Nonvolatile nanotube diodes and nonvolatile nanotube blocks and systems using same and methods of making same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9287356-B2
Application number	US-35644709-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 20, 2009
Priority date	May 9, 2005
Publication date	Mar 15, 2016
Grant date	Mar 15, 2016

Abstract

A non-volatile nanotube switch and memory arrays constructed from these switches are disclosed. A non-volatile nanotube switch includes a conductive terminal and a nanoscopic element stack having a plurality of nanoscopic elements arranged in direct electrical contact, a first comprising a nanotube fabric and a second comprising a carbon material, a portion of the nanoscopic element stack in electrical contact with the conductive terminal. Control circuitry is provided in electrical communication with and for applying electrical stimulus to the conductive terminal and to at least a portion of the nanoscopic element stack. At least one of the nanoscopic elements is capable of switching among a plurality of electronic states in response to a corresponding electrical stimuli applied by the control circuitry to the conductive terminal and the portion of the nanoscopic element stack. For each electronic state, the nanoscopic element stack provides an electrical pathway of corresponding resistance.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A non-volatile nanotube switch, comprising:
a conductive terminal;
a nanoscopic element stack having a first nanoscopic element and a second nanoscopic element in electrical contact with the first nanoscopic element, the first nanoscopic element comprising a nanotube fabric, the second nanoscopic element comprising a matrix material layer comprising a substantially homogenous mixture of nanotubes and nanoscopic particles, at least a portion of the nanoscopic element stack in electrical contact with at least a portion of the conductive terminal, wherein the matrix material layer is electrically conductive; and
control circuitry in electrical communication with the conductive terminal, the control circuitry applying electrical stimulus to at least a portion of the nanoscopic element stack through the conductive terminal;
wherein at least one of the first and second nanoscopic elements is switchable among a plurality of electronic states in response to the electrical stimulus, the electronic states corresponding to resistances of the nanoscopic element stack.

2. The switch of claim 1 wherein the nanotube fabric includes a multi-layered nanotube fabric having a thickness of approximately 5 to 500 nm.

3. The switch of claim 1 wherein the matrix material layer forms an electrically conductive interface between the nanotube fabric and the conductive terminal.

4. The switch of claim 1 wherein the nanoscopic element stack includes a third nanoscopic element comprising a nanotube fabric.

5. The switch of claim 1 wherein an interface element is interposed between the conductive terminal and the nanoscopic element stack, the interface element selected to provide a predetermined electrically resistive pathway between the conductive terminal and the nanoscopic element stack.

6. The switch of claim 5 wherein the interface element comprises at least one of SiO, SiN, alumina, silicon, germanium, another dielectric material, and another semiconductor material.

7. The switch of claim 1 wherein the first nanoscopic element is substantially interposed between the conductive terminal and the second nanoscopic element.

8. The switch of claim 1 wherein the conductive terminal comprises an electrically conducting material including at least one of W, TiN, WN, TiCN, Ru, Ti, Cr, AI, AICu, Au, Pd, Ni, Cu, Mo, Ag, In, Ir, Pb, Sn, TiAu, TiCu, TiPd, Pbln, TiW, a conductive nitride, a conductive oxide, and a conductive silicide.

9. The switch of claim 1 wherein the nanotube fabric further includes nanoscopic particles comprising at least one of conductive nanoscopic particles, semiconductive nanoscopic particles, insulating nanoscopic particles, and carbon particles.

10. The switch of claim 1 wherein for a first of the plurality of electronic states, the nanoscopic element stack has an electrical resistance between approximately 100 kΩ and 1 MΩ.

11. The switch of claim 1 wherein for a second of the plurality of electronic states, the nanoscopic element stack has an electrical resistance of approximately 100 MΩ.

12. The switch of claim 1 wherein the electrical stimulus comprises a voltage of less than approximately 5 volts.

13. The switch of claim 1 wherein the electrical stimulus comprises a SET current of approximately 1-3 μA.

14. The switch of claim 1 wherein the electrical stimulus comprises a RESET current of approximately 10-50 μA.

15. The switch of claim 1 further comprising a second conductive terminal, wherein the nanoscopic element stack is substantially interposed between the conductive terminal and the second conductive terminal.

