Partial-polarization resistive electronic devices, neural network systems including partial-polarization resistive electronic devices and methods of operating the same

• US 10,643,694 B1
• Filed: 11/05/2018
• Issued: 05/05/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: University of Notre DAME Du Lac
• Original Assignee: University of Notre DAME Du Lac
• Inventors: Alessandri, Cristobal, Kinder, Erich, Seabaugh, Alan C.
• Primary Examiner(s): King, Douglas
• Application Number:
  US16/180,453
• Publication Number:
  US 20200143879A1
• Time in Patent Office: 547 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 3/04 Architecture, e.g. interconnection topology
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 3/048 Activation functions
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 3/065 Analogue means
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 3/084 Backpropagation, e.g. using gradient descent
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 11/223 using MOS with ferroelectric gate insulating film
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 11/54 using elements simulating biological cells, e.g. neuron
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 13/0004 comprising amorphous/crystalline phase transition cells
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 13/004 Reading or sensing circuits or methods
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 2213/73 Array where access device function, e.g. diode function, being merged with memorizing function of memory element
• CPC Class Codes: H10B 51/30 characterised by the memory core region
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 70/8836 Complex metal oxides, e.g. perovskites, spinels

Abstract

An electronic device can include a semiconductor material including a channel region configured to conduct a current, a source contact electrically coupled to the channel region at a first location, a drain contact electrically coupled to the channel region at a second location spaced apart from the first location, a partial-polarization material on the semiconductor material between the source contact and the drain contact opposite the channel region and a gate contact on the partial-polarization material opposite the channel region and ohmically coupled to the drain contact or ohmically coupled to the source contact.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

a semiconductor material including a channel region configured to conduct a current;

a source contact electrically coupled to the channel region at a first location;

a drain contact electrically coupled to the channel region at a second location spaced apart from the first location;

a partial-polarization material on the semiconductor material between the source contact and the drain contact opposite the channel region; and

a gate contact on the partial-polarization material opposite the channel region and ohmically coupled to the drain contact or ohmically coupled to the source contact, wherein the electronic device is configured to set a partial-polarization state of the partial-polarization material by applying a programming voltage pulse or sequence of pulses between the drain contact and the source contact to set the partial-polarization state of the partial-polarization material.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 wherein the gate contact comprises a first gate contact extending on the partial-polarization material to about half a length of the channel region, the electronic device further comprises:

a second gate contact extending on the partial-polarization material opposite the channel region and ohmically coupled to the source contact; and

a void between the second gate contact and the first gate contact on the partial-polarization material at about a mid-point of the length of the channel region, the void electrically isolating the second gate contact from the first gate contact.

3. The electronic device of claim 2 wherein the source contact is ohmically coupled to the first gate contact and the drain contact is ohmically coupled to the second gate contact.

4. The electronic device of claim 1 wherein the partial-polarization material comprises a ferroelectric material.

5. The electronic device of claim 1 wherein the partial-polarization material comprises doped hafnium oxide.

6. The electronic device of claim 1 wherein the partial-polarization material comprises an ion doped polymer.

7. The electronic device of claim 1 wherein the semiconductor material includes a vertically protruding structure providing the channel region and having opposing first and second vertical side walls, and the source contact comprises a first source contact the electronic device further comprising:

wherein the partial-polarization material is located on side walls the vertically protruding structure to provide first and second vertical side walls of the partial-polarization material

a second source contact is on the semiconductor material and ohmically coupled to a base of the second vertical side wall opposite the first source contact on the semiconductor material and ohmically coupled to a base of the first vertical side wall; and

wherein the drain contact is ohmically coupled to an uppermost surface of the vertically protruding structure and extends on the first and second vertical side walls of the partial-polarization material to provide the gate contact.

8. The electronic device of claim 1 wherein the semiconductor material includes a vertically protruding structure providing the channel region and having opposing first and second vertical side walls, and the source contact comprises a first source contact the electronic device further comprising:

wherein the partial-polarization material is located on side walls the vertically protruding structure to provide first and second vertical side walls of the partial-polarization material

a second source contact is on the semiconductor material and is ohmically coupled to a base of the second vertical side wall opposite the first source contact and extends on the second vertical side wall toward the drain contact to provide a second gate contact;

wherein the first source contact is on the semiconductor material and is ohmically coupled to a base of the first vertical side wall and extends on the first vertical side wall toward the drain contact to provide a first gate contact; and

wherein the drain contact is ohmically coupled to an uppermost surface of the vertically protruding structure.

9. The electronic device of claim 1 wherein the channel region is planar.

10. The electronic device of claim 1 wherein the source contact is ohmically coupled to the channel region at the first location and the drain contact is ohmically coupled to the channel region at the second location.

11. The electronic device according to claim 1 wherein the electronic device comprises at least one of a plurality of partial-polarization electronic devices each being arranged in a diode-connected configuration.

12. The electronic device according to claim 11 further comprising:

a plurality of serially connected layers of a neural network circuit, wherein each layer includes a respective plurality of neurons; and

a plurality of resistive processing cross-bar circuits, wherein each of the resistive processing cross-bar circuits is connected between directly adjacent ones of the serially connected layers to provide a respective weighting to data provided from the respective plurality of neurons included in an upstream layer of the neural network circuit that is summed by a down-stream layer of the neural network circuit.

13. The electronic device according to claim 12 each of the resistive processing cross-bar circuits comprise a respective array of the partial-polarization electronic devices.

14. The electronic device of claim 1 wherein the electronic device is configured to read the partial-polarization state by applying a read voltage to generate a current in the channel region responsive to the partial-polarization state.

15. A method of operating an electronic device, the method comprising:

applying a programming voltage pulse or sequence of pulses between a drain contact and a source contact to set a partial-polarization state of a partial-polarization material opposite a channel region in a semiconductor material, wherein the source contact is electrically coupled to the channel region at a first location and the drain contact is electrically coupled to the channel region at a second location spaced apart from the first location;

the partial-polarization material is between the source contact and the drain contact opposite the channel region; and

a gate contact is on the partial-polarization material opposite the channel region and ohmically coupled to the drain contact or ohmically coupled to the source contact.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the gate contact comprises a first gate contact extending on the partial-polarization material to about half a length of the channel region, the electronic device further comprises:

a second gate contact extending on the partial-polarization material opposite the channel region and ohmically coupled to the source contact; and

a void between the second gate contact and the first gate contact on the partial-polarization material at about a mid-point of the length of the channel region, the void electrically isolating the second gate contact from the first gate contact.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the source contact is ohmically coupled to the first gate contact and the drain contact is ohmically coupled to the second gate contact.

18. The method of claim 15 wherein the partial-polarization material comprises a ferroelectric material.

19. The method of claim 15 wherein the partial-polarization material comprises doped hafnium oxide.

20. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

applying a read voltage to generate a current in the channel region responsive to the partial-polarization state.