Patents Examined by Allison P. Bernstein
  • Patent number: 10096773
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide systems and methods for the fabrication of a crossbar array fabrication of resistive random access memory (RRAM) cells. The array structure contains large grain copper and its alloy or silver and its alloy. A metal cap and spacer are used to protect copper or silver from chemical modifications during memory cell patterning.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2018
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Takashi Ando, Marwan H. Khater, Seyoung Kim, Hiroyuki Miyazoe
  • Patent number: 10090457
    Abstract: A magnetic cell core includes at least one stressor structure proximate to a magnetic region (e.g., a free region or a fixed region). The magnetic region may be formed of a magnetic material exhibiting magnetostriction. During switching, the stressor structure may be subjected to a programming current passing through the magnetic cell core. In response to the current, the stressor structure may alter in size. Due to the size change, the stressor structure may exert a stress upon the magnetic region and, thereby, alter its magnetic anisotropy. In some embodiments, the MA strength of the magnetic region may be lowered during switching so that a lower programming current may be used to switch the magnetic orientation of the free region. In some embodiments, multiple stressor structures may be included in the magnetic cell core. Methods of fabrication and operation and related device structures and systems are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2018
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Gurtej S. Sandhu, Witold Kula
  • Patent number: 10079341
    Abstract: A three-terminal non-volatile multi-state device based on mobile ion induced electrical resistivity change is provided. The three-terminal non-volatile multi-state memory device includes a substrate having a first electrode and a second electrode therein. The three-terminal non-volatile multi-state memory device further includes a mobile ion including resistor layer disposed over the first electrode, the second electrode, and part of the substrate. The three-terminal non-volatile multi-state memory device also includes a third electrode formed over the mobile ion including resistor layer. The three-terminal non-volatile multi-state memory device provides multi-level states determined by an electrical resistivity the mobile ion including resistor layer which changes the electrical resistivity based on the mobile ion concentration in the material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2018
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Stephen W. Bedell, Kevin W. Brew, Joel P. de Souza, Seyoung Kim, Ning Li, Yun Seog Lee, Devendra K. Sadana
  • Patent number: 10062425
    Abstract: Provided herein are a capacitor, a memory device including the capacitor, and a method of manufacturing the capacitor. The capacitor is manufactured by directly depositing a metal electrode having high ion mobility on an ultrathin ferroelectric layer having a certain thickness, and thus may simultaneously use metal cation migration and ferroelectric polarization inversion, and a low-power and high-performance capacitor capable of being selectively activated may be provided by simultaneously controlling an external electric field and an internal electric field caused by polarization of the inside of a ferroelectric thin film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2018
    Assignee: KONKUK UNIVERSITY INDUSTRIAL COOPERATION CORP
    Inventors: Bae Ho Park, Chansoo Yoon
  • Patent number: 10062424
    Abstract: This technology provides an electronic device. An electronic device in accordance with an implementation of this document may include a semiconductor memory, and the semiconductor memory may include: an under layer including a plurality of material layers having a different crystal structures; a first magnetic layer formed over the under layer and having a variable magnetization direction; a tunnel barrier layer formed over the first magnetic layer; and a second magnetic layer formed over the tunnel barrier layer and having a pinned magnetization direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2018
    Assignee: SK hynix Inc.
