Three-terminal nanometer metal switches utilizing solid electrolytes

Hisao Kawaura*, Toshitsugu Sakamoto, Naoki Banno, Shunichi Kaeriyama, Masayuki Mizuno, Kazuya Terabe, Tsuyoshi Hasegawa, Masakazu Aono

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

We propose a three-terminal nanometer metal switch in this paper that utilizes a solid electrolyte where the nanoscale metal filament is stretched and retracted. Its operating principle is based on the electrochemical reaction and ion-migration in the electrolyte. The fabricated device is comprised of a solid electrolyte layer (Cu2S), a gate (Cu), a source (Cu) and a drain (Pt). After the Cu-filament is formed between the source and the drain by applying the drain voltage, repeatable ON/OFF switching in the drain current is obtained by controlling the gate voltage. The ON/OFF current ratio can be as high as 105, and the programmable cycle is around 50. Each state can be kept for up to 40 days. Since the gate is separated from the current path, the current for the switching can be reduced down to 10 μA, which is two orders of magnitude smaller than that in two-terminal switches. In this paper, we show the operating principle and electrical characteristics of the three-terminal switches, and discuss how suitable they are for reconfigurable circuits.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)890-895+9
JournalIEEJ Transactions on Electronics, Information and Systems
Volume128
Issue number6
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2008
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Electrochemical reaction
  • Reconfigurable circuit
  • Solid electrolyte

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Electrical and Electronic Engineering

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