Tuesday October 15, 2013
Noon – 1  pm
Texas Instruments (TI) Auditorium E-1
2900 Semiconductor Drive
Santa Clara, CA
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TITLE: Conducting Atomic Force Microscopy (C-AFM) at Statistically Relevant Scale for Rapid Assessment of Non-Volatile Memory Materials and Devices

SPEAKER: Dr. Kumar Virwani, Research Staff Member at the IBM Almaden Research Center

ABSTRACT:
Over the past few years we have investigated applications of Mixed-Ionic-Electronic–Conduction (MIEC) materials as access devices for various non-volatile memory candidates, including Resistive RAM (RRAM). In this talk we describe the role of conducting atomic force microscopy in the discovery of new mixed ionic electronic conductors, and in the optimization and monitoring of fabrication processes for both MIEC and RRAM devices. For more on Storage Class Memory at Almaden see this project page.

C-AFM measurements on MIEC and RRAM devices yield fast, reliable and statistically relevant information that can be applied towards the optimization of materials, electrodes, anneal conditions and a host of other parameters relevant for ultimate device performance. From an instrumentation perspective, we show how thousands of I-V (current vs. voltage) measurements can be both repeatable and reliable. We describe how to overcome C-AFM challenges such as set-up inconsistency, non-repeatable I-V performance, probe life and lack of large statistics.

Establishment of short-loop fabrication procedures allow devices to be delivered for C-AFM testing rapidly, allowing quick turnaround in the assessment of myriad processing choices. Yet by validating an exact subset of the full fabrication procedure needed for fully integrated devices, such short-loop devices also provide for maximal efficiency in yield learning. One-to-one correlations between data from automated probe testing and C-AFM measurements, and unique fabrication knowledge and extensive device scaling data obtained via C-AFM will be presented.

SPEAKER BIOGRAPHY:
Dr. Kumar Virwani is a Research Staff Member at the IBM Almaden Research Center in San Jose, California. He obtained Bachelor of Engineering (BE) degree from the University of Mumbai, India and MS and PhD degrees (in 2007) from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, USA. Dr. Virwani joined IBM Almaden Research Center in 2008 where his research activities include application of electrical SPM techniques to analyze mixed ionic electronic conduction materials and devices, non-volatile memory materials, nanoindentation of low-k dielectrics and Auger spectroscopy. Prior to joining IBM he worked at Bruker Nano (formerly Veeco Instruments) on various aspects of scanning probe microscopy.

AGENDA:

• 11:30 am – Registration & light lunch (pizza & drinks)
• Noon – Presentation & Questions/Answers
• 1:00 pm – Adjourn