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Trilayer Graphene as a Candidate Material for Phase-Change Memory Applications

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 April 2016

Mohamed M Atwa ,
Ahmed AlAskalany ,
Karim Elgammal ,
Anderson D Smith ,
Mattias Hammar  and
Mikael Östling
Mohamed M Atwa*
Affiliation:
Department of Integrated Devices and Circuits, School of Information and Communication Technology, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Electrum 229, SE-16440 Kista, Sweden
Ahmed AlAskalany
Affiliation:
Department of Integrated Devices and Circuits, School of Information and Communication Technology, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Electrum 229, SE-16440 Kista, Sweden
Karim Elgammal
Affiliation:
Department of Materials and Nano Physics, School of Information and Communication Technology, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Electrum 229, SE-16440 Kista, Sweden SeRC (Swedish e-Science Research Center), KTH Royal Institute of Technology, SE-10044 Stockholm, Sweden
Anderson D Smith
Affiliation:
Department of Integrated Devices and Circuits, School of Information and Communication Technology, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Electrum 229, SE-16440 Kista, Sweden
Mattias Hammar
Affiliation:
Department of Integrated Devices and Circuits, School of Information and Communication Technology, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Electrum 229, SE-16440 Kista, Sweden
Mikael Östling
Affiliation:
Department of Integrated Devices and Circuits, School of Information and Communication Technology, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Electrum 229, SE-16440 Kista, Sweden
*
*(Email: atwa@kth.se)
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Abstract

There is pressing need in computation of a universal phase change memory consolidating the speed of RAM with the permanency of hard disk storage. A potentiated scanning tunneling microscope tip traversing the soliton separating a metallic, ABA-stacked phase and a semiconducting ABC-stacked phase in trilayer graphene has been shown to permanently transform ABA-stacked regions to ABC-stacked regions. In this study, we used density functional theory (DFT) calculations to assess the energetics of this phase-change and explore the possibility of organic functionalization using s-triazine to facilitate a reverse phase-change from rhombohedral back to Bernal in graphene trilayers. A significant deviation in the energy per simulated atom arises when s-triazine is adsorbed, favoring the transformation of the ABC phase to the ABA phase once more. A phase change memory device utilizing rapid, energy-efficient, reversible, field-induced phase-change in graphene trilayers could potentially revolutionize digital memory industry.

Keywords

memoryelectronic structurephase transformation
Type
Articles
Information
MRS Advances , Volume 1 , Issue 20: Nanomaterials and Synthesis , 2016 , pp. 1487 - 1494
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2016 

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