Abstract
Continuous dimensional scaling of the CMOS technology, along with its cost reduction, has rendered Flash memory as one of the most promising nonvolatile memory candidates during the last decade. With the Flash memory technology inevitably approaching its fundamental limits, more advanced storage nanodevices, which can probably overcome the scaling limits of Flash memory, are being explored, bringing about a series of new paradigms such as FeRAM, MRAM, PCRAM, and ReRAM. These devices have indeed exhibited better scaling capability than Flash memory while also facing their respective physical drawbacks. The consequent tradeoffs therefore drive the information storage device technology towards further advancement; as a result, new types of nonvolatile memories, including carbon memory, Mott memory, macromolecular memory, and molecular memory have been proposed. In this paper, the nanomaterials used for these four emerging types of memories and the physical principles behind the writing and reading methods in each case are discussed, along with their respective merits and drawbacks when compared with conventional nonvolatile memories. The potential applications of each technology are also briefly assessed.
Highlights
CMOS-based data storage devices are currently used in ubiquitous applications in the daily life of global citizens, and these applications range from embedded memories to mass storage systems
In Flash memory, the writing/erasing process is accomplished by injecting electrons into a so-called “floating gate” device or removing electrons from such a floating gate, while readout is realised by sensing the current flowing through a conductive channel formed inside a p-type substrate
Mott memory can be regarded as a type of resistive RAM (ReRAM) that has a different switching mechanism from conventional resistive memories
Summary
CMOS-based data storage devices are currently used in ubiquitous applications in the daily life of global citizens, and these applications range from embedded memories to mass storage systems. As one of the most commonly used CMOS electronic devices, Flash memory has undoubtedly dominated the semiconductor storage market so far because of its ultra-high density, low cost, short data latency, and nonvolatility. The interaction of phase change materials with electrodes may give rise to long-term reliability issues and limit the cycling endurance In spite of these drawbacks, PCRAM has been used in feature phones to replace NOR Flash since 2011 and in volume production at the 45 nm node since 2012 [13]. The resistive switching mechanism of ReRAM still remains unclear, and is likely to prevent any significant scaling of ReRAM in the near future As described above, these new types of nonvolatile memories display superior characteristics to Flash memory in some respects and may find more extensive use in applications if their respective physical drawbacks can be overcome by innovative scaling technologies. In order to help understanding the physical mechanisms behind these prospective memories and infuse more enthusiasm into the research on the improvement and optimisation of device performance, a detailed review concerning the current status of these emerging technologies becomes crucial
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