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To: Michael Latas who wrote (7733)	6/16/2004 5:30:39 PM
From: Allen Bucholski	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 8393

Mike no news on chips but this e-mail from Donald Shorling looks interesting . Light Induced Intensity Change of Rayleigh Scattering in a-Si:H David Tsu, Stanford R. Ovshinsky (Energy Conversion Devices, Inc. Troy, MI 48084), Raphael Tsu (University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte NC 28223) Very large change in the intensity of Rayleigh scattering (RS) from a-Si:H due to light soaking (LS) is presented. For the usual high performance PV quality a-Si:H samples, RS intensity is 25 times higher after LS under 30 suns at 50 C for 40 minutes. However, for samples with high hydrogen dilution, RS intensity is 3 times higher than without H-dilution, and is 2.5 times lower after LS. Furthermore, for the usual samples, annealing at 180 C for 45 hrs. can nearly restore the pre-LS values, but annealing has no effect on samples with high H-dilution. Since RS intensity mainly depends on two terms: change of dielectric function of the microstructure, and change of the effective size of the clusters, our results suggest that: clusters must exist and (2) the effective size of the clusters may be increased or decreased by light soaking. Recalling that LS can change SANS (small angle neutron scattering) by 25%, a factor of 25 or more in the intensity change in RS indicates that Rayleigh scattering can provide sensitive probing of changes in the nature of heterogeneity in a-Si:H.

To: Michael Latas who wrote (7733)	6/16/2004 11:08:30 PM
From: Krowbar	Respond to of 8393

STMicroelectronics Advances in Development of Future Non-Volatile Memory Technology Wednesday June 16, 6:00 am ET Leading Flash memory supplier confirms viability of 'Post-Flash' candidate - Aggressive Flash development will continue for another decade - Phase-Change Memory passes 'post-Flash' viability test GENEVA, June 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- STMicroelectronics (NYSE: STM - News), one of the world's leading semiconductor suppliers, has announced significant progress in the development of a new type of electronic memory that could eventually replace the Flash memory technology. Today, Flash is a key component of many electronic applications, from mobile phones, digital cameras, and set-top boxes to automotive engine controllers. The new technology, called Phase-Change Memory (PCM), potentially offers better performance than Flash. Most importantly, PCM is better suited to continuing the rapid shrinking of features for cost and speed advantage that has long characterized the semiconductor industry than Flash and other so-called "Non- Volatile Memories" (NVM), which are able to store information even when their power is switched off. Even though the market for Flash memories today is very large and is currently one of the fastest growing sectors of the semiconductor market, chip manufacturers have known for many years that it will become increasingly difficult to keep on reducing the size of the basic Flash memory cell. The continual reduction of cell size is essential to electronics equipment manufacturers because it makes the electronic memories and the equipment that relies on them cheaper, thereby stimulating market growth. In the ten years from 1990 to 2000, the size of an individual Flash cell was reduced by a factor of 30 and chip manufacturers are confident that they can continue developing innovative new Flash products for at least another ten years before they will face increasingly difficult challenges to overcome fundamental physical limits. For this reason, all Flash memory manufacturers have been investigating candidate technologies for the "post-Flash" era. Three years ago, ST concluded that the Phase-Change Memory technology, developed by California-based Ovonyx, Inc. and already used in re-writable CDs, could be adapted as a semiconductor memory technology. In 2001, ST licensed the technology, also known as Ovonic Unified Memory, from Ovonyx and the two companies set up a joint-development team, largely based in Agrate Brianza, near Milan, where ST's worldwide NVM development is centered. The new memory technology exploits the fact that certain so-called 'chalcogenide' materials can be reversibly switched between two stable states -- one amorphous with a high electrical resistance, the other crystalline with a low resistance -- by appropriately heating the material. A memory cell in the new technology consists essentially of a variable resistance formed by the chalcogenide material and its tiny electrical heater, along with a selection transistor used for the read/write operations. ST's progress towards developing a commercial PCM technology was described in two papers presented at one of the semiconductor industry's most important annual forums, the VLSI Technology and Circuits Symposia held in Honolulu on June 15-19, 2004. In one paper, ST showed for the first time an innovative cell structure that can be easily integrated into the mainstream chip manufacturing process and which gives good indications of its manufacturability and cost. In a second paper, ST described the practical implementation of this technology in the form of an 8-Mbit demonstrator chip designed to assess the feasibility of cost-effective large non-volatile memories. Based on the highly-promising results it has obtained to date, ST already envisages the new Phase-Change Memory technology being used in medium-density, stand-alone memories and embedded applications. Moreover, by demonstrating the feasibility of the key features that make the PCM cell most attractive, ST has increased its confidence in the long-term scalability of the technology, which will eventually allow PCM to become a mainstream Non-Volatile Memory technology. biz.yahoo.com Del

To: Michael Latas who wrote (7733)	6/16/2004 11:13:22 PM
From: Krowbar	Respond to of 8393

Novel µTrench Phase-Change Memory Cell for Embedded and Stand-Alone Non-Volatile Memory Applications Tuesday, June 15, 10:20AM A novel cell structure for chalcogenide-based non-volatile Phase-Change Memories is presented. The new µtrench approach is fully compatible with an advanced CMOS technology, is scalable and allows the optimization of array density and performance. Programming currents of 600 µA, endurance of 10E11 programming cycles, and data retention capabilities for 10 years at 110ºC have been demonstrated. The manufacturability is proven by experimental results from multi-megabit arrays. Presented by STMicroelectronics and co-authored by Ovonyx, Inc. st.com Del

To: Michael Latas who wrote (7733)	6/16/2004 11:13:53 PM
From: Krowbar	Respond to of 8393

An 8Mb Demonstrator for High-Density 1.8V Phase-Change Memories Saturday, June 19, 10:20AM An 8Mb Non-Volatile Memory Demonstrator incorporating a novel 0.32 um2 Phase-Change Memory cell using a Bipolar Junction Transistor as selector and integrated into a 3V 0.18 um CMOS technology is presented. Realistically large 4Mb tiles with a voltage regulation scheme that allows fast bit-line precharge and sense, and an innovative approach that minimizes the array leakage are proposed. Cells distributions and first endurance measurements demonstrate the chip functionality and a good working window. Presented by STMicroelectronics st.com Del