    Inventors: Yang-Kon Kim, Guk-Cheon Kim, Jeong-Myeong Kim, Jong-Koo Lim, Ku-Youl Jung, Won-Joon Choi
  • Patent number: 10062708
    Abstract: Vertical memory blocks for semiconductor devices include a memory cell region including an array of memory cell pillars and at least one via region including a dielectric stack of alternating dielectric materials and at least one conductive via extending through the dielectric stack. Semiconductor devices including a vertical memory block include at least one vertical memory block, which includes slots extending between adjacent memory cells of a three-dimensional array. The slots are separated by a first distance in a first portion of the block, and by a second, greater distance in a second portion of the block. Methods of forming vertical memory blocks include forming slots separated by a first distance in a memory array region and by a second, greater distance in a via region. At least one conductive via is formed through a stack of alternating first and second dielectric materials in the via region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2018
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Eric H. Freeman, Justin B. Dorhout
  • Patent number: 10056431
    Abstract: A variable resistance memory device may include a word line extending in a first direction, a bit line extending in a second direction crossing the first direction, a phase-changeable pattern provided between the word line and the bit line, a bottom electrode provided between the phase-changeable pattern and the word line, and a spacer provided on a side surface of the bottom electrode and between the phase-changeable pattern and the word line. The bottom electrode may include a first portion and a second portion, and the second portion is provided between the first portion and the spacer. The first and second portions of the bottom electrodes may have different lengths from each other in the second direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2018
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Ilmok Park, Sungwon Kim, Seulji Song, Ji-Hyun Jeong
  • Patent number: 10050194
    Abstract: First electrically conductive lines can be formed over a substrate. A two-dimensional array of vertical stacks can be formed, each of which includes a first electrode, an in-process resistive memory material portion, and a second electrode over the first electrically conductive line. The sidewalls of the in-process resistive memory material portions are laterally recessed with respect to sidewalls of the first electrode and the second electrode to form resistive memory material portions having reduced lateral dimensions. A dielectric material layer is formed by an anisotropic deposition to form annular cavities that laterally surround a respective one of the resistive memory material portions. Second electrically conductive lines can be formed on the second electrodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2018
    Assignee: SANDISK TECHNOLOGIES LLC
    Inventors: Federico Nardi, Chu-Chen Fu
  • Patent number: 10050197
    Abstract: A semiconductor structure includes a memory region. A memory structure is disposed on the memory region. The memory structure includes a first electrode, a resistance variable layer, a protection material and a second electrode. The first electrode has a top surface on the memory region. The resistance variable layer has at least a first portion and a second portion. The first portion is disposed over the top surface of the first electrode and the second portion extends upwardly from the first portion. The protection material surrounds the second portion of the resistance variable layer. The protection material is configurable to protect at least one conductive path in the resistance variable layer. The second electrode is disposed over the resistance variable layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2018
    Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kuo-Chi Tu, Chih-Yang Chang, Hsia-Wei Chen, Yu-Wen Liao, Chin-Chieh Yang, Wen-Ting Chu
  • Patent number: 10050087
    Abstract: A semiconductor memory device according to an embodiment includes: a substrate having a surface extending in a first direction and a second direction intersecting the first direction; and a memory cell array disposed above the substrate, the memory cell array having: a first wiring line extending in the first direction; a second wiring line extending in a third direction intersecting the first and second directions; a third wiring line extending in the second direction; a memory cell including a first layer provided in an intersection region of the first wiring line and the second wiring line; and a select transistor including a channel layer provided between the second wiring line and the third wiring line, the first layer of the memory cell including a first material which is an oxide, and the channel layer of the select transistor including the first material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2018
    Assignee: TOSHIBA MEMORY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shoichi Kabuyanagi, Masumi Saitoh, Marina Yamaguchi, Takashi Tachikawa
  • Patent number: 10050085
    Abstract: Three-dimensional memory structures that are configured to use area efficiently, and methods for providing three-dimensional memory structures that use area efficiently are provided. The vertical memory structure can include a number of bit line bits that is greater than a number of word line bits. In addition, the ratio of bit line bits to word line bits can be equal to a ratio of a first side a memory cell included in a memory array of the memory structure to a dimension of a second side of the memory cell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2018
    Assignee: Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation
    Inventor: Jun Sumino
  • Patent number: 10043854
    Abstract: An electronic device includes a transistor. The transistor includes: a substrate including an active region that extends in a first direction; a gate structure disposed in the substrate and crossing the active region in a second direction that crosses the first direction; recesses disposed in the active region on two sides of the gate structure in the first direction, a center of a bottom surface of a first recess being more depressed in a third direction than two edges of the bottom surface along the first direction, the third direction being perpendicular to the first and second directions; an insulating layer disposed in the first recess; and a junction layer disposed over the insulating layer in the first recess in the third direction, a top surface of the insulating layer being below the two edges of the bottom surface and having a smaller curvature than the bottom surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2018
    Assignee: SK HYNIX INC.
    Inventor: Jong-Han Shin
  • Patent number: 10042559
    Abstract: This technology provides an electronic device. An electronic device in accordance with an implementation of this document may include a semiconductor memory for storing data, and the semiconductor memory may include a free layer having a variable magnetization direction; a pinned layer having a pinned magnetization direction; a tunnel barrier layer interposed between the free layer and the pinned layer; and an interface enhancement layer interposed between the tunnel barrier layer and the pinned layer, wherein the interface enhancement layer may include an Fe-rich first layer; a Co-rich second layer formed over the first layer; and a metal layer formed over the second layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2018
    Assignee: SK hynix Inc.
