Innovative Low-Power Self-Nanoconfined Phase-Change Memory

In this article, we demonstrate at array level and in industrial-like devices, the extreme scaling down to nanometric dimensions of the phase-change memory (PCM) technology due to an innovative self-nanoconfined PCM (SNC PCM) device. We show how such solution based on an optimized GeN/GeSbTe stack enables programming down to 50
$\mu \text{A}$
and endurance up to more than
$10^{{8}}$
cycles in 4-kb arrays, with the huge advantage of having no dependence on the critical lithography dimension used. We further demonstrate that the high thermal confinement achieved in such extremely confined PCM makes the engineering of the SET pulse becoming fundamental in order to ensure a reduced SET resistance drift. Moreover, due to physicochemical analyses and 3-D TCAD electrothermal simulations, we demonstrate the SNC phenomenon, revealing an effective scaling of the PCM down to around 12 nm and how it improves the thermal efficiency of the device due to a reduced current density and thermal stress in the system.