Ultralow Power Cold-Fuse Memory Based on Metal-Oxide-CNT Structure

Area of Science:

• Semiconductor device physics
• Nanomaterials science
• Secure memory technology

Background:

• One-time programmable (OTP) memory is crucial for chip security.
• Traditional dielectric breakdown OTP memory suffers from high programming currents and power consumption.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a new OTP memory mechanism based on carbon nanotube (CNT) field-effect transistors.
• To develop a secure, low-power alternative to conventional OTP memory.

Main Methods:

• Investigated gate tunneling-induced "cold" breakdown in CNT field-effect transistors.
• Constructed a "cold" fuse (C-fuse) memory device utilizing this phenomenon.
• Characterized the C-fuse memory's programming current, resistance ratio, retention time, and uniformity.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated a gate tunneling-induced "cold" breakdown in CNTs, distinct from dielectric breakdown.
• Achieved ultra-low programming current (10^-12 A) and a high resistance ratio (>10^11).
• Exhibited excellent long-term data retention (>10 years) and good device uniformity.

Conclusions:

• The C-fuse memory offers superior performance and significantly lower power consumption compared to traditional OTP.
• This represents the first OTP memory based on low-dimensional nanomaterials.
• C-fuse memory shows great potential for next-generation secure storage circuits.