Sub-10 fJ/bit radiation-hard nanoelectromechanical non-volatile memory

With the exponential growth of the semiconductor industry, radiation hardness has become an indispensable property of memory devices. However, implementation of radiation-hardened semiconductor memory devices inevitably requires various radiation-hardening technologies from the layout level to the system level, and such technologies incur a significant energy overhead. Thus, there is a growing demand for emerging memory devices that are energy-efficient and intrinsically radiation-hard. Here, we report a nanoelectromechanical non-volatile memory (NEM-NVM) with an ultra-low energy consumption and radiation-hardness. To achieve an ultra-low operating energy of less than 10 fJ bit (-1), we introduce an out-of-plane electrode configuration and electrothermal erase operation. These approaches enable the NEM-NVM to be programmed with an ultra-low energy of 2.83 fJ bit(-1). Furthermore, due to its mechanically operating mechanisms and radiation robust structural material, the NEM-NVM retains its superb characteristics without radiation-induced degradation such as increased leakage current, threshold voltage shift, and unintended bit -flip even after 1 Mrad irradiation.

Automated summary

With the rapid growth of the semiconductor industry, radiation hardness has become essential for memory devices. However, implementing radiation-hardened semiconductor memory devices requires various technologies and incurs significant energy overhead. Therefore, there is a growing demand for energy-efficient and intrinsically radiation-hard memory devices. Here, we present a nanoelectromechanical non-volatile memory (NEM-NVM) with ultra-low energy consumption and radiation hardness. The NEM-NVM can be programmed with an ultra-low energy of 2.83 fJ bit(-1) and retains its superb characteristics even after 1 Mrad irradiation.