IN-SITU ENCAPSULATION OF METAL-INSULATOR-METAL (MIM) STACKS FOR RESISTIVE RANDOM ACCESS MEMORY (RERAM) CELLS

摘要

Methods are provided herein for improving oxygen content control in a Metal-Insulator-Metal (MIM) stack of an RERAM cell, while also maintaining throughput. More specifically, a single chamber solution is provided herein for etching and encapsulating the MIM stack of an RERAM cell to control the oxygen content in the memory cell dielectric of the RERAM cell. According to one embodiment, a non-oxygen-containing dielectric encapsulation layer is deposited onto the MIM stack in-situ while the substrate remains within the processing chamber used to etch the MIM stack. By etching the MIM stack and depositing the encapsulation layer within the same processing chamber, the techniques described herein minimize the exposure of the memory cell dielectric to oxygen, while maintaining throughput.