arXiv subjects

Emanuel Ber

Publications and source records attributed to Emanuel Ber.

2 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Energy and Scaling Limits of Phase-Change Memory

Phase change memory (PCM) relies on a reversible transition between amorphous and crystalline states of a material, and stands as a promising candidate for next-generation, energy-efficient data storage and neuromorphic hardware. Here, we review key innovations that have driven PCM technology to achieve energy consumption down to only tens of femtojoules per bit, and could further advance it closer to its fundamental limits. Because PCM switching is induced thermally, we highlight improvements in energy-efficiency through two primary strategies: by minimizing the active phase change material region to sub-10 nm dimensions, and by enhancing heat confinement within PCM devices to reduce thermal dissipation into the surrounding environment. While the theoretical limits could reach single attojoules per cubic nanometer of memory material, realizing these limits in practice is significantly constrained by electrical and thermal parasitics, particularly at contacts and interfaces.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2021

Pinpointing the Dominant Component of Contact Resistance to Atomically Thin Semiconductors

Achieving good electrical contacts is one of the major challenges in realizing devices based on atomically thin two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors. Several studies have examined this hurdle, but a universal understanding of the contact resistance and an underlying approach to its reduction are currently lacking. In this work we expose the shortcomings of the classical contact resistance model in describing contacts to 2D materials, and offer a correction based on the addition of a lateral pseudo-junction resistance component (Rjun). We use a combination of unique contact resistance measurements to experimentally characterize Rjun for Ni contacts to monolayer MoS2. We find that Rjun is the dominating component of the contact resistance in undoped 2D devices and show that it is responsible for most of the back-gate bias and temperature dependence. Our corrected model and experimental results help understand the underlying physics of state-of-the-art contact engineering approaches in the context of minimizing Rjun.

physics.app-ph↗