R&D: Revolutionizing NVM – Advances and Future Prospects of 2D Floating-Gate Technology

ACS Nano has published an article written by Junjie Shi, Zhewei Liu, Jie Wei, Ashraful Azam, UNSW Materials and Manufacturing Futures Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia, and School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia, Chun-Ho Lin, UNSW Materials and Manufacturing Futures Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia, Yang Liu, and Sean Li, UNSW Materials and Manufacturing Futures Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia, and School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.

Abstract: “Nonvolatile floating-gate memory is crucial for power-efficient and miniaturized next-generation computing but faces fundamental scaling limits in its traditional silicon-based architectures. This review explores two-dimensional (2D) materials as a revolutionary solution to overcome these constraints, redefining the future of nonvolatile memory. It provides a comprehensive analysis of the current landscape of 2D floating-gate memory research, seamlessly integrating foundational principles with cutting-edge materials and advanced device fabrication techniques. This work emphasizes the inherent trade-offs in designing these memory architectures within existing manufacturing constraints. A rigorous performance analysis benchmarks 2D floating-gate devices based on the existing understanding of their conventional counterparts, evaluating the key metrics, and demonstrating the significant advantages of 2D materials in this field. Furthermore, this review identifies key challenges that must be overcome in manufacturing technologies, spanning interface engineering, large-scale synthesis, and integration with industrial scalability. It underscores the need for high-throughput wafer-scale material growth, low-κ interlayer materials, and scalable fabrication techniques, including 3D integration. Finally, it explores future potential aspects that could lead to breakthroughs beyond the current benchmarks, solidifying the critical role of 2D floating-gate memory in next-generation, high-performance, in-memory computing. By fostering these critical aspects, this review aims to drive transformative advancements in nonvolatile memory technology.“