As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly integrated into our daily lives, the demand for AI capabilities on edge devices is expected to rise dramatically. In addition to local processing power, this also requires high-speed and high-density storage solutions such as embedded DRAM (eDRAM). The advancement of back-end-of-line (BEOL)-compatible eDRAM is therefore one of the goals of the NanoIC pilot line.
As an underlying technology for eDRAM, capacitor-less IGZO is a promising candidate. Some of its advantages include:
- An extremely low off-current that benefits retention time, refresh rate, and power consumption
- Simpler and more cost-effective fabrication compared to traditional DRAM cells
- Compatibility with BEOL processing, creating the possibility of new DRAM architectures, such as stacked (2D or 3D) configurations
Read this article to find out more about capacitor-less IGZO-DRAM technology: how it works, what it benefits are, what has already been achieved, and where the remaining challenges lie.
Published on:
25 March 2025
