R&D: Electrolithic Memory, New Device for High-Density Storage

IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices has published an article written by Senne Fransen, Kherim Willems, Harold Philipsen, Devin Verreck, Willem Van Roy, Olivier Y. F. Henry, Antonio Arreghini, Geert Van den bosch, Arnaud Furnémont, and Maarten Rosmeulen, imec, Leuven, Belgium.

Abstract: “We propose a storage memory device that enables bit densities of >1 Tbit/mm² based on the electro- deposition and electrodissolution of multilayered metal stacks in deep nanometer-sized wells. This device addresses the challenge of bit density scaling slowdown expected for 3-D NAND flash beyond 2030. We describe in detail the operating principles and discuss the response time, bandwidth, retention, and cycling endurance requirements for the device to be viable. As a proof-of-principle, we provide a first demonstration of the write/read (W/R) mechanism on millimeter- and micrometer-sized electrodes and show the device’s potential for reaching very high bit densities. To evaluate how the response time scales for the envisioned nanometer-sized electrodes, we derive simple analytical expressions based on finite element simulations that relate the well depth, radius, and electrolyte composition to the deposition/dissolution rate.“