. Space Industry and Business News .




.
CHIP TECH
Researchers watch a next-gen memory bit switch in real time
by Staff Writers
Ann Arbor, MI (SPX) Nov 22, 2011

File image.

For the first time, engineering researchers have been able to watch in real time the nanoscale process of a ferroelectric memory bit switching between the 0 and 1 states.

Ferroelectric materials have the potential to replace current memory designs, offering greater storage capacity than magnetic hard drives and faster write speed and longer lifetimes than flash memory. Replacing dynamic random access memory-the short-term memory that allows your computer to operate-with ferroelectric memory can significantly decrease energy usage in computers. Ferroelectric memory doesn't require power to retain data.

"This is a direct visualization of the operation of ferroelectric memory," said principal investigator Xiaoqing Pan, a professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and director of the U-M Electron Microbeam Analysis Laboratory.

"By following ferroelectric switching at this scale in real time, we've been able to observe new and unexpected phenomena. This work will help us understand how these systems work so one can make better memory devices that are faster, smaller and more reliable."

The researchers were able to see that the switching process of ferroelectric memory begins at a different site in the material than they initially believed. And this switching can be sparked with a lot less power than they had hypothesized.

"In this system, electric fields are naturally formed at the ferroelectric/electrode interfaces and this lowers the barrier for switching-for free. That means you can write information with much lower power consumption," Pan said.

Pan is leading the development of special hybrid materials that contain both ferroelectric and magnetic components and could lead to next-generation magnetoelectric memory devices. This new study reports the behavior of one such material.

An advantage of using these hybrid materials in memories is that they combine the advantages of both electric and magnetic memory classes: the ease of writing ferroelectric memory and the ease of reading magnetic memory.

The interactions between ferroelectric and magnetic orders allow these hybrid materials to be integrated into other novel designs such as spintronics, which harness the intrinsic "up" or "down" spin of electrons.

Researchers from Cornell University, Penn State University, the University of Washington, the University of Wisconsin and Peking University also contributed to the work. The paper is called "Domain Dynamics during Ferroelectric Switching." The research is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation.

Ferroelectrics, discovered about 90 years ago, are characterized by a spontaneous electric polarization that can be reoriented between different orientations by an applied electric field. This ability to form and manipulate the regions (domains) with different polarization orientations at the nanometer scale is key to the utility of ferroelectric materials for devices such as nonvolatile memories.

The ferroelectric switching occurs through the nucleation and growth of favorably oriented domains and is strongly influenced by defects and interfaces with electrical contacts in devices. It is critical for memory devices to understand how the ferroelectric domain forms, grows and interacts with defects and interfaces.

A paper on the research is published in the Nov. 18, 2011, edition of Science.

Related Links
University of Michigan
Computer Chip Architecture, Technology and Manufacture
Nano Technology News From SpaceMart.com




.
.
Get Our Free Newsletters Via Email
...
Buy Advertising Editorial Enquiries






.

. Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle



CHIP TECH
In new quantum-dot LED design, researchers turn troublesome molecules to their advantage
Cambridge MA (SPX) Nov 22, 2011
By nestling quantum dots in an insulating egg-crate structure, researchers at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) have demonstrated a robust new architecture for quantum-dot light-emitting devices (QD-LEDs). Quantum dots are very tiny crystals that glow with bright, rich colors when stimulated by an electric current. QD-LEDs are expected to find applications in te ... read more


CHIP TECH
Butterfly wings inspire design of water-repellent surface

When it comes to churning out electrons, metal glass beats plastics

HP TouchPad top-selling tablet in US after iPad: study

Perfect Black Coating Raises Intriguing Possibilities in Astronomy

CHIP TECH
Lockheed Martin AMF JTRS Team Demonstrates Communications and Tactical Data Sharing At Army Exercise

Boeing Ships WGS-4 to Cape Canaveral for January Launch

Harris to maintain satellite ground system

Raytheon Reaches Fielding Milestone in Airborne Communications System

CHIP TECH
Mobile Launcher Moves to Launch Pad

Rocket engineer Wolfgang Jung a logistics expert for space science

Arianespace to launch satellite for DIRECTV Latin America

Delta Mariner offloads launch components at Vandenberg

CHIP TECH
ITT Exelis and Chronos develop offerings for the Interference, Detection and Mitigation market

GMV Supports Successful Launch of Europe's Galileo

In GPS case, US court debates '1984' scenario

Galileo satellites handed over to control centre in Germany

CHIP TECH
Brazil a serious rival in air transport

Wolfram Alpha shows flights overhead

Boeing Projects $450 Billion Market for Airplanes in the Middle East

Lockheed Martin Celebrates Opening of NextGen Technology Test Bed

CHIP TECH
In new quantum-dot LED design, researchers turn troublesome molecules to their advantage

Researchers watch a next-gen memory bit switch in real time

An about-face on electrical conductivity at the interface

Graphene applications in electronics and photonics

CHIP TECH
Satellite images help species conservation

Student Cloud Observations Help Validate NASA Satellites

Using Satellites to Help the Earth Sustain Seven Billion People

New FASTSAT discoveries paint detailed view of region near Earth

CHIP TECH
Environmental troubles growing in Mid-East Gulf

Using air pollution thresholds to protect and restore ecosystem health

Study finds that even the cleanest wastewater contributes to more super bacteria

Apple opens talks with China environment groups


.

The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2011 - Space Media Network. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement