Room-temperature single-electron memory made by pulse-mode atomic force microscopy nano oxidation process on atomically flat α-alumina substrate

A single-electron memory was fabricated using the improved pulse-mode atomic force microscopy nano oxidation process which oxidized the surface of the thin titanium (Ti) metal on the atomically flat alpha-alumina (alpha-Al2O3) substrate and formed the narrow oxidized titanium (TiOx) line that works as a tunnel junction for the device. This single-electron memory consists of the multitunnel junction and a memory capacitance. The single-electron transistor, which works as an electrometer, was connected to the memory node of the single-electron memory to detect the potential change of the memory node by the injection of the individual electrons. The fabricated single-electron memory showed the hysteresis loop even at room temperature by the return trip of the memory bias when starting from 0 to 10 V and again coming back to 0 V. About 25 electrons were stored at the memory node. (C) 2000 American Institute of Physics. [S0003-6951(00)03102-8].