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Student Proposal How the Evolution of the Transistor Transitioned Electronics from Hard Disk to Solid State John Q. Student EGR 3350:03 Technical Communication For Engineers and Computer Scientist Ms. Alysoun Taylor-Hall 3/17/2014

1. Introduction

1.1 Purpose

In EGR-3350-03, Technical Communications for Engineers and Computer Scientist the final research paper constitutes 40% of the final grade for the class. Because of the significance of the formal report towards the final grade in the class, it is required that each student write a proposal for the topic of their formal report. I propose to write a research paper for my formal report on How the Evolution of the Transistor Transitioned Electronics from Hard Disk to Solid State.

1.2 Background

The student proposal for Technical Communication for Engineers and Computer Scientist will fulfill two requirements. The first one is to ensure that a suitable topic is chosen for the final research paper. The second is that it allows the students to demonstrate that they can write a formal proposal, which according to Leo Finkelstein, “are among the most important documents one can write” [1].

It seemed logical to me early on in EGR-3350-03 to have all the topics for my papers not only be about something that interested me, but also to have them all be either on one single topic or closely related topics. This would allow me to build upon each paper and it also eliminated the need for me to choose a new topic for each paper saving me quite a bit of time. That is why I am writing a research paper for my formal report on How the Evolution of the Transistor Transitioned Electronics from Hard Disk to Solid State.

The flash memory transistor has moved data storage from the hard disk to solid state via several major innovations in flash memory technology. The first being a significant reduction in cost that was spurred by a change in the material used to produce transistors. The second was the development of flash memory that could not only be read from but that also could be repeatedly written to and read from. Finally, I will discuss how the scaling of flash memory cells according to Moore’s Law, which allows for more and more flash memory cells, to fit on to the same amount of silicon [2].

1.3 Scope

My formal report will begin by discussing how the transition to silicon in the production of transistors reduced the cost of the transistor, and lead to one of the first wide spread uses of solid state memory as BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) in modern PCs. Then I will explain how developing the capability to repeatedly read from and write to flash memory enabled it to be used in many common electronic devices, these include memory cards for digital cameras, Universal Serial Bus (USB) drives, MP3 players, and cell phones [2]. I will conclude my paper by discussing what innovations are on the horizon for solid state memory.

My formal report will not cover the early history of the transistor, such as how the transistor moved us away from vacuum tubes in electronics. Other uses of the transistor such as amplification will not be covered in this paper either.

2. Discussion

2.1 Approach

In my formal report, I will explain how switching to Silicon enabled cheaper smaller transistors. I will then talk about how innovations such as the floating gate allowed flash memory to hold its state even when no power is present. I will also cover how scaling and Moore’s Law have gotten flash memory to its current data storage capacities and discuss the difficulties that scaling will have in continuing to follow Moore’s Law moving forward. I will wrap up my formal report by talking a little about how some current technologies, such as organic memory may be shaping the way forward in the future [3].

2.2 Result

My proposed formal report will have two results. The first result of my formal report will be fulfilling the last of the course requirements for ERG-3350-03. The second will be to inform the reader about how flash memory has come to be in most popular portable electronics today. This will be accomplished by laying out the major developments in flash memory technology from the introduction of silicone to the influence of Moore’s Law on scaling.

2.3 Statement of Work

In order to complete my research paper, the following tasks will be accomplished:

Task 1. Conduct research and construct the outline of my research paper. (6 hours)

Task 2. Construct the first draft by filling in the outline created in task 1. (6 hours)

Task 3. Produce and present the in class presentation for this assignment. (4 hours)

Task 4. Edit and revise draft paper until it is suitable to turn in. (10 hours)

3. Discussion

3.1 Personnel

With help from the staff at Dunbar Library at Wright State University, I will conduct the research for the formal report. Based on that research, I will write the formal report. With my wife’s help, I will proof read my research paper to ensure that it meets all the course requirements for the formal report.

3.2 Facilities and Equipment

I will conduct my research and write my formal report from the Paul L. Dunbar Library and the student study lounge in the Russ Engineering Center at Wright State University. My Samsung Galaxy S4 cell phone will be used to scan and create pdf files of any references that cannot be checked out of the library. My Hewlett-Packard Pavilion laptop will be used to collect the references and write the formal report. I will also use my laptop along with Microsoft Office 2010 Power Point to create the presentation on my formal report that will be presented in class. I will use the Cannon printer at my home to print out the final draft of my formal report that will be turned in.

4. Cost

4.1 Fiscal

As stated in Section 2.3 the formal report for EGR-3350-03 will require 26 hours of labor to complete at a rate of $7.25 an hour. I will have to travel 40 miles per day to and from Wright State University over four weeks, to do my research and to write the formal report. The fuel required for that travel will cost $0.09 per mile. The cost of the use of the facilities at wright state will include four weeks of tuition, the engineering and computer science fee, and the parking fee. The itemized cost of each item and the total cost are shown in Table 1.1.

