Oxygen-doped gesbte phase-change memory cells featuring 1.5 V/100-μA standard 0.13μm CMOS operations

Abstract

We demonstrated the operation of phase-change memory cells that enabled 1.5-V/100-muA programming through a tungsten-bottom-electrode contact with a diameter of 180 nm. This is the lowest power ever reported. This was achieved with oxygen-doped GeSbTe, and resulted from the high electric resistance of the germanium oxides in this material. Germanium oxides were also estimated to restrain the growth of crystal in GeSbTe, and our cells maintained a 10-year thermal lifetime at 100 degC