Genoa, 28 July, 2009

Fabrication of Memristors
with Poly-Crystalline
Silicon Nanowires

S.Carrara, EPFL Lausanne

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(Switzerland)
 Talk Overview

Concepts about Memristors

Methods to fabricate poly-silicon nano-
wires

Structure of our nano-wire Memristors

The measured Memristor effect

Future Applications to Nano-Bio-sensing

S.Carrara, EPFL Lausanne

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Memristors First Concept
Four different circuit parameters:
v(t ), i(t ), q(t ), ϕ (t )
 di = R
dv

 dv 1
 dq = C
 dϕ
 di =L

 dq = M
dϕ
The missed equation!

S.Carrara, EPFL - Lausanne

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 The Memristor request

Symmetry reasons seem demanding for Memristors

S.Carrara, EPFL Lausanne
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Memristors First Concept
The usual Resistance: dv(t ) So, M = R in
=R
di (t ) case of constant
Memristor depending on Charge Flux:
dϕ (q )
charge!
dϕ (q ) dv(q )
M [q(t )] = = dt = = R(q)
dq dq di
dt
While, M will be an R with memory
effect in case of varying charge!

S.Carrara, EPFL - Lausanne

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 The Name

Memory
Resistor

MEMRISTOR

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Possible Memristor Model

A two-terminals Memristor may be modeled by

through two resistors as an element which vary the
resistance upon the applied voltage
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 Memristors First Concept
 w(t )  w(t )  
v(t ) =  RON + ROFF 1 −  i (t )
 D  D 
dw(t ) RON
= µV i (t )
dt D
RON
w(t ) = µV q(t )
D
 µV RON 
M (q ) = ROFF 1 − q (t ) 
 D 2 More
 evident at nano-scale!

S.Carrara, EPFL - Lausanne

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(Switzerland)
Current/Voltage Characteristics

Memristic effects are observable in I-V curves

as a memory of the channel doping in time
S.Carrara, EPFL Lausanne
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How to build a Memristor?
“These results serve as the foundation for
understanding a wide range of hysteretic
current-voltage behaviour observed in many
nano-scale electronic devices”

“[…] until now no one has presented either a

useful physical model or an example of a
memristor”

S.Carrara, EPFL Lausanne

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How to build a Memristor?

Memristors obtained by using organic materials

S.Carrara, EPFL Lausanne

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 Top-Down Techniques for
Poly-silicon Nano-Wires

Based on patterning:
– Photolithography
– Nanomold lithography
– Stencil lithography 500 nm
– Spacer technique
Melosh et al., Science’03

Un-differentiated NWs

Moselund et al., TNANO’07

Vasquez-Mena et al., Nano Letters’08

5 µm
Sacchetto et al., ESSDERC’09
S.Carrara, EPFL Lausanne
(Switzerland)
Choi et al., J. Vac. Sci. Tech.
12 B’03
 Bottom-Up Techniques for
Poly-silicon Nano-Wires
Au

Based on NW growth Cross-

NW can be differentiated: Core section

– Radial doping Shell

– Axial doping
Shell

Lauhon et al.,
Nature’02

10 µm 1 µm

Whang, et al., Nano Letters’03

S.Carrara, EPFL Lausanne Gudiksen et al., Nature’02

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 Multi-Spacer Patterning
Technique
Si substrate cave
conformal
SiO2 sacrificial layer poly-Si layer

1. Sacrificial layer 2. Conformal layer deposition

multi-spacers
poly-Si
spacer

3. Anisotropic RIE etch 4. Alternating iterations of 2-3

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Fabrication Process: Frontend in
case of cross-bars
Si substrate cave
conformal
poly-Si layer
SiO2 sacrificial layer

1. Sacrificial layer 2. Conformal layer deposition

Cr/Ni 0.8 Cr 0.2
upper
poly-Si poly-Si
spacer

3. Anisotropic RIE etch 4. Definition of upper spacer

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 Sizes Overview
• Dimensions are
not true to scale!
~ 70 nm
~ 20 nm • Only frontend
Insulator processing is
(SiO2) depicted
Poly-Si ~ 400 nm • Backend includes
spacer ~ 400 nm passivation +
Si substrate ~ 70 nm metallization

