Towards Femtojoule Nanoparticle Phase-Change Memory

In this article we review the concept of electron-beam-addressed high density phase-change nanoparticle memory, where information is written in the phase state of gallium nanoparticles by electron beam excitation, and read-out via measurements of cathodoluminescent emission. The high spatial resolution provided by a focused electron beam, far below the optical diffraction limit, offers the possibility of addressing individual nanoparticles within a close-packed array, thereby enabling a new conceptual basis for high density phase-change memory. (C) 2009 The Japan Society of Applied Physics