Two-terminal nanotube devices and systems and methods of making same

• US 7,781,862 B2
• Filed: 11/15/2005
• Issued: 08/24/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nantero Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Nantero Incorporated
• Inventors: Sivarajan, Ramesh, Huang, X. M. Henry, Ruckes, Thomas, Bertin, Claude L., Guo, Frank, Strasburg, Max, Meinhold, Mitchell, Konsek, Steven L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Such; Matthew W
• Application Number:
  US11/280,786
• Publication Number:
  US 20080012047A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,743 Days
• Field of Search: 257/1, 257/50, 257/209, 257529-530, 257/E23.147, 257/E23.149, 257/E21.592, 365/129, 365148-149, 365/151, 365/153, 365/159, 438131-132, 438/215, 438/281, 438/333, 438/467, 438600-601, 438/FOR.433, 977/943
• US Class Current: 257/529
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 10/00 Nanotechnology for information processing, storage or transmission, e.g. quantum computing or single electron logic
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 13/0002 using resistive RAM [RRAM] elements
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 13/025 using fullerenes, e.g. C60, or nanotubes, e.g. carbon or silicon nanotubes
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 17/16 using electrically-fusible links
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 17/165 Memory cells which are electrically programmed to cause a change in resistance, e.g. to permit multiple resistance steps to be programmed rather than conduct to or from non-conduct change of fuses and antifuses digital stores using resistance random access memory elements G11C13/0002
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 2213/19 Memory cell comprising at least a nanowire and only two terminals
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 2213/77 Array wherein the memory element being directly connected to the bit lines and word lines without any access device being used
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 2213/79 Array wherein the access device being a transistor
• CPC Class Codes: H10B 20/00 Read-only memory [ROM] devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 977/943 Information storage or retrieval using nanostructure

Abstract

A two terminal switching device includes first and second conductive terminals and a nanotube article. The article has at least one nanotube, and overlaps at least a portion of each of the first and second terminals. The device also includes a stimulus circuit in electrical communication with at least one of the first and second terminals. The circuit is capable of applying first and second electrical stimuli to at least one of the first and second terminal(s) to change the relative resistance of the device between the first and second terminals between a relatively high resistance and a relatively low resistance. The relatively high resistance between the first and second terminals corresponds to a first state of the device, and the relatively low resistance between the first and second terminals corresponds to a second state of the device.

Claims

1. A two terminal switching device, comprising:

a first conductive terminal;

a second conductive terminal in spaced relation to the first conductive terminal;

a nanotube article having a plurality of nanotubes, said nanotube article being arranged such that the nanotube article is in permanent and direct physical contact with both the first and second conductive terminals; and

stimulus circuitry in electrical communication with at least one of the first and second conductive terminals,

said stimulus circuitry configured to create a first voltage difference between the first conductive terminal and the second conductive terminal, to induce a change in the resistance of the nanotube article between the first and second conductive terminals from a relatively low resistance to a relatively high resistance,

said stimulus circuitry configured to create a second voltage difference between the first conductive terminal and the second conductive terminal, to induce a change in the resistance of the nanotube article between the first and second conductive terminals from a relatively high resistance to a relatively low resistance,

wherein the relatively high resistance of the nanotube article between the first and second conductive terminals corresponds to a first state of the two terminal switching device, and wherein the relatively low resistance of the nanotube article between the first and second conductive terminals corresponds to a second state of the two terminal switching device,

wherein the first and second states of the two terminal switching device are nonvolatile.

2. The two terminal switching device of claim 1 wherein one or more thermal characteristics of the two terminal switching device are selected to substantially reduce a flow of heat out of the nanotube article.

3. The two terminal switching device of claim 1, wherein the nanotube article permanently overlaps at least a portion of the first conductive terminal with a controlled geometrical relationship.

4. The two terminal switching device of claim 3, wherein the controlled geometrical relationship-is selected to allow electrical current to flow relatively well between the first conductive terminal to the nanotube article, and to allow heat to flow relatively poorly between the first conductive terminal and the nanotube article.

5. The two terminal switching device of claim 3, wherein the controlled geometrical relationship is a predetermined extent of overlap within the range of 1 to 150 nm.

6. The two terminal switching device of claim 3, wherein the controlled geometrical relationship is a predetermined extent of overlap within the range of 15 to 50 nm.

7. The two terminal switching device of claim 4, wherein the controlled geometrical relationship is a predetermined extent of overlap defined by a dimension of the first conductive terminal.

8. The two terminal switching device of claim 1, wherein the first conductive terminal comprises a material that conducts electricity relatively well and conducts heat relatively poorly.

