AsianScientist (Feb. 4, 2016) – Korean researchers have developed a rapid printing technology for cross-bar-shaped non-volatile resistive memory (memristor) arrays for next-generation memory devices. Their findings were published in Advanced Materials.
Moore’s law states that processor speeds, or overall processing power for computers, will double every two years. As such, it is predicted that there will be greater demand for memory devices with high density, faster speed and low power consumption in the next few decades.
Currently, memristors are one of the most attractive memory solutions for their non-volatility, faster access speed, ultra-high density and easier fabrication process. Conventional memristors are fabricated through optical, imprint, and e-beam lithographic approaches.
However, to meet the speeds predicted by Moore’s law, memristor technology needs to overcome the limit of current, state-of-art lithographic techniques. One-dimensional (1D) nanowires are one possibility that would allows researchers to fully exploit the scaling potential of high density memory arrays.
In the present study, researchers from the Pohang University of Science & Technology used an emerging technique known as electrohydrohynamic nanowire printing (e-NW printing), which directly prints highly-aligned nanowire arrays on a large scale. The metal-oxide-metal structure resistive memory devices they developed showed excellent electrical performance with reproducible resistive switching behavior.
Their simple and fast fabrication process significantly reduces industrial production costs and time. This method also paves the way for the future down-scaling of electronic circuits, since 1D conductors represent a logical way to extreme scaling of data processing devices in the single-digit nanometer scale.
The researchers also succeeded in printing memristor arrays in various shapes, such as parallel lines with adjustable pitch, grids, and waves. This offers a future stretchable memory for integration into textiles to serve as a basic building block for smart fabrics and wearable electronics.
“This technology reduces lead time and cost remarkably compared with existing manufacturing methods of cross-bar-shaped nanowire memory and simplifies its method of construction,” said Professor Lee Tae-Woo from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering.
“In particular, this technology will be used as a source technology to realize smart fabric, wearable computers, and textile electronic devices.”
The article can be found at: Xu et al. (2016) Nanowires: Simple, Inexpensive, and Rapid Approach to Fabricate Cross-Shaped Memristors Using an Inorganic-Nanowire-Digital-Alignment Technique and a One-Step Reduction Process.
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Source: Pohang University of Science & Technology; Photo: Shutterstock.
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