• Journal of Semiconductor Engineering
• /
• v.2 no.3
• /
• pp.142-153
• /
• 2021

Recent research on synaptic devices has been reviewed from the perspective of hardware-based neuromorphic computing. In addition, the backgrounds of neuromorphic computing and two training methods for hardware-based neuromorphic computing are described in detail. Moreover, two types of memristor- and CMOS-based synaptic devices were compared in terms of both the required performance metrics and low-power applications. Based on a review of recent studies, additional power-scalable synaptic devices such as tunnel field-effect transistors are suggested for a plausible candidate for neuromorphic applications.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
• /
• 2012.08a
• /
• pp.115-116
• /
• 2012

The demand for flexible electronic systems such as wearable computers, E-paper, and flexible displays has increased due to their advantages of excellent portability, conformal contact with curved surfaces, light weight, and human friendly interfaces over present rigid electronic systems. This seminar introduces three recent progresses that can extend the application of high performance flexible inorganic electronics. The first part of this seminar will introduce a RRAM with a one transistor-one memristor (1T-1M) arrays on flexible substrates. Flexible memory is an essential part of electronics for data processing, storage, and radio frequency (RF) communication and thus a key element to realize such flexible electronic systems. Although several emerging memory technologies, including resistive switching memory, have been proposed, the cell-to-cell interference issue has to be overcome for flexible and high performance nonvolatile memory applications. The cell-to-cell interference between neighbouring memory cells occurs due to leakage current paths through adjacent low resistance state cells and induces not only unnecessary power consumption but also a misreading problem, a fatal obstacle in memory operation. To fabricate a fully functional flexible memory and prevent these unwanted effects, we integrated high performance flexible single crystal silicon transistors with an amorphous titanium oxide (a-TiO2) based memristor to control the logic state of memory. The $8{\times}8$ NOR type 1T-1M RRAM demonstrated the first random access memory operation on flexible substrates by controlling each memory unit cell independently. The second part of the seminar will discuss the flexible GaN LED on LCP substrates for implantable biosensor. Inorganic III-V light emitting diodes (LEDs) have superior characteristics, such as long-term stability, high efficiency, and strong brightness compared to conventional incandescent lamps and OLED. However, due to the brittle property of bulk inorganic semiconductor materials, III-V LED limits its applications in the field of high performance flexible electronics. This seminar introduces the first flexible and implantable GaN LED on plastic substrates that is transferred from bulk GaN on Si substrates. The superb properties of the flexible GaN thin film in terms of its wide band gap and high efficiency enable the dramatic extension of not only consumer electronic applications but also the biosensing scale. The flexible white LEDs are demonstrated for the feasibility of using a white light source for future flexible BLU devices. Finally a water-resist and a biocompatible PTFE-coated flexible LED biosensor can detect PSA at a detection limit of 1 ng/mL. These results show that the nitride-based flexible LED can be used as the future flexible display technology and a type of implantable LED biosensor for a therapy tool. The final part of this seminar will introduce a highly efficient and printable BaTiO3 thin film nanogenerator on plastic substrates. Energy harvesting technologies converting external biomechanical energy sources (such as heart beat, blood flow, muscle stretching and animal movements) into electrical energy is recently a highly demanding issue in the materials science community. Herein, we describe procedure suitable for generating and printing a lead-free microstructured BaTiO3 thin film nanogenerator on plastic substrates to overcome limitations appeared in conventional flexible ferroelectric devices. Flexible BaTiO3 thin film nanogenerator was fabricated and the piezoelectric properties and mechanically stability of ferroelectric devices were characterized. From the results, we demonstrate the highly efficient and stable performance of BaTiO3 thin film nanogenerator.

• Applied Microscopy
• /
• v.46 no.4
• /
• pp.206-216
• /
• 2016

This communication is to elucidate the state-of-the-art of techniques necessary to gather information on a new class of nanoelectronic devices known as memristors and related resistive switching devices, respectively. Unlike classical microelectronic devices such as transistors, the chemical and structural variations occurring upon switching of memristive devices require cutting-edge electron microscopy techniques. Depending on the switching mechanism, some memristors call for the acquisition of atomically resolved structural data, while others rely on atomistic chemical phenomena requiring the application of advanced X-ray and electron spectroscopy to correlate the real structure with properties. Additionally, understanding resistive switching phenomena also necessitates the application not only of pre- and post-operation analysis, but also during the process of switching. This highly challenging in situ characterization also requires the aforementioned techniques while simultaneously applying an electrical bias. Through this review we aim to give an overview of the possibilities and challenges as well as an outlook onto future developments in the field of nanoscopic characterization of memristive devices.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Illuminating and Electrical Installation Engineers
• /
• v.29 no.11
• /
• pp.59-65
• /
• 2015

