Scientists have created a new type of fast and efficient magnetic RAM memory

Researchers from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT), together with their colleagues from the Kotelnikov Institute of Radio Engineering and Electronics, RAS, have developed and manufactured prototypes of a new type of random access magnetic computer memory. The use of such memory will allow not only to reduce the amount of energy consumed by computing systems, its non-volatile nature will allow realizing the function of instantaneous start-up of these systems after switching on.

Note that random access memory (RAM) is one of the basic components of all computing systems, any computer, smartphone, and even an MP3 player. The most common type of RAM memory is dynamic memory DRAM, the cell of which has the most simple structure and consists of a transistor and an electrical capacitor. The transistor is used to control the capacitor charge, and the capacitor charge level is interpreted as logic 1 or 0.

“DRAM technology has advanced a lot in recent years. Memory modules are getting faster and larger. However, this type of memory has a very low rate of energy efficiency and requires constant regeneration, this problem remains unresolved today “- says Sergei Nikitov, scientific leader of the project, -” The magnetic memory cells we have developed have the energy efficiency of read operations. writes 10 thousand times more than cells of conventional DRAM-memory “.

Magnetoelectric memory cells (MELRAM) consist of two components of different nature. The first of these components is the piezoelectric component. Let us remind our readers that the piezoelectric effect is the ability of some materials to change their shape under the influence of an electric current and generate an electric current under the influence of an applied mechanical force.

The second component of the MELRAM memory cell is a multilayer structure characterized by a high magnetoelastic index, the dependence of the magnetization level on mechanical deformation. Moreover, the anisotropic structure of this component makes it possible to magnetize it in a strictly specified direction. And two perpendicular directions of magnetization can be interpreted as a logical 1 and 0. Unlike dynamic memory, MELRAM cells do not require constant regeneration and are able to maintain their state in the absence of supply voltage.

“We have created prototypes of magnetic memory cells that are about one millimeter in size,” says Anton Churbanov, one of the researchers.

It should be noted that scientists who had previously tried to create samples of MELRAM-memory faced an insoluble problem; miniature magnetic field sensors were used to read the information written into the cell. This approach worked, but made it impossible to miniaturize the structure of a memory cell to an acceptable level. To solve this problem, Russian scientists have developed a relatively simple technology for electrical reading of information recorded in a memory cell. This technology uses short pulses of a weak electric current, which cannot re-magnetize the cell, but whose parameters are influenced by the direction of magnetization of the cell material.

Source: www.dailytechinfo.org