Reconfigurable Low-Voltage Hexagonal Boron Nitride Nonvolatile Switches for Millimeter-Wave Wireless Communications

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrical Engineering
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Resistive switching memory effects in 2D materials are crucial for next-generation computing.
• Hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) is a promising material for advanced electronic applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To report on radiofrequency (RF) switches utilizing hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) memristors.
• To evaluate their performance in the millimeter-wave (mmWave) range for wireless communication.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of h-BN memristors with silver (Ag) electrodes.
• Characterization of nonvolatile bipolar resistive switching properties.
• Measurement of RF switch performance, including insertion loss and isolation, across the D-band spectrum (110-170 GHz).

Main Results:

• Achieved outstanding nonvolatile bipolar resistive switching with a high ON/OFF ratio (10^11) and low switching voltage (<0.34 V).
• Demonstrated low insertion loss (0.50 dB) and high isolation (23 dB) in the D-band.
• Showcased tunable insertion loss (S21) across five orders of current compliance, indicating potential for atomic switches.

Conclusions:

• Ag/h-BN memristors are highly effective for RF switch applications in the mmWave range.
• These switches offer excellent performance metrics suitable for advanced wireless systems.
• The technology holds promise for future reconfigurable wireless systems and 6G communications.