Thermal Confinement by Monolayer MoS2 for Reduced RESET Current in Phase Change Memory Pillar Cells

• Published in: ACS applied electronic materials 2024-07, Vol.6 (7), p.5222-5229
• Main Authors: Muneer, Sadid, Chowdhury, Muhammad Aminul Haque, Kabiruzzaman, Md, Shahnewaz, Shafat, Noor, Nafisa, Hossain, Mainul
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 2637-6113; 2637-6113
• DOI: 10.1021/acsaelm.4c00721

Phase change memory (PCM) is one of the most promising nonvolatile memory technologies for high-density, high-endurance, fast-switching, and multilevel data storage. However, the high RESET current requirement remains a critical bottleneck in the development of PCM technology. In this work, we propose a pillar-shaped PCM device that consists of a Ge2Sb2Te5 (GST) layer sandwiched between the top and the bottom TiN electrodes. An atomically thin layer of MoS2 is grown on top of the oxidized bottom TiN layer. A filament formed through the TiO2 and MoS2 layers enables electrical conduction, while the high thermal resistivity of MoS2 ensures excellent thermal confinement within the GST layer. Finite element simulations show a 91% reduction in RESET current brought about by the filament, while the use of MoS2 yields a further ∼30% decrease in the switching power. The results presented here demonstrate the potential use of two-dimensional (2D) materials with conventional PCM cells to reduce switching power.