Intel and Numonyx Unveil Stacked, Cross Point Phase Change Memory

Intel and Numonyx held a press conference earlier today to discuss a phase change memory (PCM) breakthrough many years in the making. The companies have been jointly exploring the possibilities of multi-layered or stacked PCM cell arrays, and have finally been able to demonstrate a 64Mb test chip that has the ability.

These vertically integrated memory cells, dubbed PCMS (phase change memory and switch), will be comprised of one PCM element layered with an Ovonic Threshold Switch (OTS) in a true cross point array.

Intel and Numonx PCMS, Phase Change Memory and Switch

PCM memory uses material state as an identifier, either crystalline or amorphous, to determine the state of a cell (1 or 0) and doesn't require the higher voltages of traditional storage memory, like NAND flash, to function. PCM arrays can be built down to geometries of 5nm or smaller and can alter memory contents at the bit level rather than the block modification necessary with NAND which in-turn can offer lower latency. PCM has DRAM-like features but is also non-volatile and with its stackability, scalability should be much higher than NAND.  The companies claim a Moore's Law type of density scaling is possible in future generation storage devices.

The official press release regarding the announcement is posted below...

INTEL AND NUMONYX ACHIEVE RESEARCH MILESTONE WITH STACKED, CROSS POINT PHASE CHANGE MEMORY TECHNOLOGY

New Research Discovery Paves Way for Scalable, Higher Density Phase Change Memory Products

SANTA CLARA, Calif., and GENEVA – Oct. 28, 2009 – Intel Corporation and Numonyx B.V. today announced a key breakthrough in the research of phase change memory (PCM), a new non-volatile memory technology that combines many of the benefits of today's various memory types. For the first time, researchers have demonstrated a 64Mb test chip that enables the ability to stack, or place, multiple layers of PCM arrays within a single die. These findings pave the way for building memory devices with greater capacity, lower power consumption and optimal space savings for random access non-volatile memory and storage applications.

The achievements are a result of an ongoing joint research program between Numonyx and Intel that has been focusing on the exploration of multi-layered or stacked PCM cell arrays. Intel and Numonyx researchers are now able to demonstrate a vertically integrated memory cell – called PCMS (phase change memory and switch). PCMS is comprised of one PCM element layered with a newly used Ovonic Threshold Switch (OTS) in a true cross point array. The ability to layer or stack arrays of PCMS provides the scalability to higher memory densities while maintaining the performance characteristics of PCM, a challenge that is becoming increasingly more difficult to maintain with traditional memory technologies.