16. The switch of claim 1 , wherein the matrix material layer and the conductive terminal are physically separated by an insulating material and wherein the first nanoscopic element comprises a nanotube fabric trace forming an electrically conductive pathway between the matrix material layer and the conductive terminal.

17. A non-volatile nanotube memory array, comprising:
a plurality of nanotube switches, each switch having a conductive terminal and a nanoscopic element stack, wherein the nanoscopic element stack comprises a first nanoscopic element and a second nanoscopic element in electrical contact with the first nanoscopic element, the first nanoscopic element comprising a nanotube fabric, the second nanoscopic element comprising a matrix material layer comprising a substantially homogenous mixture of nanotubes and nanoscopic particles, at least a portion of the nanoscopic element stack in electrical contact with at least a portion of the conductive terminal, wherein the matrix material layer is electrically conductive; and
control circuitry in electrical communication with and for applying electrical stimulus to one or more of the nanotube switches;
wherein, in response to the electrical stimulus applied to one or more of the nanotube switches, a portion of the nanoscopic element stack of one or more of the nanotube switches is switchable among a plurality of electronic states, the electronic states corresponding to resistances of the nanoscopic element stack.

18. The switch of claim 17 wherein the nanotube fabric includes a multi-layered nanotube fabric having a thickness of approximately 5 to 500 nm.

19. The switch of claim 17 wherein the matrix material layer forms an electrically conductive interface between the nanotube fabric and the conductive terminal.

20. The switch of claim 17 wherein an interface element is interposed between the conductive terminal and the nanoscopic element stack, the interface element comprising a predetermined electrically resistive pathway between the conductive terminal and the nanoscopic element stack.

21. The switch of claim 20 wherein the interface element comprises at least one of SiO, SiN, alumina, silicon, germanium, a dielectric material, and a semiconductor material.

22. The switch of claim 17 wherein the first nanoscopic element is substantially interposed between the conductive terminal and the second nanoscopic element.

23. The switch of claim 17 wherein the nanotube fabric further includes nanoscopic particles comprising at least one of conductive nanoscopic particles, semiconductive nanoscopic particles, insulating nanoscopic particles, and carbon particles.

24. The switch of claim 17 wherein for a first of the plurality of electronic states, the nanoscopic element stack has an electrical resistance between approximately 100 kΩ and 1 MΩ.

25. The switch of claim 17 wherein for a second of the plurality of electronic states, the nanoscopic element stack has an electrical resistance of approximately 100 MΩ.

26. The switch of claim 17 wherein the electrical stimulus comprises a voltage of less than approximately 5 volts.

27. The switch of claim 17 wherein the electrical stimulus comprises a SET current of approximately 1-3 μA.

28. The switch of claim 17 wherein the electrical stimulus comprises a RESET current of approximately 10-50 μA.

29. A non-volatile nanotube memory array, comprising:
an array of conductive terminals;
a nanoscopic element stack having a first nanoscopic element and a second nanoscopic element arranged in electrical contact with the first nanoscopic element, the first nanoscopic element comprising a substantially planar nanotube fabric, the second nanoscopic element comprising a substantially planar matrix material lay

Assignees

• Bertin Claude L
• Ghenciu Eliodor G
• Rueckes Thomas
• Manning H Montgomery
• Nantero Inc

Inventors

• Bertin Claude L
• Ghenciu Eliodor G
• Rueckes Thomas
• Manning H Montgomery

Classifications

• H10W20/493

  Fuses, i.e. interconnections changeable from conductive to non-conductive · CPC title

• H10D8/00

  Diodes (variable-capacitance diodes H10D1/64; gated diodes H10D12/00) · CPC title

• H10D88/01

  Manufacture or treatment · CPC title

• H10D88/00

  Three-dimensional [3D] integrated devices · CPC title

• H10D86/201

  the substrates comprising an insulating layer on a semiconductor body, e.g. SOI (H10D86/40 take precedence) · CPC title