US 6,624,002 B2Granted

Bistable molecular mechanical devices with an appended rotor activated by an electric field for electronic switching, gating and memory applications

AssigneeHewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.

InventorsAlexandre M. Bratkovski, Pavel Kornilovich, R. Stanley Williams, Xiao-An Zhang

Life of this patent

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Abstract

In accordance with the present invention, nanometer-scale reversible electronic switches are provided that can be assembled to make cross-bar circuits that provide memory, logic, and communications functions. The electronic switches, or crossed-wire devices, comprise a pair of crossed wires that form a junction where one wire crosses another at an angle other than zero degrees and at least one connector species connecting the pair of crossed wires in the junction. The junction has a functional dimension in nanometers, wherein at least one connector species and the pair of crossed wires forms an electrochemical cell. The connector species comprises a bistable molecule having a general formula given by The bistable molecules evidence high switching speed. Such molecules are essentially stable against switching due to thermal fluctuations.

Claims4

Dependent claims

A method of fabricating a crossed-wire device comprising a pair of crossed wires which form a junction where one wire crosses another and at least one connector species connecting said pair of crossed wires in said junction, said junction having a functional dimension in nanometers, said method comprising (a) forming said first wire, (b) depositing said at least one connector species over at least a portion of said first wire, and (c) forming said second wire over said first wire so as to form said junction, wherein said at least one connector species comprises a bistable molecule having a general formula given by

where the letters in Formula (I) mean any of the following:
A=CH;
N;
C-alkyl;
C-halogen;
C—OH;
C—OR(ether);
C—SR(thioether);
C-amide;
C-ester or thioester;
B=CH;
N;
C-alkyl;
C-halogen;
;
C—OH;
C—OR(ether);
C—SR(thioether);
C-amide;
C-ester or thioester;
D=CH;
N;
C-alkyl;
C-halogen;
C—OH;
C—OR(ether);
C—SR(thioether);
C-amide;
C-ester or thioester;
E=CH;
N;
C-alkyl;
C-halogen;
C—OH;
C—OR(ether);
C—SR(thioether);
C-amide;
C-ester or thioester;
F=CH;
N;
C-alkyl;
C-halogen;
C—OH;
C—OR(ether);
C—SR(thioether);
C-amide;
C-ester or thioester;
G=CH;
N;
C-alkyl;
C-halogen;
C—OH;
C—OR(ether);
C—SR(thioether);
C-amide;
C-ester or thioester;
J=CH;
N;
C-alkyl;
C-halogen;
C—OH;
C—OR(ether);
C—SR(thioether);
C-amide;
C-ester or thioester;
K=CH;
N;
C-alkyl;
C-halogen;
C—OH;
C—OR(ether);
C—SR(thioether);
C-amide;
C-ester or thioester;
M=CH2;
CF2;
CCl2;
CHOCH3;
CHOH;
CHF;
CO;
CH═CH;
CH2—CH2;
S;
O;
NH;
NR;
NCOR;
or NCOAr;
Q=CH;
nitrogen;
phosphorus;
or boron;
Y=O or S;
and
Z=R (H;
alkyl);
NHR;
OR;
SR;
CHR—NHR;
CHR—OR;
CHR—SR;
CHR—X (halogen);
NR—NHR;
NR—OR;
or NR—SR.

104 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 10/051,505Filed 16 Jan 2002 · division
Priority: 14 Dec 2000
Published: US 2002/0113229 A119 Sep 2002
Granted: 23 Sep 2003
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification14 codes

G11C 23/00
Digital stores characterised by movement of mechanical parts to effect storage
B82Y 10/00
Nanotechnology for information processing, storage or transmission
C07D 219/16
Heterocyclic compounds containing acridine or hydrogenated acridine ring systems: with acyl radicals, substituted by nitrogen atoms, attached to…
G02F 1/174
Based on variable-absorption elements not provided for in groups G02F1/015 - G02F1/169: based on absorption band-shift, e.g. Stark - or…

Family

Application09/738,793Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 14 Dec 2000
Application09/759,438Parent of this division · filed 12 Jan 2001
US 2002/0130317 A1Pre-grant publication · published 19 Sep 2002
US 6,512,119 B2Parent of this division · filed 28 Jan 2003
Application09/759,438Parent of this continuation-in-part
US 2002/0113229 A1Published application
US 2002/0130316 A1Published application
US 6,663,797 B2Related patent
US 6,624,002 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.