By harnessing the thermal hysteresis behavior of vanadium dioxide($VO_2$), we demonstrated multi-resistance states in a two-terminal electronic device based on a $VO_2$ thin film by using a 966nm infrared laser diode as an excitation light source for resistance modulation. Before stimulating the device using 966nm laser pulses, the thermal hysteresis behavior of the device resistance was measured by using a temperature chamber. After that, the $VO_2$ device was thermally biased at ${\sim}71.6^{\circ}C$ so that its temperature fell into the thermal hysteresis region of the device resistance. Six multi-states of the device resistance could be obtained in the fabricated $VO_2$ device by five successive laser pulses with equal 10ms duration and increasing power. Each resistance states were maintained while the temperature bias was applied. And, the resistance fluctuation level was within 2.2% of the stabilized resistance and decreased down to less than 0.9% of the stabilized resistance 5s after the illumination.

• Journal of the Korean Physical Society
• /
• v.73 no.11
• /
• pp.1712-1715
• /
• 2018

To study the applications for ferroelectric non-volatile memory and ferroelectric memristor, etc., deposition pressure dependent electric the properties of $(Hf,\;Zr)O_2$ thin films by RF sputtering deposition method were investigated. The bottom electrode was TiN thin film to produce stress effect on the formation of orthorhombic phase and top electrode was Pt thin film by DC sputtering deposition. Deposition pressure was varied along with the same other deposition conditions, for example, sputtering power, target to substrate distance, post-annealing temperature, annealing gas, annealing time, etc. The structural and electric properties of the above thin films were investigated. As a result, it is confirmed that the electric properties of the $(Hf,\;Zr)O_2$ thin films depend on the deposition pressure which affects structural properties of the thin films, such as, structural phase, ratio of the constituents, etc.

• Journal of the Korean institute of surface engineering
• /
• v.55 no.1
• /
• pp.1-8
• /
• 2022

Titanium dioxide (TiO₂) is one of the most intensively investigated materials in materials science. Mostly, TiO₂ has been used in the form of nanoparticles, but recently new highly ordered TiO₂ nanotubes (U-tube) has been introduced and applied to various applications due to their one-dimensional charge path way. In the present paper, we described the formation process and physical properties of U-tube then, gave examples of applications in sequence. Firstly, in photocatalysis, U-tube was used with Au/Pt co-catalysts and showed enhanced photogenerated H₂ efficiency compared to bare TiO₂. Secondly, photoelectrochemical performance of U-tube was evaluated with different heat-treatment temperatures. As a further application, two different types of electrical cell (Ti-TiO₂-Pt and Ti-TiO₂-Pt_NP) was configurated to observe memristive behavior of U-tube. Both cells behaved as switching electrodes and follow a memristive movement in the high and low resistance state extremely well with high reproducibility.

• Journal of the Semiconductor & Display Technology
• /
• v.21 no.3
• /
• pp.50-56
• /
• 2022

In order to process a vast amount of data, there is demand for a new system with higher processing speed and lower energy consumption. To prevent 'memory wall' in von Neumann architecture, RRAM, which is a neuromorphic device, has been researched. In this paper, we summarize the features of RRAM and propose the device structure for characteristic improvement. RRAM operates as a synapse device using a change of resistance. In general, the resistance characteristics of RRAM are nonlinear and random. As synapse device, linearity and uniformity improvement of RRAM is important to improve learning recognition rate because high linearity and uniformity characteristics can achieve high recognition rate. There are many method, such as TEL, barrier layer, NC, high oxidation properties, to improve linearity and uniformity. We proposed a new device structure of TiN/Al doped TaO_x/AlO_x/Pt that will achieve high recognition rate. Also, with simulation, we prove that the improved properties show a high learning recognition rate.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
• /
• 2012.08a
• /
• pp.108-109
• /
• 2012

