Non-volatile solid state resistive switching devices
AssigneeThe Regents of the University of Michigan
InventorsWei Lu, Sung Hyun Jo
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Abstract
Non-crystalline silicon non-volatile resistive switching devices include a metal electrode, a non-crystalline silicon layer and a planar doped silicon electrode. An electrical signal applied to the metal electrode drives metal ions from the metal electrode into the non-crystalline silicon layer to form a conducting filament from the metal electrode to the planar doped silicon electrode to alter a resistance of the non-crystalline silicon layer. Another electrical signal applied to the metal electrode removes at least some of the metal ions forming the conducting filament from the non-crystalline silicon layer to further alter the resistance of the non-crystalline silicon layer.
Claims25
A non-volatile solid state resistive switching device comprising:
- a first electrode being a source of ions;
- a planar doped silicon second electrode;
- and
- a non-crystalline silicon layer having a resistance and being positioned to receive the ions from the first electrode wherein the ions are driven into the non-crystalline silicon layer to form a conducting filament from the first electrode to the second electrode to alter the resistance of the non-crystalline silicon layer when an electrical potential between the electrodes is greater than a first threshold electrical potential.
A silicon based memory device having a cell size less than or equal to 0.01 μm2.
A memory system comprising:
- an array of non-volatile solid state resistive switching devices wherein each switching device of the array includes
- (i) a first electrode being a source of ions,
- (ii) a planar doped silicon second electrode, and
- (iii) a non-crystalline silicon layer having a resistance and being positioned to receive the ions from the first electrode wherein the ions are driven into the non-crystalline silicon layer to form a conducting filament from the first electrode to the second electrode to alter the resistance of the non-crystalline silicon layer when an electrical potential between the electrodes is greater than a first threshold electrical potential.
A memory system comprising:
- a plurality of metal electrodes being a source of ions;
- a plurality of planar doped silicon electrodes wherein the plurality of metal electrodes and planar doped silicon electrodes form a crossbar structure;
- and
- a non-crystalline silicon layer having a resistance and being positioned to receive the ions from the metal electrodes wherein the ions from one of the metal electrodes are driven into a portion of the non-crystalline silicon layer to form a conducting filament from the one metal electrode to one of the plurality of planar doped silicon electrodes adjacent to the one metal electrode to alter the resistance of the portion of the non-crystalline silicon layer when an electrical potential between the one metal electrode and the one planar doped silicon electrode is greater than a first threshold electrical potential.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.