US Patent 8193029 - Nanowire PCRAM

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/8193029.html

This patent from Samsung teaches scaling phase change memory to dimensions in the range of 1-25 square nanometers. Additional advantages include a smaller switching current and higher operational speed. Claim 1 reads:

1. A method of manufacturing a phase-change random access memory (PRAM) device, comprising:

forming a lower electrode through an insulating layer;

forming a phase-change nanowire to be electrically connected to the lower electrode using a single element; and

forming an upper electrode electrically connected to the phase-change nanowire.