title: Nonvolatile memory functionality of ZnO nanowire transistors controlled by mobile protons.
abstract: We demonstrated the nonvolatile memory functionality of ZnO nanowire field effect transistors (FETs) using mobile protons that are generated by high-pressure hydrogen annealing (HPHA) at relatively low temperature (400 °C). These ZnO nanowire devices exhibited reproducible hysteresis, reversible switching, and nonvolatile memory behaviors in comparison with those of the conventional FET devices. We show that the memory characteristics are attributed to the movement of protons between the Si/SiO(2) interface and the SiO(2)/ZnO nanowire interface by the applied gate electric field. The memory mechanism is explained in terms of the tuning of interface properties, such as effective electric field, surface charge density, and surface barrier potential due to the movement of protons in the SiO(2) layer, consistent with the UV photoresponse characteristics of nanowire memory devices. Our study will further provide a useful route of creating memory functionality and incorporating proton-based storage elements onto a modified CMOS platform for FET memory devices using nanomaterials.
authors.affiliation: School of Materials Science and Engineering, Department of Nanobio Materials and Electronics, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Gwangju 500-712, Korea.
authors.forename: Jongwon
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yoon
authors.forename: Woong-Ki
authors.initials: WK
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.forename: Minseok
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jo
authors.forename: Gunho
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Jo
authors.forename: Minhyeok
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Choe
authors.forename: Woojin
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Jung Inn
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Sohn
authors.forename: Stanko
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nedic
authors.forename: Hyungsang
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hwang
authors.forename: Mark E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Welland
authors.forename: Takhee
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D004560:Electricity; D006859:Hydrogen / Q000737:chemistry; D009038:Motion; D036103:Nanotechnology; D053770:Nanowires / Q000737:chemistry*; D011312:Pressure; D011522:Protons; D012825:Silicon / Q000737:chemistry; D012822:Silicon Dioxide / Q000737:chemistry; D013499:Surface Properties; D013696:Temperature; D014173:Transistors, Electronic; D015034:Zinc Oxide / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D011522:Protons; D012822:Silicon Dioxide; D006859:Hydrogen; D015034:Zinc Oxide; D012825:Silicon