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Nano- to Meso-wires addressing
Mesowires Crosspoints Mesowire

VT1 VT2 Nanowire

VA1 VA2 VA3 VA4

Decoder Nanowires
Contact Group
Nanowire

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 Fabrication Process

Frontend Passivation

Definition of Isolation of devices,

crossing poly-Si via opening for
nanowire metalization and
functionalization

Testing Backend
Current/Voltage Metalization: NiCr
measurements or Cr/NiCr or Al

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 Fabrication Results

The SEM imaging shows the quality of poly-silicon

wires fabricated by using spacers technique
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Current/Voltage Characteristics
Holes trapping
Electrons trapping

Electrons de-trapping Holes de-trapping

The registered I/V curves show memristic effects due to

a memory of the swept voltage windows
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Conductivity Mechanisms

Both electrons and holes based conductivity is

affected by Memristor effect

S.Carrara, EPFL Lausanne

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Current/Voltage Characteristics

The registered I/V curves show memristic effects due to

a memory of the swept voltage windows
S.Carrara, EPFL Lausanne
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 Simulations by
drift-diffusion model
g ( E ) = gTA ( E ) + gTD ( E ) + g GA ( E ) + g GD ( E )
Acceptors State
Tail States E − E Gaussian States
Donors State
c Ev − E

gTA ( E ) = N TAe WTA gTD ( E ) = N TD e WTD

 EGA − E  2  E − EGD 
2
−  −
 WGA  
g GA ( E ) = N GAe g GA ( E ) = N GD e  WGD 

S.Carrara, EPFL - Lausanne

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 Simulations Result
-7
10 Experiment

Drain Current (A)

Simulation
-8
10

-9
10

-10
10

-11
10

-20 -10 0 10 20
Gate Voltage (V)

2D Simulations by Atlas follow the experimental

data accounting for negative trapped charges at the
Poly-Si/SiO2 interface

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 Future Nano-Bio-sensing
applications
Frontend Passivation

Definition of Isolation of devices,

crossing poly-Si via opening for
nanowire metalization and
functionalization

Functionalization Backend
Grafting of bio- Metalization: NiCr
markers or Cr/NiCr or Al

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 pH Dependent Sensor

pH Sensor obtained by modifying Si oxide surface with 3-
aminopropyltriethoxysilane yielding amino and silanol groups (acting
as receptors) at surface

Patolsky et al., Nanowire-Based Biosensors, Analytical Chemistry, 2006, 4261-4269

Protonation/deprotonation altered charge density at surface
thereby changing conductance

For p-type FET: rising pH led to decreased positive charge
implying increase in conductance
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 Detecting Single Virus

When virus binds to antibody receptor, conductance changes from
baseline value

When it unbinds, conductance returns to baseline value

Patolsky et al., Nanowire-Based Biosensors, Analytical Chemistry, 2006, 4261-4269

Results suggest the possibility to develop ultradense NW device where
minimum scale is set by size of virus
S.Carrara, EPFL Lausanne
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(Switzerland)
 Concept in Memristors for
Nano-Bio-Sensing

Top-gate
Nitride Passivation
Nano-wire channel

Back Gate
The charging from molecules affects the Memristic
effects onto the poly-silicon channel
S.Carrara, EPFL Lausanne
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 Conclusions
• Memristors have been obtained by using poly-
silicon nano-wires
• Poly-silicon nano-wires have been fabricated by
using spacer technique
• Memristic effect has been registered in I/V
characteristics
• 2D simulations confirmed that Memristic effect is
due to charges trapped in the Channel/Gate
interface during deposition
• Future development will be in Nano-Bio-Sensing

S.Carrara, EPFL Lausanne

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Thanks to Co-authors

M. Haykel Ben Jamaa

Julius Georgious

Nikolas Archontas

Giovanni De Micheli

S.Carrara, EPFL Lausanne

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(Switzerland)
Thank you for your attention!

Coordinates:
Dr. Sandro Carrara Ph.D
Integrated Laboratory Systems
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL)
CH-1015 Lausanne
Web: http://si2.epfl.ch/~scarrara/
email: sandro.carrara@epfl.ch

S.Carrara, EPFL Lausanne

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