Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-ndw9j Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-07T21:22:04.630Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Nonvolatile Silicon Memory at the Nanoscale

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 January 2011

Helena Silva ,
Moon Kyung Kim ,
Uygar Avci ,
Arvind Kumar  and
Sandip Tiwari
Get access

Abstract

The key challenges for memories that operate at the nanoscale and that are compatible with mainstream semiconductor processing are in achieving the performance characteristics that make the integration of hundreds of millions or more of such devices feasible. The concept of harnessing a single electron or just a few electrons for memory storage is very appealing, but among the issues to address are the increased variance, smaller signal, and numerous other consequences of the reduced statistics resulting from reduced number of carriers employed. Coupling a few electrons to a transistor channel provides a structure with the power gain and the necessary current for fast memory-state detection as well as compatibility with mainstream processing. Several recent ideas, such as the use of nanocrystals and defects, and decoupling storage from the read process, provide paths to addressing the issues of power, speed, technology compatibility, and variability in these structures.We discuss several approaches to nanoscale nonvolatile silicon memory, their attributes, and the underlying materials issues, with a focus on finding the design compromises necessary to enable their manufacturability.

Keywords

nanoscale memorynonvolatile silicon memorysilicon technologysingleelectron effects.
Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Bulletin , Volume 29 , Issue 11: High-Performance Emerging Solid-State Memory Technologies , November 2004 , pp. 845 - 851
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2004

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1Neugebauer, C.A. and Webb, M.B.J. Appl. Phys. 33 (1962) p. 74.Google Scholar
2Fulton, T.A. and Dolan, G.J.Phys. Rev. Lett. 59 (1987) p. 109.Google Scholar
3Fujiwara, A. and Takahashi, Y.Nature 410 (2001) p. 560.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
4Yoo, M.J.Fulton, T.A.Hess, H.F.Willett, R.L.Dunkleberger, L.N.Chichester, R.J.Pfeiffer, L.N. and West, K.W.Science 276 (1997) p. 579.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
5Yano, K.Ishii, T.Hashimoto, T.Kobayashi, T.Murai, F. and Seki, K.IEDM Tech. Dig. (Institute of Electronic and Electrical Engineers, Piscataway, NJ, 1993) p. 541.Google Scholar
6Tiwari, S.Rana, F.Chan, K.Hanafi, H.Chan, W. and Buchanan, D.IEDM Tech. Dig. (Institute of Electronic and Electrical Engineers, Piscataway, NJ, 1995) p. 521.Google Scholar
7Salvo, B. De, Gerardi, C.Lombardo, S.Barno, T.Perniola, L.Mariolle, D.Mur, P.Toffoli, A.Gely, M.Semeria, M.N.Deleonibus, S.Ammendola, G.Ancarani, V.Melanotte, M.Bez, R.Baldi, L.Corso, D.Crupi, I.Puglisi, R.A.Nicotra, G.Rimini, E.Mazen, F.Ghibaudo, G.Pananakakis, G.Compagnoni, C. Monzio, Ielmini, D.Cacaita, A.Spinelli, A.Wan, Y.M. and Jeugd, K. van der, IEDM Tech. Dig. (Institute of Electronic and Electrical Engineers, Piscataway, NJ, 2003) p. 597.Google Scholar
8Muralidhar, R.Steimle, R.F.Sadd, M.Rao, R.Swift, C.T.Prinz, E.J.Yater, J.Grieve, L.Harber, K.Hradsky, B.Straub, S.Acred, B.Paulson, W.Chen, W.Parker, L.Anderson, S.G.H.Rossow, M.Merchant, T.Paransky, M.Huynh, T.Hadad, D. K.-Chang, M. and White, B.E.IEDM Tech. Dig. (Institute of Electronic and Electrical Engineers, Piscataway, NJ, 2003) p. 601.Google Scholar
9See, for example, the digests of the IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting and Silicon Nanoelectronics Workshop from 1999 onward. These include examples using metal nanocrystals and a variety of dielectrics.Google Scholar
10Rana, F.Tiwari, S. and Welser, J.J.Superlattices Microstruct. 23 (1998) p. 757.Google Scholar
11Particularly reproducible nanocrystals have been achieved using an aerogel process. See Blauwe, J. De, IEEE Trans. Nanotechnol. 1 (2002) p. 72.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
12Several examples of these-metal nanocrystals and different dielectrics-are presented in the technical digests of International Electron Device Meetings, 1998-C2004.Google Scholar
13Tiwari, S.Welser, J.J. and Solomon, P.IEDM Tech. Dig. (Institute of Electronic and Electrical Engineers, Piscataway, NJ, 1998) p. 737.Google Scholar
14For a recent discussion, see Bu, J. and White, M.H.Solid-State Electron. 45 (2001) p. 113.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
15Kim, M.K.Chae, S.D.Kim, J.H.Yoon, S.W.Yeong, Y.S.Silva, H.Tiwari, S. and Kim, S.Tech. Dig. Silicon Nanoelectronics Workshop (Institute of Electronic and Electrical Engineers, Piscataway, NJ, 2003) p. 60.Google Scholar
16Kumar, A. and Tiwari, S.IEEE Trans. Nanotechnol. 1 (4) (2002) p. 247.Google Scholar
17Bruel, M.Electron. Lett. 31 (1995) p. 1201.Google Scholar
18Avci, U. and Tiwari, S.Appl. Phys. Lett. 84 (2004) p. 2406.Google Scholar
19Silva, H. and Tiwari, S.IEEE Trans. Nanotechnol. 3 (2004) p. 264.Google Scholar