University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

A Compact Thermal Model for Segmented Nanowire Phase-Change Memory Cells

Chen, I-Ju

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/45906

Description

Title
  • A Compact Thermal Model for Segmented Nanowire Phase-Change Memory Cells
  • A Compact Thermal Model for Segmented Nanowire Phase-Change
Author(s)
Chen, I-Ju
Contributor(s)
Pop, Eric
Issue Date
2008-12
Keyword(s)
  • phase-change memory
  • thermal modeling
  • nanowires
  • nanowire modeling
Abstract
Phase-change memory (PCM) is a promising candidate for next-generation nonvolatile data storage. However, reducing power consumption for PCM cells remains a key challenge, and optimization of write current/power requires a more complete understanding and modeling of the temperature dependence on cell geometry and material properties. Here, a compact model is introduced to show the temperature distribution in cylindrical nanowire phase-change memory (PCM) cells for both transient (~nanosecond) and steady-state time scales. The model takes advantage of the symmetry of the cell to efficiently calculate temperature distribution dependence on geometry and material/interface properties. The results are compared with data from the literature and with finite-element simulations, showing improved computation speed by up to two orders of magnitude. Programming current sensitivity to cell dimensions and material properties is investigated, indicating that nanowire diameter and thermal boundary resistance play the strongest role in enhancing PCM energy efficiency. The model proposed here enables the efficient simulation of PCM cell arrays using circuit simulators such as SPICE.
Type of Resource
text
Language
en
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http://hdl.handle.net/2142/45906

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