computer memory technologies

Cross-sectional TEM images and energy-dispersive x-ray measurements from high-angle annular dark-field scanning TEM for different thin films. (A) Pure HfOx deposited at 400°C. Clear crystallites are visible in the film; red arrows indicate some of the grain boundaries. (B) Pure HfOx deposited at 30°C. While these films are not polycrystalline like pure HfOx deposited at 400°C, neither are they as uniform as the composite films presented in (C). (C) The thin films which resulted in stable electrical performance are amorphous or nanocrystalline. Some pillar-like structures can be discerned, indicated by red arrows. The addition of Ba to the films clearly leads to material uniformity by suppressing crystallization. (D) High-angle annular dark-field scanning TEM (HAADF-STEM), zoomed in on some of the pillars. In addition, darker nanoparticles can be discerned throughout the films; four randomly chosen particles are marked by red circles. (E) HAADF-STEM image to indicate the area scanned for EDX and the elemental distribution of Hf and Ba. (F) Line scan EDX results acquired from the area indicated in (E). The dark areas in the HAADF-STEM image contain more Ba than the brighter ones. The ratio between Ba and Hf in the pillars is about 0.25 to 0.33, consistent with the Rutherford backscattering analysis discussed later. Credit: Science Advances (2023). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adg1946
A new device that processes data in a similar way as the synapses in the human brain