EP0095283A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
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Memory device
Assignee: BP PLC
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Filing: 1983-05-11
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2003-05-11
Abstract
Abstract Memory device comprises a glass substrate (1), a layer of indium tin oxide (2), a layer of p type semiconductor (3), a layer of i type semiconductor (4), a layer of n type semiconductor (5) and a layer of spots of an electrically conducting material (6). Silicon is the preferred semiconductor. The device is conditioned by the application of a voltage sufficiently large to cause the structure to be permanently modified to reduce the electrical resistance of the layers. It is a feature of the device that no p and n layers are adjacent.
Inventors
- 👤 Peter John Department Of Physics Hockley
- 👤 Michael John Thwaites
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-29 15:25
CPC Classifications
H; H10; H10W; H10W20/00; H10W20/40; H10W20/49; H10W20/491; G; G11; G11C; G11C17/00; G11C17/14; G11C17/16; H10D; H10D48/00; H10D48/30; H10D48/38; H10D48/381
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 12
Claim 1
Independent Claim
65 words
A memory device comprising an electrically conducting substrate and layers of i and p and/or n type amorphous or microcrystalline semiconducting material which have been conditioned by the application of a voltage sufficiently large to cause the structure to be permanently modified to reduce the electrical resistance of the layers characterised by the fact that no p and n layers are adjacent in the device.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
65 words
A memory device comprising an electrically conducting substrate and layers of i and p and/or n type amorphous or microcrystalline semiconducting material which have been conditioned by the application of a voltage sufficiently large to cause the structure to be permanently modified to reduce the electrical resistance of the layers characterised by the fact that no p and n layers are adjacent in the device.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
34 words
A memory device according to claim 1 characterised by the fact that layers of p type and i type amorphous or microcrystalline semi-conducting material are deposited on the substrate to form a p-i configuration.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
31 words
A memory device according to claim 2 characterised by the fact that an additional layer of n type amorphous or microcrystalline semi- conducting material is deposited to form a p-i-n configuration.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
19 words
A memory device according to any of the preceding claims wherein the amorphous or microcrystalline semi-conducting material is silicon.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
34 words
A memory device according to any of the preceding claims wherein the substrate is glass, the surface of which has been rendered electrically conducting by a layer of tin oxide or indium tin oxide.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
32 words
A memory device according to any of the preceding claims wherein the structure includes one or more electrically conducting areas on the outer surface of the semi-conductor layer remote from the substrate.
Claim 8
Independent Claim
66 words
A method for the preparation of an amorphous semi-conducting material suitable for use in a memory device which method comprises the step of decomposing a gaseous hydrogen-containing precursor of the semi-conducting material in the presence of hydrogen characterised by the fact that the concentration of the precursor in hydrogen is below that at which spontaneous combustion occurs and the pressure is controlled to form amorphous material.
Claim 9
Independent Claim
66 words
A method for the preparation of an amorphous semi-conducting material suitable for use in a memory device which method comprises the step of decomposing a gaseous hydrogen-containing precursor of the semi-conducting material in the presence of hydrogen characterised by the fact that the concentration of the precursor in hydrogen is below that at which spontaneous combustion occurs and the pressure is controlled to form amorphous material.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
11 words
A method according to claim 7 wherein the precursor is silane.
Claim 11
Independent Claim
25 words
A method according to either of claims 7 or 8 wherein the concentration of the precursor in hydrogen is not greater than 5X by volume.
Claim 12
Independent Claim
22 words
A method according to any of claims 7 to 9 wherein the total pressure is in the range 1 to 5 torr.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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