2009-441 Memory Capacitor Made from Field Configurable Ion-Doped Materials

Summary

UCLA researchers in the Department of Mechanical Engineering have created a novel memory capacitor storage device that can be dynamically and reversibly programmed to analog capacitances with low-voltage (<5V) pulses.

Background

The modification of ionic concentrations in solid-state materials under the influence of an electric field offers rich physics and novel device functions. For example, memory resistors utilize ionic drift under an applied electric field to induce nonvolatile changes in material conductivity. A step forward in that line of research is the memory capacitor, in which not only the charge stored in the device but also its capacitance can be modified as a function of voltage applied to the device.

Innovation

Researchers at UCLA have created a novel memory capacitor based on a field-configurable ion-doped polymer that can be dynamically and reversibly programmed to analog capacitances with low-voltage (<5V) pulses. After the device capacitance was configured to a specific value, it changed by less than 10% under continual reading conditions for five days.

Applications

• Creation of a novel non-volatile solid-state memory Implementation in nonlinear analog circuits
• Use in neuromorphic computer architectures

Advantages

• Highly scalable
• Greater data density
• Simpler and smaller cell structure compared to MRAM
• Low operational voltage

State Of Development

Researchers have constructed and demonstrated the nonvolatile analog memory capacitor. Further, experiments have been conducted to understand the switching mechanisms and underlying principles of the design.