Modeling of the Temperature Profiles and Thermoelectric Effects in Phase Change Memory Cells

Phase change memory (PCM) is an important element in the development and realization of new forms of brain-like computing. In this article, a three-dimensional finite element method simulation is carried out to study the temperature profiles within PCM cells for a better understanding of switching o...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Applied sciences 2018-07, Vol.8 (8), p.1238
Main Authors: Ma, Changcheng, He, Jing, Lu, Jingjing, Zhu, Jie, Hu, Zuoqi
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Computer simulation
Cooling
Cooling rate
cooling rates
Crystallization
Electric currents
Electrodes
finite element modeling
Heat conductivity
Heating rate
Isothermal annealing
Memory cells
Peltier effects
phase change memory
Polarity
Temperature profiles
Temperature requirements
thermoelectric effects
Thermoelectricity
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Summary:Phase change memory (PCM) is an important element in the development and realization of new forms of brain-like computing. In this article, a three-dimensional finite element method simulation is carried out to study the temperature profiles within PCM cells for a better understanding of switching operations. On the basis of a finite difference method, the simulation consists of phase transition kinetics, electrical, thermal, percolation effect, as well as thermoelectric effects, using temperature-dependent material parameters. The Thomson effect within the phase-change material and the Peltier effect at the electrode contact are respectively considered for a detailed analysis of the impact on the temperature profiles and the programming current for switching processes. The simulation results show that switching operations are primarily implemented by the melting and quenching of the phase-change material close to the contact between the bottom electrode and phase change material, and its final phase distribution is determined by the cooling rate. With positive current polarity, thermoelectric effects improve heating efficiency and then reduce the programming current. Because of the different occurrence region, the Peltier effect significantly changes the temperature profile, which is more influential in switching operations. Additionally, the contribution of thermoelectric effects decreases with the cell size scaling because of the weakening of the Peltier effect. This paper aims at providing a more precise description of the thermoelectric phenomena taking place in switching operations for future PCM design.
ISSN:2076-3417
2076-3417
DOI:10.3390/app8081238