Eeproms using carbon nanotubes for cell storage

Abstract

An electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM) cell includes cell selection circuitry and a storage cell for storing the informational state of the cell. The storage cell is an electro-mechanical data retention cell in which the physical positional state of a storage cell element represents the informational state of the cell. The storage cell element is a carbon nanotube switching element. The storage is writable with supply voltages used by said cell selection circuitry. The storage is writable and readable via said selection circuitry with write times and read times being within an order of magnitude. The write times and read times are substantially the same. The storage has no charge storage or no charge trapping.

1 . An electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM) cell, comprising:
 cell selection circuitry;   a storage cell for storing the informational state of the cell, wherein the storage includes a nanotube switch and wherein the state of the nanotube switch represents the informational state of the cell.   
     
     
         2 . The EEPROM cell of  claim 1  wherein the storage cell is an electro-mechanical data retention cell in which the physical positional state of a nanotube switch element represents the informational state of the cell. 
     
     
         3 . The EEPROM cell of  claim 2  wherein the storage cell element is a carbon nanotube switching element. 
     
     
         4 . The EEPROM cell of  claim 2  wherein the carbon nanotube switching element includes an element made of nanotube fabric. 
     
     
         5 . The EEPROM cell of  claim 4  wherein the nanotube fabric is made of single-walled carbon nanotubes. 
     
     
         6 . The EEPROM cell of  claim 1  wherein the storage is writable with supply voltages used by said cell selection circuitry. 
     
     
         7 . The EEPROM cell of  claim 1  wherein the storage is writable and readable via said selection circuitry with write times and read times being within an order of magnitude. 
     
     
         8 . The EEPROM cell of  claim 7  wherein the write times and read times are substantially the same. 
     
     
         9 . The EEPROM cell of  claim 1  wherein the storage has no charge storage or no charge trapping.