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Ovonic threshold switching selectors for three-dimensional stackable phase-change memory

  • Phase-Change Materials in Electronics and Photonics
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Abstract

High-current switching performance of ovonic threshold switching (OTS) selectors have successfully enabled the commercialization of high-density three-dimensional (3D) stackable phase-change memory in Intel’s 3D Xpoint technology. This bridges the huge performance gap between dynamic random access memory (DRAM) and Flash. Similar to phase-change memory, OTS uses chalcogenide-based materials, but whereas phase-change memory reversibly switches between a high-resistance amorphous phase and a low-resistance crystalline phase, OTS freezes in the amorphous phase. In this article, we review recent developments in OTS materials and their performance in devices, especially current density and selectivity. Advantages and challenges of OTS devices in the integration with the phase-change memory are discussed. We introduce the evolution of theoretical models for explaining the OTS behavior, including thermal runaway, field-induced nucleation, and generation/recombination of charge carriers.

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Acknowledgments

This work is supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2017YFB0206101), the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (XDPB12), and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (61504157). M. Zhu acknowledges support by the Hundred Talents Program (Chinese Academy of Sciences) and Shanghai Pujiang Talent Program (18PJ1411100).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology, China

    Min Zhu

  2. Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology, Hangzhou Dianzi University, China

    Kun Ren

  3. Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology, China

    Zhitang Song

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  1. Min Zhu
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Correspondence to Min Zhu.

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Zhu, M., Ren, K. & Song, Z. Ovonic threshold switching selectors for three-dimensional stackable phase-change memory. MRS Bulletin 44, 715–720 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1557/mrs.2019.206

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