US Patent 7405420 - Chalcogenide nanowire memory

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7405420.html

Phase change memory is a possible alternative to Flash memory in future applications and works based on the conversion of chalcogenide material between crystalline (low resistance) and amorphous (high resistance) states. This patent from Stanford University teaches using chalcogenide based nanowires in the memory construction. Claim 1 reads:

1. A chalcogenide-based memory device comprising:

chalcogenide-based nanowires;

a layer, between the chalcogenide-based nanowires, to provide at least some insulation therebetween;

a line electrically connected to at least some of the chalcogenide-based nanowires; and

a control circuit to control and to communicatively couple to at least one of the chalcogenide-based nanowires for accessing data.