9. The two terminal switching device of claim 1, further comprising a passivation layer disposed on the nanotube article.

10. The two terminal switching device of claim 9, wherein the passivation layer comprises a material that conducts heat relatively poorly.

11. The two terminal switching device of claim 10, wherein the material is selected to substantially trap heat in the nanotube article.

12. The two terminal switching device of claim 1, wherein the resistance of the first state is at least about ten times larger than the resistance of the second state.

13. The two terminal switching device of claim 1, wherein an impedance of the first state is at least about ten times larger than an impedance of the second state.

14. The two terminal switching device of claim 1, wherein the first state is characterized by a resistance above about 1 megaohm.

15. The two terminal switching device of claim 1, wherein the second state is characterized by a resistance below about 100 kilaohm.

16. The two terminal switching device of claim 1, wherein the first voltage difference comprises electrical stimulus selected to provide an erase operation.

17. The two terminal switching device of claim 16, wherein the erase operation comprises the stimulus circuitry applying a relatively high voltage across the first and second terminals.

18. The two terminal switching device of claim 17, wherein the relatively high voltage is within the range of 3 to 10 V.

19. The two terminal switching device of claim 16, wherein the erase operation comprises the stimulus circuitry applying one or more voltage pulses across the first and second terminals, wherein an amplitude of the pulses, a waveform of the pulses, and a number of the pulses together are sufficient to change the two terminal switching device to the first state.

20. The two terminal switching device of claim 1, wherein the second voltage difference comprises electrical stimulus selected to provide a program operation.

21. The two terminal switching device of claim 20, wherein the program operation comprises the stimulus circuitry applying a relatively low voltage and a relatively low current across the first and second conductive terminals.

22. The two terminal switching device of claim 21, wherein the relatively low voltage is within the range of 1 to 5 V and the relatively low current is within the range of 100 nA to 100 uA.

23. The two terminal switching device of claim 20, wherein the program operation comprises the stimulus circuitry applying one or more voltage pulses across the first and second conductive terminals, wherein an amplitude of the pulses, a waveform of the pulses, and a number of the pulses together are sufficient to change the two terminal switching device to the second state.

24. The two terminal switching device of claim 1, wherein the stimulus circuit includes a circuitry configured to create a third voltage difference between the first and second conductive terminals, exclusively, the third waveform having at least one waveform characteristic selected to determine the state of the two terminal switching device.

25. The two terminal switching device of claim 24, wherein the third waveform comprises electrical stimulus selected to provide a non-destructive read-out operation wherein the stimulus circuit applies a voltage across the first and second conductive terminals and senses the resistance between the first and second terminals, the voltage being sufficiently low that it does not change the state of the device.

26. The two terminal switching device of claim 25, wherein the voltage is smaller than about 2 V.

27. The two terminal switching device of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second conductive terminals permanently overlaps an edge of the nanotube article.

28. The two terminal switching device of claim 1, wherein opposing ends of the nanotube article respectively permanently overlap at least a portion of each of the first and second conductive terminals.

29. The two terminal switching device of claim 1, wherein one of the first and second conductive terminals is a picture frame structure that permanently overlaps a periphery of the nanotube article, and does not overlap a central region of the nanotube article.

30. The two terminal switching device of claim 29, wherein the other of the first and second conductive terminals permanently overlaps the central region of the nanotube article.

31. The two terminal switching device of claim 1, wherein the first conductive terminal has a plurality of surfaces, wherein the nanotube article substantially conforms to and permanently overlaps at least a portion of more than one of the plurality of surfaces.

32. The two terminal switching device of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second conductive terminals has a vertically oriented feature, and wherein the nanotube article substantially conforms to at least a portion of the vertically oriented feature.

33. The two terminal switching device of claim 1, wherein the nanotube article comprises a patterned region of nanotube fabric having a defined orientation and defined dimensions.

34. The two terminal switching device of claim 1, wherein the nanotube article comprises double walled nanotubes.

35. The two terminal switching device of claim 1, wherein the nanotube article comprises single walled nanotubes.

36. The two terminal switching device of claim 1, wherein the nanotube article comprises multiwalled nanotubes.

37. The two terminal switching device of claim 1, wherein the nanotube article comprises bundles of nanotubes.

38. The two terminal switching device of claim 1, wherein one or more nanotubes in the nanotube article are selected to have a particularly strong radial breathing mode.

39. The two terminal switching device of claim 38, wherein the particularly strong radial breathing mode behaves as a thermal bottleneck.

40. The two terminal switching device of claim 38, wherein the particularly strong radial breathing mode couples to a mode that causes a connection between a nanotube and a conductor in the two terminal switching device to break, wherein a conductor in the two terminal switching device comprises one or more of the first conductive terminal, the second conductive terminal, a nanotube, and a nanotube segment.

