARI 

Publication
IEICE TRANSACTIONS on Electronics  Vol.E94-C  No.5  pp.676-680
Publication Date: 2011/05/01
Online ISSN: 1745-1353
Print ISSN: 0916-8516
Type of Manuscript: Special Section PAPER (Special Section on Fundamentals and Applications of Advanced Semiconductor Devices)
Category: INVITED
Keyword: 
memory,  phase change memory,  PCM,  nonvolatile,  GST, 

Full Text: PDF

Summary: 
We report a fast single element nonvolatile memory that employs amorphous to crystalline phase change. Temperature change is induced within a single electronic element in confined geometry transistors to cause the phase change. This novel phase change memory (PCM) operates without the need for charge transport through insulator films for charge storage in a floating gate. GeSbTe (GST) was employed to the phase change material undergoing transition below 200. The phase change, causing conductivity and permittivity change of the film, results in the threshold voltage shift observed in transistors and capacitors.