Sub-picowatt volatile memory cell based on double-barrier tunnel junction

Abstract

A bistable resistor as a volatile memory is proposed. A silicon island sandwiched with a double barrier oxide tunnel junction is used as storage node. The write operations are conducted by direct tunneling. The charges are localized on one side of the two silicon-oxide interfaces, and the position of the charge is interchanged upon the polarity of the applied voltages. The bistable data states are clearly identified and all operations are performed under a voltage below 1 V and a current below 1 pA. The present device can be a promising candidate for ultra low-power capacitorless dynamic random access memory. © 2014 AIP Publishing LLC.