Application of ordered mesoporous SiO2 film for low power consumption in phase-change memory

This article presents an application of ordered mesoporous films to phase-change memory (PCM). Though ordered mesoporous SiO2 films have attracted attention due to their regular arrangement of nanometer-sized pores, they have not yet become an integral component in any application and have not been produced in a practical manner. Also, even though PCMs are potential next-generation memory devices, they have not made large market due to high power consumption, heat interference, and other shortcomings. In this work, ordered mesoporous SiO2 films were applied to an interlayer dielectric in PCM as a thermal insulating layer, resulting in one-quarter lower power consumption in PCM devices through the reduction of the power consumed in the RESET operation.

Graphical abstractAn application of ordered mesoporous SiO2 film with pore diameter of 2.2 nm and BCC pore structure to thermal insulation layer in phase-change memory can reduce the power consumption (VTH_RESET2/RSET) by a factor of 4.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slideHighlights► Ordered mesoporous SiO2 film with low thermal conductivity. ► Application of mesoporous film to thermal insulating layer in phase-change memory. ► Thermal insulating layer minimizes heat loss along involuntary path. ► Thermal insulating layer leads to confinement of Joule heat in phase-change material. ► Application of mesoporous film reduced power consumption in phase-change memory.