The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Oct. 14, 1997
Filed:
Feb. 27, 1996
Hitachi, Ltd., Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
A memory device includes a memory node (2) to which is connected a tunnel barrier configuration such that the node exhibits first and second quantized memory states for which the level of stored charge is limited by Coulomb Blockade and a surplus or shortfall of a small number of electrons for example ten electrons or even a single electron can be used to represent quantized memory states. A series of the nodes N0-N3 that are interconnected by tunnel barriers D can be arranged as a logic device. Clock waveforms V1-V3 applied to clock lines C1 1-C1 3 selectively alter the probability of charge carriers passing through the tunnel diodes D from node to node. An output device, typically a Coulomb blockade electrometer provides an output logical signal indicative of the logical state of node N3. Arrays of separately addressable memory cells M.sub.mn are also described, that utilize gated multiple tunnel junctions (MTJs) as their barrier configurations. Side gated GaAs MTJ structures formed by selective etching and lithography are described. Also, gate structures which modulate a conductive channel with depletion regions to form multiple tunnel junctions are disclosed.