A FERROELECTRIC DATA PROCESSING DEVICE

摘要

In a ferroelectric data-processing device for processing and/or storage of data with active or passive electrical addressing a data-carrying medium are used in the form of a thin film (1) of ferroelectric material which by an applied electric field is polarized to determined polarization states or switched therebetween and is provided as a continuous or patterned layer above and adjacent to electrode structures in the form of a matrix, the electrode structures being mutually isolated by an electrical isolating material (6). A logic element (4) is formed in the thin film (1) along the side edges of an y electrode (3) and down to the x electrode (2) at the overlap. The logic element (4) is addressed by applying to the electrodes (2,3) a voltage greater than the coercivity field of the ferroelectric material. Dependent on the polarization state and the form of the hysteresis loop of the ferroelectric material a distinct detection of the polarization state in the logic element (4) is obtained and it may also be; possible to switch between the polarization states of the logic element, which hence may be used for implementing a bistable switch or a memory cell. The data-processing device according to the invention may be stacked layerwise if the separate layers are separated by an electricalinsulating layer and hence be used for implementing volumetric data-processing devices.