University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) researchers have engineered and tested improvements in the performance of a memory structure known as a ferroelectric tunnel junction. The junction features a ferroelectric layer 100,000 times thinner than a sheet of paper, residing between two electrodes that can reverse the direction of its polarization by applying electric voltage to it.
The research is unique because it involves a ferroelectric junction with electrodes made of graphene. The researchers focused on how the graphene accommodated ammonia molecules placed between it and the ferroelectric layer. They found the graphene-ammonia combination increased the disparity between the "on" and "off" conditions associated with junction's resistance to tunneling current.
"This is one of the most important differences between previous technology that has already been commercialized and this emergent ferroelectric technology," says UNL professor Alexei Gruverman.
The graphene-ammonia combination also significantly improved the stability of the junction's polarization during the study.
From UNL Today
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