Integrated circuit, commonly known as “chip”, is the core of the information technology industry, known as the country’s industrial food. China’s memory market accounts for half of the global market, but the lack of independent intellectual property rights and talent, resulting in high-density, large-capacity memory completely dependent on imports. This brings great hidden trouble to our country’s information security.
To solve this problem, a team quietly worked for more than a decade, it is with this “take the bench to sit hot” spirit, so that they finally won the 2016 National Natural Science Award Second Prize. This is the new nonvolatile memory research team led by Academician Liu Ming of the Institute of Microelectronics of Chinese Academy of Sciences. After 15 years of efforts, he has accumulated independent intellectual property rights in the field of high density and large capacity memory and cultivated talents. And they developed a new type of variable-resistance memory is promoting the industrialization process, is expected to enter the mainstream memory market in the future. ts518fe-fl35e
Decode the variable-resistance memory
Liu Qi, the second researcher of the project, is one of the team members. Recalled with the project leader, mentor Liu Ming academicians of the acquaintance, Liu Qi had exclaimed the fate of their own blessing. In 2006, Liu Qi was also a graduate student in Anhui University, Liu was a report of academicians deeply attracted, he loves scientific research to seize the opportunity to express to the Academician Liu Ming want to do joint training students, did not expect the desire Quickly realized that he has been in this team to learn and work for 10 years.
He said that the resistance variable memory is a new non-volatile storage technology, and the current mainstream non-volatile memory Flash Memory (flash memory) compared to the performance there is a great advantage, while the resistance variable memory from the metal – medium – metal composition, the structure is very simple, is conducive to achieving high-density three-dimensional integration, is the future of large-capacity memory strong competitors. frb-wt145
After more than ten years, the project has carried out in-depth research work on the mechanism, materials, structure, integrated technology and chip design of the resistive memory, and has effectively deployed intellectual property rights. These achievements have contributed to China’s development of independent intellectual property Property rights of the variable resistance storage technology to lay a scientific and technological foundation.
This reporter learned. The team accumulated charge trapping memory related technologies and patents transferred to Wuhan in 2014 for the industrialization of the new core development, in 2016, Wuhan Xinxin and microelectronics by virtue of the technology and personnel cooperation to become the national memory industry base, including the Purple Group, National Integrated Circuit Fund, a total of 24 billion US dollars of investment, the establishment of the Yangtze River storage company. “Chinese Academy of Microelectronics by the memory-related patents and technology is the core of independent research and development of the core products of the initial source and one of the main basis.”
Scientific research process is long and mysterious
In an interview with reporters before the completion of the fourth person project Long Shibing researcher has just met a counseling undergraduate students. The student has just completed two pages of 40 pages in English.
In the external electrical excitation, the phenomenon of material resistance changes occurred as early as the 1960s was reported, but the use of this phenomenon to develop new non-volatile storage technology is gradually started from 2000, Long Shibing told reporters, Liu Ming academician team in 2004 began to pay attention to the resistance variable memory, the research process with the international synchronization.
In the initial stages, the team found that many material systems exhibit resistance-switching behavior under electrical excitation, but most of the devices require an initial activation process that requires a large voltage that can affect device yield, performance And the reliability of a serious impact. In order to solve this problem, we can improve the device performance and improve the yield of the device by theoretical analysis and a large number of experimental verification. At present, this method has become one of the commonly used methods to improve the device performance in the field of resistance variable memory.
The process of resistivity is accompanied by some physical and chemical changes. These changes will lead to the formation and disintegration of the conductive path inside the material, but how to observe and analyze the microscopic information of these changes is a very difficult task. In response to this problem, they developed a set of in situ TEM test method, can be observed under external voltage, real-time materials within the conductive pathway formation and bursting process. Based on this method, they first obtained the formation of conductive pathways and burst dynamic image process, which is the micro-mechanism of the study of resistance has a great impetus.
Understanding the formation and collapse of conductive paths is the fundamental cause of resistive behavior. Naturally, it is important to understand how to control the formation and collapse of conductive vias, which is critical to improving device performance. Therefore, the further development of the electric field to enhance the regulation of thinking, to achieve the conductive pathway growth process of human control for the large-scale integration of resistance variable memory provides a solution.
Industrialization of the beautiful vision
Wang Yan as the fifth person to complete the project, told reporters about the award-winning mentality. She believes that their lives and mentality has not changed, the award is a team of many years of work recognition, is also an encouragement.
She felt as a lesbian, in the work with the male colleagues and no difference. Scientific research needs to focus and input, but also need to help each other, and expressed glad that they are in such a team. She said, mentor Liu Ming is a very elegant and gentle woman, very serious about the work, encounter difficulties to her help, she will do everything possible to help. Treat people in good faith, but also no shelves.
The whole team under the leadership of the instructor, formed a sincere and simple work atmosphere. Team members have met for many years, together with the issue of variable resistance memory little by little to do, from the principle of exploration, performance improvement, to the commercial application of exploration. She said that has been a lot of help, can become a part of this team is a very lucky thing.
Liu Qi said that the team in carrying out basic research at the same time, but also pay attention to the application of variable-resistance memory research. On the one hand, focus on the protection of intellectual property rights, has applied for nearly a hundred patents, focused on materials, structures, processes, algorithms, circuits, which has been granted 8 US patents, more than 50 patents in China. On the other hand, is also actively transfer the results to the industry, is currently with SMIC, Beijing Chi-core Microelectronics Technology Co., Ltd. jointly developed 28nm RRAM mass production technology and product application development, hoping to promote China’s self- development of.
