Chunsen Liu

Currently, all fast charge-based memory technologies are volatile, meaning they cannot retain data without power. Conversely, while non-volatile flash memory offers low power consumption, its slow programming speed makes it unsuitable for high-speed applications.

Chunsen Liu has long dedicated himself to driving fundamental innovations in flash memory using emerging two-dimensional semiconductor materials. He successfully accelerated programming speeds from the microsecond range of silicon flash to the sub-nanosecond level, achieving non-volatile memory speeds that exceed those of the volatile SRAM with the same channel length.

His research is grounded in fundamental physics: starting from Gauss's law, he built a tailored quasi-2D Poisson equation to describe a novel "boundless injection behavior" for hot carriers in 2D Dirac materials. This insight led to the design of a 2D floating-gate transistor with ultrafast programming speeds. He also modified the Fowler-Nordheim tunneling model by introducing a 2D potential energy step (φ2D), which significantly enhanced tunneling efficiency while maintaining ten-year data retention.

Beyond speed breakthroughs, the 2D flash memory devices he developed demonstrate exceptional endurance of over one million cycles—more than ten times that of conventional flash—and outstanding scalability, with channel lengths below 10 nm. This overcomes the 15 nm physical limit of silicon flash, providing a viable foundation for high-capacity, high-density, low-power compute-in-memory systems.

His work is recognized as achieving “a fine balance between the energy efficiency of non-volatile memory and the speed of volatile memory,” providing a scientific foundation and engineering pathways for post-silicon era storage technologies and integrated systems. Combining theoretical depth with practical value, his research significantly advances fields reliant on high-speed, low-power data access, such as AI, and high-performance computing.