History and Future Perspective of Nonvolatile Memory

A semiconductor floating gate structure nonvolatile memory chip with a control gate, which was invented by the author in 1970, is becoming mainstream as a prototype of flash EEPROMs among other types of memory chips. In this paper, the author will provide a history of the development of nonvolatile memory, discuss its position as a memory device, and discuss the operation principles and configuration of a floating gate structure.