Graphene’s unique electronic properties and its potential to facilitate much faster and smaller electronic devices have made it a hot topic of research.
Graphene was a material identified for its unique capabilities in detecting toxic gases when it was first discovered in the University of Manchester. Following that there have been global efforts in exploring the material’s capabilities. In the realm of mass data storage devices, the research fraternity is looking at technologies that could challenge established platforms such as magnetic and optical data storage. Domains such as micro-electromechanical system (MEMS)-based memories and solid state device (SSD)-based memories are evolving, with numerous efforts underway to improve their performance capabilities.
A research team at Rice University is exploring the use of graphene for developing a new type of memory, which will increase the capacity of mass data storage devices used for computers, handheld media players, cellphones and cameras. The team essentially built a solid-state device that uses the conducting properties of graphene.
Technologists associated with the effort claim that the new innovation has numerous established storage domains such as Flash drives. One of the primary advantages is that it potentially increases the amount of storage in a two-dimensional array by a factor of five, as individual bits could be made smaller than 10 nanometres, compared to the 45 nanometre circuitry in today’s Flash memory chips.
The new switches can also be controlled by two terminals instead of three, as in current chips. The team also says that the graphene makes it feasible to have a three-dimensional memory by stacking graphene arrays, multiplying chip capacity across layers. As this is a mechanical device, it proves to be very efficient in terms of power consumption as well.
In terms of performance, a very high on-off power ratio makes graphene-based memory very attractive. While phase-change memories, which are currently considered the most promising technology for data storage, have an on-off power ratio of 10 to 1, graphene-based memory is believed to have an on-to-off power ratio of one million to one. Further, their heat generation is extremely low, eliminating the need to use heat sinks, which are usually a part of any storage system used for high-density storage.
The ability to tolerate heat (tested to withstand -75°C to more than 200°C) makes it useful in very hostile environments. Above all, it has a potentially huge lifetime, making this solution very competent to all existing technologies.
The research team is currently focusing on devising a manufacturing technique for this solution. While manufacturing around the graphene domain was generally considered challenging, the research team indicates that it is easy to deposit a layer of graphene on a substrate such as silicon, and it is this technique that is going to be incorporated in the manufacture.
With the performance metrics ideally met, Frost & Sullivan believes that graphene in itself is evolving as a material with the capability to replace all established material, including carbon nanotubes.
For more information contact Patrick Cairns, Frost & Sullivan, +27 (0)21 680 3274, [email protected], www.frost.com
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