US Patent 7898020 - Quantum dot semiconductor memory

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7898020.html

This patent teaches a floating gate memory design using metal and metal silicide quantum dots. Claim 1 reads:

1. A semiconductor memory including a floating gate structure, comprising:

a charge accumulation node including first quantum dots and accumulating electrons; and

a control node including second quantum dots and performing injection of the electrons into and/or emission of the electrons from the charge accumulation node,

wherein the charge accumulation node is composed of a material different from a material of the control node such that energy levels of the first quantum dots for the electrons are lower than energy levels of the second quantum dots for the electrons, the control node includes first and second control nodes, and the charge accumulation node is provided between the first control node and the second control node.

US Patent 7829935 - Si quantum dot flash memory

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7829935.html

In recent years there have been efforts by companies such as Micron and Samsung to use quantum dots (i.e. semiconductor nanocrystals) in the floating gate of flash memory cells to facilitate scaling. This patent from Hiroshima University in Japan teaches one variety of such structures based on metal silicide core and silicon shell quantum dots. Claim 1 reads:

1. A semiconductor memory having a floating gate structure, comprising:

a charge storage node including first quantum dots and storing electrons; and

a control node including second quantum dots, injecting electrons to the charge storage node and emitting the electron from the charge storage node;

wherein each of the first quantum dots includes a core layer and a clad layer which covers the core layer; and

the electron occupied level in the core layer is lower than that in the clad layer.