Changes in the characteristics of nonvolatile memory depending on Au nanoparticle size for p- and n-type channels

Abstract

Nonvolatile memory capacitors were fabricated using immobilized Au nanoparticles (NPs) on p- and n-type doped Si substrates with Au NPs of diameter 3 and 2 nm immobilized by self-assembled monolayers on the Si surface, and the charge density and data retention of the programmed nonvolatile memories were found to change dramatically depending on both nanoparticle size and channel type (p-/n-). In the case of capacitors fabricated on p-Si substrates, large charge density was observed in devices using 3 nm Au NPs under low electric fields, and devices using 2 nm Au NPs were found to exhibit larger charge densities compared with devices using 3 nm Au NPs under high electric fields. Additionally, data retention was better for p-Si devices using 2 nm Au NPs compared with 3 nm Au NPs. However, data retention was worse for n-Si devices than for p-Si devices.