KOSEN 한인과학기술자네트워크

Crested Quantum Tunneling Barriers for Advanced Data Storage Systems Primary Sponsor: Department of Defense Deadline: 4/11/2001 KEYWORDS TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Information Systems Technology OBJECTIVE: Establish the basis for advanced digital memory and data storage systems with density beyond 1 terabit/cm2 and sub-10-ns read/write/erase time. DESCRIPTION: Ultradense storage of large blocks of digital data, with the possibility of their fast, byte-addressable retrieval is a pivotal issue as the Air Force defines its future C4I war-fighting role. Battlefield management, especially if supplemented by simulation, also will require enormous data storage that is accessible by computers in real time, ideally in a few nanoseconds. Currently, hardware for ultra-dense, fast memory storage does not exist. Moreover, the rapid progress toward such systems by the electronics industry is slowing. In particular, dynamic random access memories are inherently non-scalable, and their density will very likely saturate at the level of several Gb/cm2 [1]. On the other hand, non-volatile, floating-gate memories are scalable, but their application in most systems is limited by long write/erase times, typically above 1 microsecond [2]. Finally, mainstream magnetic data storage systems are rapidly approaching an apparent fundamental density limit, somewhere in the low 100s of Mb/cm2. Proposed "crested" multilayer tunnel barriers [3] provide a remarkable opportunity to overcome the density-to-speed trade-offs of current data storage technologies. These barriers may permit the combination of an acceptable electric-charge retention time (beyond 10 years) with a sub-10-ns recharging time, and thus enable scalable and fast non-volatile memories (NOVORAM) [4] and electrostatic data storage systems (ESTOR) [3] with potential density well beyond 1 Tb/cm2. In the future, crested barriers also may make ultra-dense, terabit-scale single-electron memories possible [5]. However, implementation of crested barriers requires fabrication of high-quality multi-layers of wide-bandgap semiconductors (e.g., AlxGa1-xN) which have not yet been demonstrated, since it requires advanced film deposition techniques (e.g., MOCVD, etc.). PHASE I: Develop the technology for deposition of 10-nm-scale crested tunnel barriers based on wide-bandgap semiconductors or other suitable materials. Demonstrate the effect of acceleration on Fowler-Nordheim tunneling due to barrier shaping. PHASE II: Fabricate and test prototype semiconductor memory cells using crested barriers, with write/erase time below 10 ns. Explore retention time of these cells and their endurance under electric stress, and prove their scalability. Demonstrate a prototype electrostatic data storage system and explore its speed performance. PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: The development of fast, ultra-dense semiconductor memories and data storage systems for the most challenging DoD missions, will provide a basis for their commercial introduction into the rapidly growing digital data storage market, including personal computers, corporate and internet servers. REFERENCES: 1. A. K. Sharma, Semiconductor Memories, IEEE Press, New York, 1997. 2. W. D. Brown and J. E. Brewer, eds. Nonvolatile Semiconductor Memory Technology, IEEE Press, Piscataway, NY, 1998. 3. A. N. Korotkov and K. K. Likharev, IEDM’99 Tech. Dig., pp. 223. 4. J. Brewer, ed., Special Issue on Nonvolatile Memory, IEEE Cir. & Dev. Mag., July 2000. 5. K. K. Likharev, Proc. of IEEE, vol. 87, pp. 606-632, Apr. 1999. KEYWORDS: Micromachining, Deformable mirror, Adaptive optics, Abberation, Laser wavefront control. DoD Notice: Between January 2 and February 28, 2001, you may talk directly with the DoD scientists and engineers who authored the solicitation topics, to ask technical questions about the topics. The Topic Author is listed in the box below. For reasons of competitive fairness, direct communication between proposers and topic authors is not allowed after February 28, 2001, when DoD begins accepting proposals under this solicitation. TPOC: Harold Weinstock EMAIL: harold.weinstock@afosr.af.mil. After February 28, 2001 proposers may still submit written questions about solicitation topics through the SBIR/STTR Interactive Topic Information System (SITIS). If you have general questions about DoD SBIR program, please contact the DoD SBIR Help Desk at (800) 382-4634 or email to SBIRHELP@teltech.com. NOTE: The Solicitations listed on this site are copies from the various SBIR agency solicitations and are not necessarily the latest and most up-to-date. For this reason, you should use the agency link listed below which will take you directly to the appropriate agency server where you can read the official version of this solicitation and download the appropriate forms and rules. The official link for this solicitation is: http://www.acq.osd.mil/sadbu/sbir/sttr01/dod_sttr01.htm. DoD will begin accepting proposals on March 1, 2001. The solicitation closing date is April 11, 2001.