The Micro to Nano Addressing Block (MNAB)

Abstract

Over the past few years, a number of techniques, including self-assembly, nanoimprint lithography and spacer-based frequency doubling, have been explored to pattern line and space structures that are considerably denser than possible with conventional photolithography, with excellent critical dimension control. In order to build useful circuits with them, an efficient way of interfacing these nanoscale lines with the photolithographically defined peripheral circuits is needed. While many solutions to this problem have been proposed, for the first time, we report a solution (MNAB) that is (a) fully silicon-process compatible, (b) non-stochastic (i.e. is completely deterministic,) and (c) does not require any critical alignment. The MNAB uses discrete analog potentials to deplete and switch off certain nanoscale lines enabling selection of the remaining nanoscale line. Simulation results show that individual nanoscale silicon lines can be addressed with selectivities (ratio of current in conducting line to that in depleted lines) exceeding 100times at features as small as 10 nm using this concept. Experimental results on various silicon prototypes show that selectivities exceeding 100times can be easily obtained even on sub-20 nm features.