Abstract: A method for manufacturing a mushroom-cell type phase change memory is based upon manufacturing a pillar of bottom electrode material upon a substrate including an array of conductive contacts in electrical communication with access circuitry. A layer of electrode material is deposited making reliable electrical contact with the array of conductive contacts. Electrode material is etched to form a pattern of electrode pillars on corresponding conductive contacts. Next, a dielectric material is deposited over the pattern and planarized to provide an electrode surface exposing top surfaces of the electrode pillars. Next, a layer of programmable resistive material, such as a chalcogenide or other phase change material, is deposited, followed by deposition of a layer of a top electrode material. A device including bottom electrode pillars with larger bottom surfaces than top surfaces is described.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a mushroom-cell type phase change memory is based upon manufacturing a pillar of bottom electrode material upon a substrate including an array of conductive contacts in electrical communication with access circuitry. A layer of electrode material is deposited making reliable electrical contact with the array of conductive contacts. Electrode material is etched to form a pattern of electrode pillars on corresponding conductive contacts. Next, a dielectric material is deposited over the pattern and planarized to provide an electrode surface exposing top surfaces of the electrode pillars. Next, a layer of programmable resistive material, such as a chalcogenide or other phase change material, is deposited, followed by deposition of a layer of a top electrode material. A device including bottom electrode pillars with larger bottom surfaces than top surfaces is described.

Abstract: Photonic crystal apparatus and a method for fabricating a photonic crystal apparatus. The photonic crystal apparatus includes a photonic crystal having a dielectric body formed of a first dielectric material having relatively high index of refraction, and a periodic lattice in the dielectric body formed of a second dielectric material having a relatively low index of refraction. The second dielectric material comprises a solid-state dielectric material having a dielectric coefficient of about 2.7 or lower for providing a relatively large contrast between the index of refraction of the dielectric body and the index of refraction of the periodic lattice.

Abstract: The present invention is a method for optical data storage which enhances the contrast between ON and OFF pixels. The method comprises writing a two-dimensional image comprising a plurality of pixels into a recording medium with the exposure of individual ON pixels during the recording of the image. The ON pixels are then switched off and OFF pixels are switched on, and the phase of either the object beam or reference beam is changed. The process results in subtraction of residual signal from the OFF pixels.

Abstract: The present invention is a method for optical data storage which compensates for deterministic variations. The method comprises writing a two-dimensional image comprising a plurality of pixels into a recording medium while varying the exposure of individual ON pixels during the recording of the image to expose the weaker pixels more than brighter pixels.