Advanced electronic hardware seems somewhat "stretched thin" in the face of the big data revolution, forcing engineers to rethink almost every aspect of microchips. As the storage, search, and analysis of datasets become increasingly complex, these devices must become smaller, faster, and more energy-efficient to keep up with the pace of data innovation.
Iron field effect transistors (FE FETs) are one of the most interesting answers to address this challenge. This is a field-effect transistor with ferroelectric properties. It utilizes the non-volatile memory properties of ferroelectric materials to implant field effects and charge accumulation, achieving long-term stable memory effects.
Compared with traditional memory, it has advantages such as low power consumption, high speed, and high density. Therefore, a successful FE-FET design can greatly reduce the size and energy usage threshold of traditional devices, and improve speed.
Recently, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania School of Engineering and Applied Science have developed a new FE-FET design that has demonstrated record breaking performance in both computing and storage.
Recently, this design was first introduced by Associate Professor Deep Jariwala from the Department of Electrical and Systems Engineering (ESE) and doctoral candidate Kwan Ho Kim from his laboratory, and their research results have also been published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology.
It is reported that this new transistor is covered with a two-dimensional semiconductor called molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) on the ferroelectric material aluminum scandium nitride (AlScN), proving for the first time that these two materials can be effectively combined to manufacture transistors that are attractive for industrial manufacturing.
Jariwala said, "Because we combine ferroelectric insulator materials with two-dimensional semiconductors, both are very energy-efficient. You can use them for computing and storage, and the efficiency is also very high
It is said that the device is known for its unprecedented thinness, allowing each individual device to operate with minimal surface area. In addition, these micro devices can be manufactured in large arrays that can be scaled up to industrial platforms.
Our semiconductor (MoS2) is only 0.7 nanometers, and initially we were unsure if it could withstand the large amount of charge injected into our ferroelectric material AlScN, "the researchers said." What surprised us was that not only did they withstand it, but they also broke records for the amount of current that the semiconductor could carry
The researchers further explained that the more current a device can carry, the faster it runs in computing applications. The lower the resistance, the faster the memory access speed.
They also claim that the combination of MoS2 and AlScN is a true breakthrough in transistor technology. Due to the need to miniaturize the device, other research teams' FE-FET have been hindered by the loss of ferroelectric properties. Prior to this study, miniaturization of FE-FET led to a significant reduction in the 'memory window', affecting its overall performance.
The researchers said, 'Our new design uses 20 nanometer AlScN and 0.7 nanometer MoS2, and FE-FET can reliably store data and achieve fast access.'. ”
The key is our ferroelectric material AlScN. Unlike many ferroelectric materials, it can maintain its unique properties even when very thin. We have demonstrated that it can maintain its unique ferroelectric properties at a thinner thickness (5 nanometers). ”They added.
The research team stated that their next step will focus on further miniaturization to produce devices that operate at sufficiently low voltages and are compatible with leading consumer device manufacturing.
Our FE-FET has great potential, "Jariwala said. With further development, these multifunctional devices can occupy a place in almost any technology you can think of, especially those that support artificial intelligence and consume, generate, or process large amounts of data - from sensing to communication, and so on