New silicon memory chip may offer super-fast memory
Baku, May 22 (AZERTAC). The first purely silicon oxide-based `Resistive RAM` memory chip that can operate in ambient conditions - opening up the possibility of new super-fast memory - has been developed by researchers at UCL. Resistive RAM (or `ReRAM`) memory chips are based on materials, most often oxides of metals, whose electrical resistance changes when a voltage is applied -- and they "remember" this change even when the power is turned off. ReRAM chips promise significantly greater memory storage than current technology, such as the Flash memory used on USB sticks, and require much less energy and space.
Unlike other silicon oxide chips currently in development, the UCL chip does not require a vacuum to work, and is therefore potentially cheaper and more durable. The design also raises the possibility of transparent memory chips for use in touch screens and mobile devices. The team have been backed by UCLB, UCL`s technology transfer company, and have recently filed a patent on their device. Discussions are ongoing with a number of leading semiconductor companies.
Dr Tony Kenyon, UCL Electronic and Electrical Engineering, said: "Our ReRAM memory chips need just a thousandth of the energy and are around a hundred times faster than standard Flash memory chips. The fact that the device can operate in ambient conditions and has a continuously variable resistance opens up a huge range of potential applications. For added flexibility, the UCL devices can also be designed to have a continuously variable resistance that depends on the last voltage that was applied. This is an important property that allows the device to mimic how neurons in the brain function. Devices that operate in this way are sometimes known as `memristors`. New ReRAM technology was discovered by accident whilst engineers at UCL were working on using the silicon oxide material to produce silicon-based LEDs. During the course of the project, researchers noticed that their devices appeared to be unstable.
UCL PhD student, Adnan Mehonic, was asked to look specifically at the material`s electrical properties. He discovered that the material wasn`t unstable at all, but flipped between various conducting and non-conducting states very predictably. The technology has promising applications beyond memory storage. The team are also exploring using the resistance properties of their material not just for use in memory but also as a computer processor.
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