This talk will begin with the demonstration of facile synthesis of silicon nanostructures using the magnesiothermic reduction on silica nanostructures prepared via self-assembly, which will be followed by the characterization results of their performance for energy storage. This talk will also report the fabrication and characterization of highly porous, stretchable, and conductive polymer nanocomposites embedded with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) for application in flexible lithium-ion batteries. It will be presented that the porous CNT-embedded PDMS nanocomposites are capable of good electrochemical performance with mechanical flexibility, suggesting these nanocomposites could be outstanding anode candidates for use in flexible lithium-ion batteries. Directed self-assembly (DSA) of block copolymers (BCPs) can generate uniform and periodic patterns within guiding templates, and has been one of the promising nanofabrication methodologies for resolving the resolution limit of optical lithography. BCP self-assembly processing is scalable and of low cost, and is well-suited for integration with existing semiconductor manufacturing techniques. This talk will introduce recent research results (of my research group) on the self-assembly of Si-containing block copolymers for the achievement of sub-10 nm resolution, fast pattern generation, transfer-printing capability onto nonplanar substrates, and device applications for nonvolatile memories. An extraordinarily facile nanofabrication approach that enables sub-10 nm resolutions through the synergic combination of nanotransfer printing (nTP) and DSA of block copolymers is also introduced. This simple printing method can be applied on oxides, metals, polymers, and non-planar substrates without pretreatments. This talk will also report the direct formation of ordered memristor nanostructures on metal and graphene electrodes by the self-assembly of Si-containing BCPs. This approach offers a practical pathway to fabricate high-density resistive memory devices without using high-cost lithography and pattern-transfer processes. Finally, this talk will present a novel approach that can relieve the power consumption issue of phase-change memories by incorporating a thin $SiO_x$ layer formed by BCP self-assembly, which locally blocks the contact between a heater electrode and a phase-change material and reduces the phase-change volume. The writing current decreases by 5 times (corresponding to a power reduction of 1/20) as the occupying area fraction of $SiO_x$ nanostructures varies.

• Journal of the Microelectronics and Packaging Society
• /
• v.27 no.1
• /
• pp.31-35
• /
• 2020

This study demonstrates metal-oxide based memtransistor device and the gate tunable memristive characteristic using atomic layer deposition (ALD) and ZnO n-type oxide semiconductor. We fabricated a memtransistor device having channel width 70 ㎛, channel length 5 ㎛, back gate, using 40 nm thick ZnO thin film, and measured gate-tunable memristive characteristics at each gate voltage (50V, 30V, 10V, 0V, -10V, -30V, -50V) under humidity of 40%, 50%, 60%, and 70% respectively, in order to investigate the relation between a memristive characteristic and hydrogen doping effect on the ZnO memtransistor device. The electron mobility and gate controllability of memtransistor device decreased with an increase of humidity due to increased electron carrier concentration by hydrogen doping effect. The gate-tunable memristive characteristic was observed under humidity of 60% 70%. Resistive switching ratio increased with an increase of humidity while it loses gate controllability. Consequently, we could obtain both gate controllability and the large resistive switching ratio under humidity of 60%.

• Ceramist
• /
• v.21 no.2
• /
• pp.4-18
• /
• 2018

Lastly, neuromorphic computing chip has been extensively studied as the technology that directly mimics efficient calculation algorithm of human brain, enabling a next-generation intelligent hardware system with high speed and low power consumption. Three-terminal based synaptic transistor has relatively low integration density compared to the two-terminal type memristor, while its power consumption can be realized as being so low and its spike plasticity from synapse can be reliably implemented. Also, the strong electrical interaction between two or more synaptic spikes offers the advantage of more precise control of synaptic weights. In this review paper, the results of synaptic transistor mimicking synaptic behavior of the brain are classified according to the channel material, in order of silicon, organic semiconductor, oxide semiconductor, 1D CNT(carbon nanotube) and 2D van der Waals atomic layer present. At the same time, key technologies related to dielectrics and electrolytes introduced to express hysteresis and plasticity are discussed. In addition, we compared the essential electrical characteristics (EPSC, IPSC, PPF, STM, LTM, and STDP) required to implement synaptic transistors in common and the power consumption required for unit synapse operation. Generally, synaptic devices should be integrated with other peripheral circuits such as neurons. Demonstration of this neuromorphic system level needs the linearity of synapse resistance change, the symmetry between potentiation and depression, and multi-level resistance states. Finally, in order to be used as a practical neuromorphic applications, the long-term stability and reliability of the synapse device have to be essentially secured through the retention and the endurance cycling test related to the long-term memory characteristics.