PHASE CHANGE MEMORY WITH GRADED HEATER

A heater, a system, and a method for linearly changing the resistance of the phase change memory through a graded heater. The system may include a phase change memory. The phase change memory may include a dielectric. The phase change memory may also include a heater patterned on the dielectric, the heater including: an outside conductive heating layer that has a higher resistance than other layers of the heater, and an inside conductive heating layer that has a lower resistance than the outside conductive heating layer, where the outside conductive heating layer is at an outside area of the heater and the inside conductive heating layer is at an inside area of the heater. The phase change memory may also include a phase change material proximately connected to the heater. The phase change memory may also include a top electrode proximately connected to the phase change material.