Novel InGaSb/AlP Quantum Dots for Non-Volatile Memories

Demid S Abramkin; Victor V Atuchin

doi:10.3390/nano12213794

Novel InGaSb/AlP Quantum Dots for Non-Volatile Memories

Nanomaterials (Basel). 2022 Oct 27;12(21):3794. doi: 10.3390/nano12213794.

Authors

Demid S Abramkin^{1

2}, Victor V Atuchin^{3

4

5

6}

Affiliations

¹ Laboratory of Molecular Beam Epitaxy of III-V Semiconductor Compounds, Institute of Semiconductor Physics, SB RAS, 630090 Novosibirsk, Russia.
² Department of Physics, Novosibirsk State University, 630090 Novosibirsk, Russia.
³ Laboratory of Optical Materials and Structures, Institute of Semiconductor Physics, SB RAS, 630090 Novosibirsk, Russia.
⁴ Research and Development Department, Kemerovo State University, 650000 Kemerovo, Russia.
⁵ Department of Industrial Machinery Design, Novosibirsk State Technical University, 630073 Novosibirsk, Russia.
⁶ R&D Center "Advanced Electronic Technologies", Tomsk State University, 634034 Tomsk, Russia.

Abstract

Non-volatile memories based on the flash architecture with self-assembled III-V quantum dots (SAQDs) used as a floating gate are one of the prospective directions for universal memories. The central goal of this field is the search for a novel SAQD with hole localization energy (E_loc) sufficient for a long charge storage (10 years). In the present work, the hole states' energy spectrum in novel InGaSb/AlP SAQDs was analyzed theoretically with a focus on its possible application in non-volatile memories. Material intermixing and formation of strained SAQDs from a Ga_xAl_1-xSb_yP_1-y, In_xAl_1-xSb_yP_1-y or an In_xGa_1-xSb_yP_1-y alloy were taken into account. Critical sizes of SAQDs, with respect to the introduction of misfit dislocation as a function of alloy composition, were estimated using the force-balancing model. A variation in SAQDs' composition together with dot sizes allowed us to find that the optimal configuration for the non-volatile memory application is GaSbP/AlP SAQDs with the 0.55-0.65 Sb fraction and a height of 4-4.5 nm, providing the E_loc value of 1.35-1.50 eV. Additionally, the hole energy spectra in unstrained InSb/AlP and GaSb/AlP SAQDs were calculated. E_loc values up to 1.65-1.70 eV were predicted, and that makes unstrained InGaSb/AlP SAQDs a prospective object for the non-volatile memory application.

Keywords: QD-Flash; hole localization; non-volatile memories; quantum dots memories; quaternary alloy; self-assembled quantum dots; strain; universal memories.

Abstract

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