    Inventors: Yang-Kon Kim, Guk-Cheon Kim, Ku-Youl Jung, Jong-Koo Lim, Won-Joon Choi
  • Patent number: 10026732
    Abstract: A bidirectional power semiconductor device with full turn-off control in both current directions and improved electrical and thermal properties is provided, the device comprises a plurality of first gate commutated thyristor (GCT) cells and a plurality of second GCT cells alternating with each other, a first base layer of each first GCT cell is separated from a neighbouring second anode layer of a neighbouring second GCT cell by a first separation region, and a second base layer of each second GCT cell is separated from a neighbouring first anode layer of a neighbouring first GCT cell by a second separation region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2018
    Assignee: ABB Schweiz AG
    Inventors: Munaf Rahimo, Martin Arnold, Umamaheswara Vemulapati
  • Patent number: 10026894
    Abstract: An example memristor includes a first conductive layer, a switching layer, and a second conductive layer. The first conductive layer may include a first conductive material and a second conductive material. The second conductive material may have a higher diffusivity than the first conductive material. The switching layer may be coupled to the first conductive layer and may include a first oxide having the first conductive material and a second oxide having the second conductive material. The second conductive layer may be coupled to the switching layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2018
    Assignee: HEWLETT-PACKARD DEVELOPMENT COMPANY, L.P.
    Inventors: Ning Ge, Jianhua Yang, Zhiyong Li, Minxian Zhang, Katy Samuels
  • Patent number: 10026895
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a memory device includes a superlattice structure portion containing first chalcogen-compound layers and second chalcogen-compound layers differing in composition from the first chalcogen-compound layers are alternately deposited, a first layer provided on one of main surfaces of the superlattice structure portion in a deposition direction thereof, which has a larger energy gap than that of the superlattice structure portion, and a second layer provided on the other main surface of the superlattice structure portion in the deposition direction, which has a larger energy gap than that of the superlattice structure portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2018
    Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
    Inventor: Yoshiki Kamata
  • Patent number: 10008665
    Abstract: Doping a storage element, a selector element, or both, of a memory cell with a dopant including one or more of aluminum (Al), zirconium (Zr), hafnium (Hf), and silicon (Si), can minimize volume or density changes in a phase change memory as well as minimize electromigration, in accordance with embodiments. In one embodiment, a memory cell includes a first electrode and a second electrode, and a storage element comprising a layer of doped phase change material between the first and second electrodes, wherein the doped phase change material includes one or more of aluminum, zirconium, hafnium, and silicon. The storage element, a selector element, or both can be doped using techniques such as cosputtering or deposition of alternating layers of a dopant layer and a storage (or selector) material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2018
    Inventors: Daniel Gealy, Andrea Gotti, Dale W. Collins, Swapnil A. Lengade
  • Patent number: 10002903
    Abstract: Implementations of the disclosed technology provide an electronic device including a semiconductor memory, wherein the semiconductor memory includes: a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) structure including a free layer having a changeable magnetization direction, a pinned layer having a pinned magnetization direction, and a tunnel barrier layer sandwiched between the free layer and the pinned layer; and an under layer located under the MTJ structure, wherein the under layer includes a first under layer including a silicon-based alloy, and a second under layer located on the first under layer and including a metal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2018
    Assignee: SK hynix Inc.
    Inventors: Jong-Koo Lim, Guk-Cheon Kim, Yang-Kon Kim, Ku-Youl Jung, Won-Joon Choi
  • Patent number: 10003015
    Abstract: A magnetic junction and method for providing the magnetic junction are described. The magnetic junction resides on a substrate and is usable in a magnetic device. The magnetic junction includes free and pinned layers separated by a nonmagnetic spacer layer. The free layer is switchable between stable magnetic states when a write current is passed through the magnetic junction. The free layer has a free layer perpendicular magnetic anisotropy energy greater than a free layer out-of-plane demagnetization energy. The free layer also includes a diluted magnetic layer having an out-of-plane demagnetization energy and a perpendicular magnetic anisotropy greater than the out-of-plane demagnetization energy. The diluted magnetic layer includes at least one magnetic material and at least one nonmagnetic material. The diluted magnetic layer has an exchange stiffness that is at least eighty percent of an exchange stiffness for the magnetic material(s).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2018
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Roman Chepulskyy, Dmytro Apalkov
  • Patent number: 9997701
    Abstract: A resistive memory structure, for example, phase change memory structure, includes one access device and two or more resistive memory cells. Each memory cell is coupled to a rectifying device to prevent parallel leak current from flowing through non-selected memory cells. In an array of resistive memory bit structures, resistive memory cells from different memory bit structures are stacked and share rectifying devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2018
    Assignee: OVONYX MEMORY TECHNOLOGY, LLC
    Inventors: Jun Liu, Michael P. Violette