DocumentCode :
3535111
Title :
A low power 77 K nano-memory with single electron nano-crystal storage
Author :
Tiwari, S. ; Rana, F. ; Wei Chen ; Chan, K. ; Hanafi, H.
Author_Institution :
IBM Thomas J. Watson Res. Center, Yorktown Heights, NY, USA
fYear :
1995
fDate :
19-21 June 1995
Firstpage :
50
Lastpage :
51
Abstract :
We present experimental results of a threshold-shifting nano-memory. The observations are consistent with single electron storage in nano-crystals and offer possible evidence of Coulomb blockade at 77 K. The nano-memory consists of a silicon field-effect transistor with nano-crystals of silicon placed in the gate oxide in close proximity of the inversion surface. Electron charge is stored in these isolated 5-10 nm size nano-crystals which are separated from each other by >5 nm of SiO/sub 2/ and from the inversion layer on the substrate surface by sub-2 nm of SiO/sub 2/. Charge is injected from the inversion layer and its storage in the nano-crystals causes a shift in the threshold voltage which is sensed via current. The magnitude of this threshold shift is relatable to the charge in the nano-crystals, oxide thicknesses, and other device parameters. The uniqueness of this work is that this is the first memory utilizing single electron storage in a mainstream silicon technology which operates at low powers and yet does not sacrifice the drive current, reproducibility, and noise margin needs of a practical memory technology. It should also be possible to extend the concept to room temperature by utilizing the suspected Coulomb blockade behavior in nanocrystals of 3 nm size.
Keywords :
MOS memory circuits; cryogenic electronics; integrated circuit measurement; integrated circuit noise; inversion layers; nanotechnology; quantum interference devices; single electron transistors; 5 to 10 nm; 77 K; Coulomb blockade; Si-SiO/sub 2/; device parameters; drive current; field-effect transistor; gate oxide; inversion layer; inversion surface; noise margin; oxide thicknesses; reproducibility; single electron nanocrystal storage; threshold shift; threshold voltage; threshold-shifting nanomemory; Crystals; Current measurement; Current-voltage characteristics; Diodes; Electrical resistance measurement; Electrons; Nanoscale devices; Silicon; Voltage;
fLanguage :
English
Publisher :
ieee
Conference_Titel :
Device Research Conference, 1995. Digest. 1995 53rd Annual
Conference_Location :
Charlottesville, VA, USA
Print_ISBN :
0-7803-2788-8
Type :
conf
DOI :
10.1109/DRC.1995.496266
Filename :
496266
Link To Document :
بازگشت