PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

The '50-50' chip: Memory device of the future?

A new material built from aluminum and antimony shows promise for next-generation data-storage devices

2013-09-13
(Press-News.org) WASHINGTON, D.C. Sept. 13, 2013 -- A new, environmentally-friendly electronic alloy consisting of 50 aluminum atoms bound to 50 atoms of antimony may be promising for building next-generation "phase-change" memory devices, which may be the data-storage technology of the future, according to a new paper published in the journal Applied Physics Letters, which is produced by AIP Publishing.

Phase-change memory is being actively pursued as an alternative to the ubiquitous flash memory for data storage applications, because flash memory is limited in its storage density and phase-change memory can operate much faster.

Phase-change memory relies on materials that change from a disordered, amorphous structure to a crystalline structure when an electrical pulse is applied. The material has high electrical resistance in its amorphous state and low resistance in its crystalline state -- corresponding to the 1 and 0 states of binary data.

Flash memory has problems when devices get smaller than 20 nanometers. But a phase-change memory device can be less than 10 nanometers -- allowing more memory to be squeezed into tinier spaces. "That's the most important feature of this kind of memory," said Xilin Zhou of the Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Data can also be written into phase-change memories very quickly and the devices would be relatively inexpensive, he added.

So far, the most popular material for phase-change memory devices contains germanium, antimony, and tellurium. But compounds with three elements are more difficult to work with, Zhou said.

"It's difficult to control the phase-change memory manufacturing process of ternary alloys such as the traditionally used germanium-antimony-tellurium material. Etching and polishing of the material with chalcogens can change the material's composition, due to the motion of the tellurium atoms," explained Zhou.

Zhou and his colleagues turned to a material with just two elements: aluminum and antimony. They studied the material's phase-changing properties, finding that it's more thermally stable than the Ge-Sb-Te compound. The researchers discovered that Al50Sb50, in particular, has three distinct levels of resistance -- and thus the ability to store three bits of data in a single memory cell, instead of just two. This suggests that this material can be used for multilevel data storage.

"A two-step resistance drop during the crystallization of the material can be used for multilevel data storage (MLS) and, interestingly, three distinct resistance levels are achieved in the phase-change memory cells," Zhou says. "So the aluminum-antimony material looks promising for use in high-density nonvolatile memory applications because of its good thermal stability and MLS capacity."

The researchers are now investigating the endurance or reversible electrical switching of the phase-change memory cell with MLS capacity.



INFORMATION:



The paper, "Phase-transition characteristics of Al-Sb phase change materials for phase change memory application," by Xilin Zhou, Liangcai Wu, Zhitang Song, Feng Rao, Kun Ren, Cheng Peng, Sannian Song, Bo Liu, Ling Xu, and Songlin Feng appears in the journal Applied Physics Letters. See: http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4818662

The authors are affiliated with the Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the National Laboratory of Solid State Nanostructures at Nanjing University.

ABOUT THE JOURNAL

Applied Physics Letters features concise, rapid reports on significant new findings in applied physics. The journal covers new experimental and theoretical research on applications of physics phenomena related to all branches of science, engineering, and modern technology. See: http://apl.aip.org



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

NASA sees southwesterly wind shear weakened hurricane Humberto

2013-09-13
Southwesterly wind shear has taken its toll on hurricane Humberto, and NASA's TRMM satellite noticed that in rainfall data. When NASA's Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission or TRMM satellite passed over Hurricane Humberto on September 12, 2013 at 1625 UTC/12:25 p.m. EDT the eye was no longer visible. An analysis derived from TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI) and Precipitation Radar (PR) data showed that most of the precipitation with Humberto was located in the northwestern quadrant, pushed there by the strong southwesterly wind shear. TRMM found that the most intense rain ...

To touch the microcosmos

2013-09-13
WASHINGTON, D.C. Sept. 13, 2013 -- What if you could reach through a microscope to touch and feel the microscopic structures under the lens? In a breakthrough that may usher in a new era in the exploration of the worlds that are a million times smaller than human beings, researchers at Université Pierre et Marie Curie in France have unveiled a new technique that allows microscope users to manipulate samples using a technology known as "haptic optical tweezers." Featured in the journal Review of Scientific Instruments, which is produced by AIP Publishing, the new technique ...

Diets low in polyunsaturated fatty acids may be a problem for youngsters

2013-09-13
In the first study to closely examine the polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) intake among U.S. children under the age of 5, Sarah Keim, PhD, principal investigator in the Center for Biobehavioral Health at The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, has found what might be a troubling deficit in the diet of many youngsters. The study, published online today by Maternal and Child Nutrition, used data on nearly 2500 children age 12 to 60 months from the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. PUFAs are essential to human health. A proper ratio ...

Immune to aging

2013-09-13
This news release is available in German. While ageing remains an inevitable fact of life, Max Planck researchers have discovered a microbe that stays forever young by rejuvenating every time it reproduces. The findings, published in Current Biology, provide fundamental insights into the mechanisms of aging. In general, even symmetrically dividing microbes do not split into two exactly identical halves. Detailed investigations revealed that there are mechanisms in place that ensure that one half receives older, often defective, cell material, whereas the other ...

Novelty of eco-friendly bamboo garments lures consumers -- if the price is right, Baylor study shows

2013-09-13
Consumers who plan to buy eco-friendly bamboo apparel are attracted if the price is right, but their next consideration is the novelty of the product, according to a new study by Baylor University researchers. Bamboo has been championed by many as friendly to the environment, although the Federal Trade Commission issued a 2009 consumer alert noting that some pollutants are released in production from bamboo stalks. When it comes to product consumption in general, consumers are influenced by emotion, price, functionality, social image and curiosity, said lead researcher ...

