Non-volatile transistor element including a buried ferroelectric material based storage mechanism

A non-volatile storage transistor element, comprising:

• a channel region;
• a gate electrode structure positioned to control current flow in said channel region;
• and
• a buried insulating layer formed below said channel region, said buried insulating layer comprising a ferroelectric material so as to provide a storage mechanism for storing information in a non-volatile manner.

A method, comprising:

• selecting a first polarization state of a ferroelectric material formed near a channel region of a transistor element;
• selecting a first storage state of at least one of a charge trapping material and a second ferroelectric material formed near said channel region;
• assigning a first logic state to a first channel condition induced by said first polarization state and said first storage state;
• selecting a second storage state of said at least one of a charge trapping material and a second ferroelectric material;
• assigning a second logic state to a second channel condition induced by said first polarization state and said second storage state;
• and
• assigning at least one further logic state to one of said first and second storage states when combined with a second polarization state of said ferroelectric material, said first and second polarization states being inverse to each other.