Electrically Erasable Wide-Bandgap Charge-Trap Memory With an Electric-Flux-Modulating Counter Electrode

An effective electrical erasing operation in the charge-trap memory (CTM) based on wide bandgap (WBG) semiconductors is demonstrated by realizing an electric flux-modulating counter electrode ( ${E} _{\text {F}}\textit {MC}_{\text {E}}$ ). A fundamental limitation of gate-bias erasing operation in WBG CTMs is overcome by depositing a top Al metal electrode on the bottom-gate top-contact thin-film transistor memories. The function of ${E} _{\text {F}}\textit {MC}_{\text {E}}$ is both experimentally and theoretically investigated through device fabrications and finite-element numerical simulation. Both pentacene- and In-Ga-Zn oxide based CTMs incorporating the ${E} _{\text {F}}\textit {MC}_{\text {E}}$ show repeatable and stable electrical programming and erasing. The proposed concept of ${E} _{\text {F}}\textit {MC}_{\text {E}}$ therefore improves the applicability of WBG semiconductors in future memory technologies.