UNC research points to promising treatment for macular degeneration

2013-09-13
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Researchers at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine have published new findings in the hunt for a better treatment for macular degeneration. In studies using mice, a class of drugs known as MDM2 inhibitors proved highly effective at regressing the abnormal blood vessels responsible for the vision loss associated with the disease. "We believe we may have found an optimized treatment for macular degeneration," said senior study author Sai Chavala, MD, director of the Laboratory for Retinal Rehabilitation and assistant professor of Ophthalmology ...

'Red nugget' galaxies were hiding in plain sight

2013-09-13
In 2005 the Hubble Space Telescope spotted unusually small galaxies densely packed with red stars in the distant, young universe. They were nicknamed "red nuggets," not only because they are small and red but also their existence challenged current theories of galaxy formation, making them precious in astronomers' eyes. Since no "red nuggets" were seen nearby, astronomers wondered why they had disappeared over time. New research shows that they didn't disappear completely. In fact, they were simply hidden within the data of previous surveys. Astronomers now realize ...

Sewage treatment removes widely used home and garden insecticides from wastewater

2013-09-13
Contact: Michael Bernstein m_bernstein@acs.org 317-262-5907 (Indianapolis Press Center, Sept. 6-11) 202-872-6042 Michael Woods m_woods@acs.org 317-262-5907 (Indianapolis Press Center, Sept. 6-11) 202-872-6293 American Chemical Society Sewage treatment removes widely used home and garden insecticides from wastewater INDIANAPOLIS, Sept. 12, 2013 — Even though sewage treatment plants are not designed to remove tiny amounts of pesticides, they do an excellent job of dealing with the most widely used family of home and garden insecticides, scientists reported ...

Late-breaking press conference schedule

2013-09-13
Contact: Michael Bernstein m_bernstein@acs.org 317-262-5907 (Indianapolis Press Center, Sept. 6-11) 202-872-6042 Michael Woods m_woods@acs.org 317-262-5907 (Indianapolis Press Center, Sept. 6-11) 202-872-6293 American Chemical Society Late-breaking press conference schedule This release includes special "late-breaking" press conferences. For the rest of the press conference schedule on EurekAlert!, please click here. 246th American Chemical Society National Meeting & Exposition Sept. 8-12, 2013 Attend in Person in Indianapolis or Access Live Audio & ...

Older drinkers may experience fewer hangovers due to less intense drinking

2013-09-13
Contact: Janne S. Tolstrup, Ph.D. jst@si-folkesundhed.dk 45-3532-6438 University of Southern Denmark Jonathan Howland, Ph.D., M.P.H, M.P.A. jhowl@bu.edu 617-638-5158 Boston University School of Medicine Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research Older drinkers may experience fewer hangovers due to less intense drinking While hangovers may be a source of humor, their effects can be debilitating, costly, and even dangerous. A new study of hangovers across the lifespan has found that the tendency to experience hangovers decreases as age increases. Study ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Reality check: making indoor smartphone-based augmented reality work

Overthinking what you said? It’s your ‘lizard brain’ talking to newer, advanced parts of your brain

Black men — including transit workers — are targets for aggression on public transportation, study shows

Troubling spike in severe pregnancy-related complications for all ages in Illinois

Alcohol use identified by UTHealth Houston researchers as most common predictor of escalated cannabis vaping among youths in Texas

Need a landing pad for helicopter parenting? Frame tasks as learning

New MUSC Hollings Cancer Center research shows how Golgi stress affects T-cells' tumor-fighting ability

#16to365: New resources for year-round activism to end gender-based violence and strengthen bodily autonomy for all

Earliest fish-trapping facility in Central America discovered in Maya lowlands

São Paulo to host School on Disordered Systems

New insights into sleep uncover key mechanisms related to cognitive function

USC announces strategic collaboration with Autobahn Labs to accelerate drug discovery

Detroit health professionals urge the community to act and address the dangers of antimicrobial resistance

3D-printing advance mitigates three defects simultaneously for failure-free metal parts 

Ancient hot water on Mars points to habitable past: Curtin study

In Patagonia, more snow could protect glaciers from melt — but only if we curb greenhouse gas emissions soon

Simplicity is key to understanding and achieving goals

Caste differentiation in ants

Nutrition that aligns with guidelines during pregnancy may be associated with better infant growth outcomes, NIH study finds

New technology points to unexpected uses for snoRNA

Racial and ethnic variation in survival in early-onset colorectal cancer

Disparities by race and urbanicity in online health care facility reviews

Exploring factors affecting workers' acquisition of exercise habits using machine learning approaches

Nano-patterned copper oxide sensor for ultra-low hydrogen detection

Maintaining bridge safer; Digital sensing-based monitoring system

A novel approach for the composition design of high-entropy fluorite oxides with low thermal conductivity

A groundbreaking new approach to treating chronic abdominal pain

ECOG-ACRIN appoints seven researchers to scientific committee leadership positions

New model of neuronal circuit provides insight on eye movement

Cooking up a breakthrough: Penn engineers refine lipid nanoparticles for better mRNA therapies

[Press-News.org] The '50-50' chip: Memory device of the future?
A new material built from aluminum and antimony shows promise for next-generation data-storage devices