Non-volatile memory with self-assembled ferrocene charge trapping layer

A metal/oxide/molecule/oxide/Si capacitor structure containing redox-active ferrocene molecules has been fabricated for non-volatile memory application. Cyclic voltammetry and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were used to measure the molecules in the structure, showing that the molecules attach on SiO2/Si and the molecules are functional after device fabrication. These solid-state molecular memory devices have fast charge-storage speed and can endure more than 109 program/erase cycles. This excellent performance is derived from the intrinsic properties of the redox-active molecules and the hybrid Si-molecular device structure. These molecular devices are very attractive for future high-level non-volatile memory applications.

[1]  Tuo-Hung Hou,et al.  Redox Molecules for a Resonant Tunneling Barrier in Nonvolatile Memory , 2012, IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices.

[2]  Jonathan S. Lindsey,et al.  Multiple-bit storage properties of porphyrin monolayers on SiO2 , 2004 .

[3]  Y. Yeo,et al.  Electrical Characteristics of Memory Devices With a High- $k$ $\hbox{HfO}_{2}$ Trapping Layer and Dual $\hbox{SiO}_{2}/\hbox{Si}_{3}\hbox{N}_{4}$ Tunneling Layer , 2007, IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices.

[4]  J. Fraser Stoddart,et al.  Models of charge transport and transfer in molecular switch tunnel junctions of bistable catenanes and rotaxanes , 2006 .

[5]  Properties of functionalized redox-active monolayers on thin silicon dioxide-a study of the dependence of retention time on oxide thickness , 2005, IEEE Transactions on Nanotechnology.

[6]  Helmut Baumgart,et al.  Fabrication, characterization and simulation of high performance Si nanowire-based non-volatile memory cells , 2011, Nanotechnology.

[7]  Jonathan S. Lindsey,et al.  Molecular Memories That Survive Silicon Device Processing and Real-World Operation , 2003, Science.

[8]  Adam Johan Bergren,et al.  Progress with Molecular Electronic Junctions: Meeting Experimental Challenges in Design and Fabrication , 2009, Advanced materials.

[9]  Improved memory characteristics by NH3-nitrided GdO as charge storage layer for nonvolatile memory applications , 2012 .

[10]  Tung-Sheng Chen,et al.  Performance improvement of SONOS memory by bandgap engineering of charge-trapping layer , 2004 .

[11]  Nicholas A. Melosh,et al.  Creating large area molecular electronic junctions using atomic layer deposition , 2008 .

[12]  V. Misra,et al.  Hybrid silicon/molecular FETs: a study of the interaction of redox-active molecules with silicon MOSFETs , 2006, IEEE Transactions on Nanotechnology.

[13]  Tuo-Hung Hou,et al.  Integration of Self-Assembled Redox Molecules in Flash Memory Devices , 2011, IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices.

[14]  Francisco Zaera,et al.  Measurements of electron-transfer rates of charge-storage molecular monolayers on Si(100). Toward hybrid molecular/semiconductor information storage devices. , 2003, Journal of the American Chemical Society.

[15]  R. McCreery,et al.  Molecular Electronic Junctions , 2004 .

[16]  Jonathan S. Lindsey,et al.  Electrical characterization of redox-active molecular monolayers on SiO2 for memory applications , 2003 .

[17]  Veena Misra,et al.  A molecular memory device formed by HfO2 encapsulation of redox-active molecules , 2007 .