Design of a Nano-mechanical Beam Based Memory Element

A cantilever beam based memory element is proposed which can trap static charge on a metal plate on the beam. The charge is transferred by tunneling to the metal plate from an electrode separated from it by a layer of insulation. The ON condition is represented by the deformed state of the beam when charge is placed on it and the OFF condition is represented by the relaxed state when charge is removed. Hence, the write and erase operation are performed using electrostatic actuation and the read operation is performed using piezoresistive sensing. In addition to the design and operation, the scaling aspect of the element is discussed to facilitate the fabrication of the device. Some of the advantages of this device include better speed as compared to conventional memory devices, better area density and lower power consumption.