RESEARCH ARTICLE

Ultrafast and stable flash memory with metal nanocrystals for logic-in-memory computing

¹ State Key Laboratory of Integrated Chips and Systems, College of Integrated Circuits and Micro-Nano Electronics, Frontier Institute of Chip and System, Zhangjiang Fudan International Innovation Center, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China
² Shaoxin Laboratory, Shaoxing 312035, China

^* Corresponding authors (emails: yang_wang@fudan.edu.cn (Yang Wang); chunsen_liu@fudan.edu.cn (Chunsen Liu); pengzhou@fudan.edu.cn (Peng Zhou))

Received: 25 September 2025
Revised: 2 November 2025
Accepted: 4 November 2025

Abstract

Flash memory, the dominant non-volatile memory technology, is essential for data-driven computing systems. With the growing demands of the information age, there is an urgent need to enhance both its operational speed and data retention capabilities. Consequently, developing highly reliable memory that combines ultrafast write/erase operations with long-term retention has become a critical research objective. Here, we demonstrate a floating-gate memory based on a discrete Pt nanocrystal/h-BN/MoS₂ van der Waals heterostructure, which combines ultrafast operation with long-term reliability. The Pt nanocrystals formed via rapid thermal annealing (RTA) are spatially isolated and effectively suppress charge leakage through tunneling defects, enabling stable device operation. The device exhibits excellent performance metrics, including a high on-off ratio (> 10⁶), ultrafast operational speed (20 ns), impressive retention time (> 10⁵ s), and good endurance (> 20,000 cycles). Furthermore, configurable logic-in-memory circuits are constructed, and a logic function is achieved by tuning the conductance of the FG memory.