A Three-terminal Non-Volatile Ferroelectric Switch with an Insulator-Metal Transition Channel

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel three-terminal ferroelectric memory device, Mott-FeFET, utilizing an insulator-metal transition channel to improve read/write performance and enable low-voltage operation.

Contribution

The work proposes a Mott-FeFET device that replaces the silicon channel with VO2, enabling polarization-dependent threshold voltage and independent read/write voltages.

Findings

Demonstrates polarization-dependent threshold voltage in Mott-FeFET

Achieves low-voltage programming without compromising read distinguishability

Provides a pathway for energy-efficient non-volatile memory devices

Abstract

Ferroelectrics offer a promising materials platform to realize energy-efficient non-volatile memory technology with the FeFET-based implementations being one of the most area-efficient ferroelectric memory architectures. However, the FeFET operation entails a fundamental trade-off between the read and the program operations. To overcome this trade-off, we propose in this work, a novel device, Mott-FeFET, that aims to replace the Silicon channel of the FeFET with VO2- a material that exhibits an electrically driven insulator-metal phase transition. The Mott-FeFET design, which demonstrates a (ferroelectric) polarization-dependent threshold voltage, enables the read current distinguishability (i.e., the ratio of current sensed when the Mott-FeFET is in state 1 and 0, respectively) to be independent of the program voltage. This enables the device to be programmed at low voltages without affecting the ability to sense/read the state of the device. Our work provides a pathway to realize low-voltage and energy-efficient non-volatile memory solutions.