I-Corps: Low Power Memory Chips

这个I-Corps项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力是开发先进的存储设备。 预计到2025年，存储器行业将占整个半导体市场（约6500亿美元）的27%（约1750亿美元），并在计算机系统，电子产品，数据中心和云服务系统中发挥着至关重要的作用。 目前，NAND闪存技术（占主导地位的存储技术）具有若干缺点，诸如器件缩放、有限的耐久性、低操作写入速度，并且需要高写入电压和高功耗。 所提出的技术是基于电阻式随机存取存储器（RRAM）的非易失性存储器（NVM）技术，由于其简单的结构、允许存储更多数据的优异可扩展性的可能性、允许更快的数据访问和处理的纳秒操作速度以及更低的功耗，其为当前存储器技术的挑战提供了有竞争力的解决方案。这增加了设备的电池寿命并降低了成本。 所提出的RRAM可以用于各种物联网（IoT）设备中，以实现更快的数据处理和更长的电池寿命。此外，汽车行业可能会将该技术用于高级驾驶员辅助系统和自动驾驶系统，以提供高性能存储。这个I-Corps项目是基于超低功耗（10 - 200 nW）电阻式随机存取存储器（RRAM）器件的开发。本文对所提出的RRAM器件的电极、载流子输运、接触层之间的界面特性以及电阻开关层进行了系统研究。 这些器件在10 nA工作电流下具有超低功耗、出色的阻变特性（如具有集中SET和RESET电压的高度均匀I-V特性）和出色的稳定性。 此外，这些提出的RRAM器件具有多位存储能力，具有高罗夫/罗恩比（103）。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is the development of advanced memory devices. The memory sector is expected to take ~27% (~175 billion USD) of the total semiconductor market (~650 billion USD) by 2025 and plays a crucial role in computer systems, electronic gadgets, data centers, and cloud service systems. Currently, NAND flash technology, the dominant storage technology, has several disadvantages such as device scaling, limited endurance, low operational writing speed and requires a high write voltage and high-power consumption. The proposed technology is a resistive random-access memory (RRAM)-based non-volatile memory (NVM) technology that offers competitive solutions to the challenges of current memory technology due to its simple structure, the possibility of excellent scalability, which allows for the storage of more data, nanosecond operation speed, which allows for faster access and processing of data, and nanowatts power consumption, which increases the battery life of devices and reduces costs. The proposed RRAM may be used in a variety of Internet of Things (IoT) devices to enable faster data processing and longer battery life. In addition, the automotive industry may adopt this technology for advanced driver assistance systems and autonomous driving systems to provide high performance storage. This I-Corps project is based on the development of ultralow power (10 – 200 nW) resistive random-access memory (RRAM) devices. The proposed RRAM devices including the electrodes, carrier transport, interface properties between the contacts, and resistive switching layers of the have been systematically studied. The devices exhibit ultra-low power operation under a 10 nA operating current with excellent resistive switching characteristics, such as highly uniform I-V characteristics with concentrated SET and RESET voltages, and excellent stability. In addition, these proposed RRAM devices have multi-bit storage capability with a high Roff/Ron ratio (103). The multi-bit resistive switching behaviors of the RRAM devices at a low compliance current pave the way for low-power and high-density data storage applications.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.