Communications of the ACM
Rice's Silicon Oxide Memories Catch Manufacturers' Eye
Silicon oxide technology developed at Rice University could allow manufacturers to fabricate memory devices using conventional production methods.
Credit: Tour Group/Rice University
Rice University researchers have refined their silicon oxide technology for high-density, next-generation computer memory, enabling manufacturers to fabricate devices at room temperature with conventional production methods.
The silicon oxide memories, first discovered five years ago, are a type of two-terminal, resistive random-access memory (RRAM) technology. "Because our devices use silicon oxide--the most studied material on Earth--the underlying physics are both well-understood and easy to implement in existing fabrication facilities," says Rice professor James Tour.
In the most recent study, the researchers used a porous version of silicon oxide to significantly improve the RRAM in several ways. For example, the porous material reduced the forming voltage to less than two volts, a 13-fold improvement over the previous best mark. Moreover, the porous silicon oxide enabled the researchers to eliminate the need for a device edge structure. "That means we can take a sheet of porous silicon oxide and just drop down electrodes without having to fabricate edges," Tour says.
The researchers say the new developments with porous silicon oxide are extremely appealing to memory companies. "This is a major accomplishment, and we've already been approached by companies interested in licensing this new technology," says Rice researcher Gunuk Wang.
From Rice University
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