Table 1.1 Formal Report cost data

Cost Category	Cost Description		Actual Cost (in dollars)
Labor:	26 hours @ $7.25/hour	=	188.50
Travel:	1120 miles @ $0.09/mile	=	100.80
Facilities:	Engineering and Computer Science Fee	=	140.00
Facilities:	Parking Fee	=	53.00
Course:	Tuition $308 (pro-rated for 4 weeks)	=	308.00
	Total Cost	=	$790.30

4.2 Time

As shown in Section 2.3, I intend to spend approximately 26 hours to accomplish the task of writing this paper. That time will include researching and writing the formal report. It will also include creating and presenting the in class presentation. It does not include time spent in class or the time spent on travel.

5. Conclusion

5.1 Summary

I have proposed writing a research paper for my formal report on How the Evolution of the Transistor Transitioned Electronics from Hard Disk to Solid State. My proposed paper will start by explaining how the use of silicon in manufacturing flash memory transistors spurred the development of cheap flash memory technologies. And move on to explain how flash memory technology would mature to the point where it is now in almost all of our everyday devices. My paper will conclude with a discussion about the current innovations in flash memory and what they might lead to in the future.

5.2 Contact

For more information please contact John Student at [email protected].

5.3 Sources Used

1. Finkelstein, Leo. 2008. Pocket book of technical writing for engineers and scientists / Leo Finkelstein, Jr. n.p.: Boston : McGraw-Hill Higher Education, c2008, 2008. Wright State University Library Catalog, EBSCOhost (accessed March 22, 2014).

2. Lai, S. K. 2008. "Flash memories: Successes and challenges." IBM Journal Of Research & Development 52, no. 4/5: 529-535. Computer Source, EBSCOhost (accessed March 22, 2014).

3. Fujisaki, Y. 2012. "Overview of emerging semiconductor non-volatile memories." Ieice Electronics Express 9, no. 10: 908-925. Science Citation Index, EBSCOhost (accessed March 16, 2014)

Annotated Bibliography

MA, DONGZHE, JIANHUA FENG, and GUOLIANG LI. 2014. "A Survey of Address Translation Technologies for Flash Memories."  ACM Computing Surveys 46, no. 3: 1-39. Business Source Complete, EBSCO host (accessed March 16, 2014).

This paper covers the basic principles of operations in solid state memory. I don’t have a specific use in mind for this paper except general knowledge on solid state memory operations.

Edwards, Chris. 2012. "'CHEAP AS' CHIPS DRIVING EVOLUTION." Engineering & Technology (17509637) 7, no. 11: 86-89. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed March 16, 2014).

This article covers the history of flash memory from the development of the silicon transistor to now. It is pretty similar analog to the paper I intend to write and will be used for the general history of solid state memory.

Kim, K., and G.H. Koh. 2004. "Future memory technology including emerging new memories." 2004 24Th International Conference On Microelectronics (IEEE Cat. No.04TH8716) 377. Publisher Provided Full Text Searching File, EBSCOhost (accessed March 16, 2014).

This paper covers current solid state technologies as of 2004 and looks to the future from there. I will use it as a snapshot of the flash technology as of 2004 and the direction of the technologies as of then.

Pavan, P, R Bez, P Olivo, and E Zanoni. n.d. "Flash memory cells - An overview." Proceedings Of The Ieee 85, no. 8: 1248-1271. Science Citation Index, EBSCOhost (accessed March 16, 2014).

This paper discussed the technology behind the individual flash memory cells. I intend to use it to cover basic principles of flash memory.

Fujisaki, Y. 2012. "Overview of emerging semiconductor non-volatile memories." Ieice Electronics Express 9, no. 10: 908-925. Science Citation Index, EBSCOhost (accessed March 16, 2014).

This publication reviews current solid state technologies and discusses the future of these technologies. It will be used in my formal report for both current solid state technologies and the directions of these technologies in the future.

Bez, R, E Camerlenghi, A Modelli, and A Visconti. n.d. "Introduction to Flash memory." Proceedings Of The Ieee 91, no. 4: 489-502. Science Citation Index, EBSCOhost (accessed March 16, 2014).

This paper is an overall explanation of solid state memory, and will have many applications in my formal report.

Lai, S. 1998. "Flash memories: where we were and where we are going." International Electron Devices Meeting 1998 Technical Digest (Cat No98ch36217) 971. Publisher Provided Full Text Searching File, EBSCOhost (accessed March 16, 2014).

This is paper covers some future technologies as of 1998 and talks about the limitations of scaling. It will be used to discuss the limitations of scaling solid state technology.

Cappelletti, Paulo. 1999. Flash memories / by Paulo Cappelletti ... [et al.]. n.p.: Boston, Mass. : Kluwer Academic Publihsers, c 1999., 1999. OhioLINK Library Catalog – LR, EBSCOhost (accessed March 16, 2014).

This book is an in-depth publication on flash memory and seems to be referenced in almost every other paper on flash memory that I have looked at. I intend to use it as a solid technical source for any unanswered questions I have on solid state memory.

Lai, S. K. 2008. "Flash memories: Successes and challenges." IBM Journal Of Research & Development 52, no. 4/5: 529-535. Computer Source, EBSCOhost (accessed March 22, 2014).

This article is an overview of the history of solid state memory up until 2008. I will use it to cover the overall history of solid state memory.

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