41. The two terminal switching device of claim 1, wherein the first and conductive second terminals are metal.

42. The two terminal switching device of claim 41, wherein the metal comprises at least one of Ru, Ti, Cr, Al, Au, Pd, Ni, W, Cu, Mo, Ag, In, Ir, Pb, Sn, TiN, TiAu, TiCu, TiPd, PbIn, and TiW.

43. A selectable memory cell, comprising:

a cell selection transistor including a gate, a source, and a drain, with the gate in electrical contact with a word line, and a drain in electrical contact with a bit line;

a two-terminal switching device comprising a first conductive terminal, a second conductive terminal, and a nanotube article having a plurality of nanotubes, the nanotube article in permanent and direct physical contact with both the first and second conductive terminals, wherein the first conductive terminal is in electrical contact with the source of the memory cell selection transistor and the second conductive terminal is in electrical contact with a program/erase/read line; and

a memory operation circuit in electrical communication with the word line, bit line, and program/erase/read line,

said memory operation circuit including circuitry configured to generate and apply a select signal on the word line to select the memory cell and for generating and for applying an erase signal on the program/erase/read line, the erase signal creating a voltage difference between the first conductive terminal and the second conductive terminal and selected to induce a change in the resistance of the nanotube article between the first and second conductive terminals from a relatively low resistance to a relatively high resistance,

said memory operation circuit including circuitry configured to generate and apply a select signal on the word line to select the memory cell and for generating and for applying a program signal on the program/erase/read line, the program signal creating a voltage difference between the first conductive terminal and the second conductive terminal and selected to induce a change in the resistance of the nanotube article between the first and second conductive terminals from a relatively high resistance to a relatively low resistance,

wherein the relatively high resistance of the nanotube article between the first and second conductive terminals corresponds to a first informational state of the memory cell, and wherein the relatively high resistance of the nanotube article between the first and second conductive terminals corresponds to a second informational state of the memory cell,

wherein the first and second informational states are nonvolatile.

44. The selectable memory cell of claim 43, wherein said memory operation circuit includes circuitry for generating and for applying a select signal on the word line to select the cell and for generating and for applying a read signal on the program/erase/read line, wherein the read signal has at least one waveform characteristic selected to determine the informational state of the memory cell.

45. The selectable memory cell of claim 44, wherein determining the informational state of the memory cell does not change the informational state of the memory cell.

46. The selectable memory cell of claim 43, further comprising a plurality of selectable memory cells connected to the program/erase/read line.

47. The selectable memory cell of claim 43, wherein one or more thermal characteristics of the device are selected to substantially reduce a flow of heat out of the nanotube article.

48. The selectable memory cell of claim 43, wherein the nanotube article permanently overlaps at least a portion of the second conductive terminal with a controlled geometrical relationship.

49. The selectable memory cell of claim 48, wherein the controlled geometrical relationship allows electrical current to flow relatively well between the second conductive terminal and the nanotube article, and allows heat to flow relatively poorly between the second conductive terminal and the nanotube article.

50. The selectable memory cell of claim 48, wherein the controlled geometrical relationship comprises a predetermined extent of overlap defined by a dimension of the first conductive terminal.

51. The selectable memory cell of claim 48, wherein the controlled geometrical relationship comprises a predetermined extent of overlap within the range of 1 to 150 nm.

52. The selectable memory cell of claim 43, wherein one of the first and second conductive terminals is a picture frame structure that permanently overlaps a periphery of the nanotube article, and does not overlap the central region of the nanotube article, and wherein the other of the first and second conductive terminals permanently overlaps a central region of the nanotube article.

53. The selectable memory cell of claim 43, wherein the second conductive terminal has a plurality of surfaces, and wherein the nanotube article substantially conforms to and permanently overlaps at least a portion of more than one surface.

54. The selectable memory cell of claim 43, wherein the second conductive terminal has a vertically oriented feature, and wherein the nanotube article substantially conforms to at least a portion of the vertically oriented figure.

55. The selectable memory cell of claim 43, wherein the nanotube article comprises a patterned region of nanotube fabric having a defined orientation and defined dimensions.

56. The selectable memory cell of claim 43, wherein the nanotube article comprises double walled nanotubes.

57. The selectable memory cell of claim 43, wherein the nanotube article comprises multiwalled nanotubes.

58. The selectable memory cell of claim 43, wherein the nanotube article comprises bundles of nanotubes.

59. The selectable memory cell of claim 43, wherein the first and second conductive terminals are metal.