I-Corps: Low Power Memory Chips

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.