Silicon Nanowires Upgrade Data-Storage Technology From NIST Tech
Beat: June 8, 2007 Contact: Micheal E. Newman Scientists at the
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), along
with colleagues at George Mason University and Kwangwoon
University in Korea, have fabricated a memory device that
combines silicon nanowires with a more traditional type of data-
storage. Their hybrid structure may be more reliable than other
nanowire-based memory devices recently built and more easily
integrated into commercial applications. As reported in a recent
paper,* the device is a type of “non-volatile” memory, meaning
stored information is not lost when the device is without power.
So-called “flash” memory (used in digital camera memory cards,
USB memory sticks, etc.) is a well-known example of electronic
non-volatile memory. In this new device, nanowires are
integrated with a higher-end type of non-volatile memory that is
similar to flash, a layered structure known as semiconductor-
oxide-nitride-oxide-semiconduc