Ionically Controlled Three-Terminal Device

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The invention describes a novel three-gate electronic component controlled by ion movement. It consists of a source electrode, a drain electrode, and a channel made from a material whose conductivity can be modified by adding or removing ions. A specialized ion reservoir, connected and controlled via a gate electrode, can exchange ions with the channel when a voltage is applied. This allows information storage by adjusts the distribution of ions between channel and reservoir, leading to a highly stable, fast, and non-volatile memory element. Unlike traditional resistive RAM (RRAM), this device overcomes the usual trade-off between speed and long-term data stability (the voltage-time dilemma).

Use CasesContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Non-volatile memory chips for computers and mobile devices.
• High-endurance, high-speed data storage components in data centers.
• Neuromorphic computing hardware that mimics aspects of brain functionality.
• Memory elements in quantum computing circuits, including Josephson junction-based SQUIDs.
• Tunable electronic elements in superconducting circuits for advanced sensors or detectors.
• Analog memory storage for sensor data in scientific or industrial equipment.

BenefitsContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Enables both high-speed and long-term stable information storage, overcoming the limitations of conventional EEPROM and RRAM devices.
• Non-volatile operation—data is retained without power.
• High endurance for many write-erase cycles due to minimal material degradation.
• Potential for miniaturization down to nanoscale, allowing higher density storage.
• Flexible design: stores both digital and analog information.
• Reduced power consumption due to ion-based switching rather than high-voltage electronics.
• Potential application in advanced superconducting and quantum electronics.

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Patent Abstract

The invention relates to a three-gate component which can be switched by the motion of ions. The three-gate component comprises a source electrode (3), a drain electrode (3), and a channel (2) which is connected between the source electrode and the drain electrode and which is made of a material having an electronic conductivity that can be changed by supplying and/or removing ions. According to the invention, the three-gate component has an ion reservoir (5) which is contacted by means of a gate electrode and is connected to the channel in such a way that the ion reservoir (5) can exchange ions with the channel when a potential is applied to the gate electrode. It has been recognized that information can be stored in the three-gate component in the distribution of the total ions present in the ion reservoir and in the channel between the ion reservoir and the channel. The distribution of the ions between the channel and the ion reservoir changes if and only if a corresponding driving potential is applied to the gate electrode. Therefore, in contrast to RRAMs, there is no time-voltage dilemma.