Deji Akinwande, alongside Materials Science Ph.D. alumnus Ruijing Ge, has received a U.S. patent for a key discovery achieved at UT Austin.
The patented technology introduces a two-dimensional non-volatile switch based on a vertical metal–insulator–metal (MIM) architecture. The device incorporates a semiconducting, monolayer crystalline non-metallic atomic sheet positioned between top and bottom metal electrodes. Despite its atomic-scale thickness, the structure enables stable non-volatile resistance switching, supporting both unipolar and bipolar operation, while maintaining a high ON/OFF ratio, low ON resistance, and low operating voltage.
The monolayer active material may consist of hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) or transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), including MoS₂, MoSe₂, WS₂, and WSe₂. In addition to the device architecture, the patent encompasses synthesis methodologies for producing high-quality semiconducting monolayer crystalline sheets on target substrates, advancing the scalability and integration potential of these materials.
This patent highlights the impact of advanced materials research at UT Austin.
Original Publication:
R. Ge, X. Wu, M. Kim, J. Shi, S. Sonde, L. Tao, Y. Zhang, J. C. Lee, and D. Akinwande, "Atomristor: Nonvolatile Resistance Switching in Atomic Sheets of Transition Metal Dichalcogenides," Nano Letters, vol. 18, pp. 434-441, 12/13/2017 2017, doi: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.7b04342.
