SPECIAL SEMINAR 4/1/04

[Rosanna Dohm]

SPECIAL SEMINAR
Thursday, 4/1/04
3:00 p.m.
CIS-101

"Nanoscale Nonvolatile Memory Technology and its Application to 
Molecular Interface"

Edwin Chihchuan Kan
School of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Cornell University

ABSTRACT
Nonvolatile memory based on confined charges has seen the largest 
market growth in the last decade.  However, the cost, storage density 
and high-voltage operations has posed severe limitation to its 
pervasive and ubiquitous applications.  The key to high density, low 
voltage, fast writing and ultra-high endurance lies in the use of 
direct tunneling oxide while still keeping the retention time up to 
3-10 years.  From the physical principles, the metal nanocrystal 
memory is superior to the other discrete storage options such as 
SONOS and Si/Ge nanocrystal memories.  This talk will present the 
experimental characterization of the operations and reliability of 
metal nanocrystal memories.

Static charge in the nonvolatile memory can also be perceived as a 
convenient and low-power interface to the world outside of CMOS 
electronics.  We will demonstrate the operating principles for 
modified surface electrochemistry from static charge injection for 
molecular sensing and actuation, and establish arguments why this is 
an effective approach over the conventional electrode and 
cantilever-based methods.  We will also discuss what is the necessary 
technology development to bring forth a programmable biochemical end 
that can eventually serve as a universal detector and actuator in the 
microbiological level.

BIOGRAPHY
Edwin Chihchuan Kan received his B.S. degree from National Taiwan 
University, Taipei,Taiwan, R.O.C., in 1984, and the M.S. and Ph.D. 
degrees from the University of Illinois,Urbana-Champaign, in 1988 and 
1992, respectively, all in electrical engineering. From 1984 to 1986, 
he served as a Second Lieutenant in the Air Force, Taiwan, R.O.C. In 
1992,he joined Dawn Technologies as a Principal CAD Engineer 
developing advanced electronic and optical device simulators and 
technology CAD framework. He was then with Stanford University, as a 
Research Associate from 1994 to 1997 under the supervision of Prof. 
R. W. Dutton. From 1997 to 2002, he was an Assistant Professor with 
the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Cornell 
University, Ithaca, NY, where he is now an Associate Professor. He 
spent the summers of 2000 and 2001 at IBM Microelectronics, Yorktown 
Heights and Fishkill, NY, in the IBM Faculty Partner Program. His 
main research areas include CMOS technology, semiconductor device 
physics, integrated autonomous systems, and technology CAD.

Dr. Kan received the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists 
and Engineer (PECASE) in October 2000 from the White House of the US 
Federal Government. He also received several teaching awards from 
Cornell Engineering College for his CMOS and MEMS courses.  He plans 
to spend his coming sabbatical year in Intel and Stanford between 
July 2004 and July 2005.