High-Performance Non-Volatile InGaZnO Based Flash Memory Device Embedded with a Monolayer Au Nanoparticles

• Published in: Nanomaterials (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 11; no. 5; p. 1101
• Main Authors: Naqi, Muhammad, Kwon, Nayoung, Jung, Sung Hyeon, Pujar, Pavan, Cho, Hae Won, Cho, Yong In, Cho, Hyung Koun, Lim, Byungkwon, Kim, Sunkook
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 24.04.2021; MDPI
• Subjects: Annealing; Atomic force microscopy; Chemical bonds; Data storage; Electrodes; Endurance; Flash memory (computers); flash memory device; Gallium; Glass substrates; Gold; IGZO; Indium; Indium gallium zinc oxide; Low temperature; Memory devices; monolayer Au nanoparticles; Monolayers; Nanoparticles; non-volatile memory device; Photoelectron spectroscopy; Photoelectrons; Retention; Retention time; Semiconductor devices; Spectrum analysis; Storage capacity; Thin film transistors; Thin films; three-terminal memory device; Transmission electron microscopy; X ray photoelectron spectroscopy; Zinc oxide; Zinc oxides; United States > US; IGZO; three-terminal memory device; monolayer Au nanoparticles; flash memory device; non-volatile memory device
• ISSN: 2079-4991; 2079-4991
• DOI: 10.3390/nano11051101

Non-volatile memory (NVM) devices based on three-terminal thin-film transistors (TFTs) have gained extensive interest in memory applications due to their high retained characteristics, good scalability, and high charge storage capacity. Herein, we report a low-temperature (<100 °C) processed top-gate TFT-type NVM device using indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO) semiconductor with monolayer gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) as a floating gate layer to obtain reliable memory operations. The proposed NVM device exhibits a high memory window (ΔV ) of 13.7 V when it sweeps from -20 V to +20 V back and forth. Additionally, the material characteristics of the monolayer AuNPs (floating gate layer) and IGZO film (semiconductor layer) are confirmed using transmission electronic microscopy (TEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) techniques. The memory operations in terms of endurance and retention are obtained, revealing highly stable endurance properties of the device up to 100 P/E cycles by applying pulses (±20 V, duration of 100 ms) and reliable retention time up to 10 s. The proposed NVM device, owing to the properties of large memory window, stable endurance, and high retention time, enables an excellent approach in futuristic non-volatile memory technology.