TECHNOLOGY DESCRIPTION
Memristive devices are characterized by their present resistance being dependent on the current that last passed through them. In this invention, a memristive RF switch is created by having two micro-electrodes with a small air gap, e.g., 50nm or less, between them. When in the “off” state, the air gap between the electrodes gives the device a very high resistance. When a “setting voltage” is applied between the electrodes, a conductive filament is self-created from one electrode, which bridges the air gap and contacts the other electrode. The device in now the “on” state, and resistance is very low. To turn the device off again, a “resetting voltage” having opposite polarity is applied, and the conductive filament’s connection to the other electrode is broken.
PRODUCT OPPORTUNITIES
ADVANTAGES
• Incredibly small
• Low energy, non-volatile; no energy needed to maintain present state
• Sub-nanosecond switching speed
• Compatible with CMOS fabrication methods
• Easily incorporated into integrated circuits
APPLICATIONS
• Radio frequency (RF) antennas with greater conductivity
• RF switches
• RF multiplexers
• RF systems with variable performance parameters
ABOUT THE INVENTOR
Dr. Qiangfei Xia is a professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering at UMass Amherst and head of the Nanodevices and Integrated Systems Lab. He received his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering in 2007 from Princeton University, where he was a recipient of the Guggenheim Fellowship in Engineering (a graduate fellowship from Princeton). He then spent three years as a research associate in the Hewlett Packard Laboratories in Palo Alto, California. In October 2010, he joined the faculty of UMass Amherst as an assistant professor. He became an associate professor with tenure in January 2016 and then a full professor in September 2018.
Dr. Xia's research interests include beyond-CMOS devices, integrated systems and enabling technologies, with applications in machine intelligence, reconfigurable RF systems and hardware security. He has received a DARPA Young Faculty Award (YFA), an NSF CAREER Award, and the Barbara H. and Joseph I. Goldstein Outstanding Junior Faculty Award.
AVAILABILITY:
Available for Licensing and/or Sponsored Research
DOCKET:
UMA 14-028
PATENT STATUS:
Patent U.S. 9,998,106 Issued
NON-CONFIDENTIAL INVENTION DISCLOSURE
LEAD INVENTOR:
Qiangfei Xia, Ph.D.
CONTACT: