[tt] the physics arXiv blog

[Eugen Leitl]

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From: the physics arXiv blog <howdy at arxivblog.com>
Date: Tue, 1 Apr 2008 17:19:19 -0500 (CDT)
To: eugen at leitl.org
Subject: the physics arXiv blog
Reply-To: the physics arXiv blog <howdy at arxivblog.com>


[1]the physics arXiv blog

   [2]Buckyballs boost flash memory

   Posted: 01 Apr 2008 12:28 AM CDT

   [3]Buckyball memory 

   There's a problem on the horizon for memory chips called voltage
   scaling. It comes about because of a fundamental asymmetry in the
   design of nonvolatile charge-based memory.
   These chips need to store data for about 10^12 times longer than it
   takes to program or erase. That's why it's novolatile. This asymmetry
   is usally achieved by applying an external voltage to program and
   erase the memory. But as more memory gets packed into the same area,
   it becomes hard to supply the right amount of voltage. What's needed
   is a material that has a similar or better retention to program/erase
   time ratio but can be accessed with a lower voltage.
   The current favourite to improve the next gen of memory chips is a
   technology called metal nanocrystal memory in which data is stored in
   tiny crystals of metal. But it looks as if this technology can easily
   be made even better than anyone was expecting.
   Enter C60 buckyballs, the famous carbon footballs named after the
   architect Buckminster Fuller who popularised the geodesic dome.
   Tuo-Hung Hou and a few buddies at Cornell University in New York state
   has built and tested a new type of nonvolatile memory in which the
   data is stored in single molecules of C60. The molecules are
   relatively easy to embed in silicon because they do not clump
   together. They also have well defined and easily accessible energy
   levels that have to be overcome by tunnelling to store and erase data.
   The team say that buckyballs offer a huge improvement in the data
   retention time compared to the program/erase time compared with
   today's technology. But perhaps more importantly, buckyballs also
   improve the retention to program/erase time ration of metal
   nanocrystal memory by a whole order of magnitude. That means they
   could be added to the next gen of memory relatively easily.
   Does that mean buckyballs will sit at the heart of future iPods? Could
   be.
   Ref: [4]arxiv.org/abs/0803.4038: Nonvolatile Memory with
   Molecule-Engineered Tunneling Barriers

   [5][arXivblog?i=Pc9Rwh] 
   [6][arXivblog?i=35AQ31G] [7][arXivblog?i=m66S7rG]
   [8][arXivblog?i=CFpeI1g] [9][arXivblog?i=kjHrDQG]
   [10][arXivblog?i=eoZYcSg] [11][arXivblog?i=1C5Mf3G]
   [12][arXivblog?i=fZjuvJg] [13][arXivblog?i=FVKbwfG] 
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References

   1. http://arxivblog.com/
   2. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/arXivblog/~3/261742474/
   3. http://arxivblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/buckyball_memory.JPG
   4. http://arxiv.org/abs/0803.4038
   5. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/arXivblog?a=Pc9Rwh
   6. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/arXivblog?a=35AQ31G
   7. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/arXivblog?a=m66S7rG
   8. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/arXivblog?a=CFpeI1g
   9. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/arXivblog?a=kjHrDQG
  10. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/arXivblog?a=eoZYcSg
  11. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/arXivblog?a=1C5Mf3G
  12. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/arXivblog?a=fZjuvJg
  13. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/arXivblog?a=FVKbwfG
  14. http://arxivblog.com/
  15. http://www.feedburner.com/fb/a/emailunsub?id=8632699&key=kesJ612ZsV
  16. http://feeds.feedburner.com/arXivblog
  17. http://feeds.feedburner.com/arXivblog

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Eugen* Leitl <a href="http://leitl.org">leitl</a> http://leitl.org
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