High-Speed Memory from Carbon Nanotube Field-Effect Transistors with High-κ Gate Dielectric

Abstract

We demonstrate 100 ns write/erase speed of single-walled carbon nanotube field-effect transistor (SWCNT-FET) memory elements. With this high operation speed, SWCNT-FET memory elements can compete with state of the art commercial Flash memories in this figure of merit. The endurance of the memory elements is shown to exceed 104 cycles. The SWCNT-FETs have atomic layer deposited hafnium oxide as a gate dielectric, and the devices are passivated by another hafnium oxide layer in order to reduce surface chemistry effects. We discuss a model where the hafnium oxide has defect states situated above, but close in energy to, the band gap of the SWCNT. The fast and efficient charging and discharging of these defects is a likely explanation for the observed operation speed of 100 ns which greatly exceeds the SWCNT-FET memory speeds of 10 ms observed earlier for devices with conventional gate oxides.

Fast, microwave-assisted synthesis of monodisperse HfO2 nanoparticles

“…It can play a role in the continuous down-scaling of integrated circuits since new insulating materials with a high dielectric constant are being researched to replace SiO2 as a gate dielectric (Wilk et al 2001;Dahal and Chikan 2012;Molina et al 2012a;Molina et al 2012b;Rinkio et al 2009). HfO2 thin layers are highly promising as high-κ dielectric layers in CMOS technology and as dielectric capacitor layers in DRAMs (Wilk et al 2001).…”

Carbon nanostraws: nanotubes filled with superparamagnetic nanoparticles

“…In recent years, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been used in many potential applications including nano-devices, sensors, ultrahigh strength engineered fibers, quantum wires, and catalyst supports [1][2][3][4][5][6][7].…”

Surface plasmon effects on carbon nanotube field effect transistors

“…Notable is that the CNT FETs made with an SU-8 dielectric layer showed almost no hysteresis in the gate sweep curves (not shown). 20 When the laser beam was set to allow SPP excitation (p-polarized), the current response is suppressed and shifted to the left in Fig. 2…”