Optically controlled metal–insulator–semiconductor memory element

It was found experimentally that a structure composed of a metal, a tunnel-thin insulator, and a semiconductor could be used as a memory element for optical storage and retrieval of data. The energy density of a light pulse required for switching was (0.5–1.5)×10^–7 J/mm². The photocurrent sensitivity was 0.2 A/W in the high-resistivity state and 0.02 A/W in the low-resistivity state (these results were obtained for light of the λ = 0.63 µ wavelength).