A Serendipitous Advance in Low-Energy Memory Tech
In an unexpected twist, a team at Penn Engineering has stumbled upon a groundbreaking method that could substantially cut down on the energy needs of next-gen phase-change memory (PCM) tech, a stride that holds the potential to transform how we store data.
During an experiment involving indium selenide (In2Se3), scientists unearthed a technique that could slash the energy requirements of PCM by a factor of a billion. Shared in the November 6 edition of Nature, the research signifies a crucial step in tackling a major PCM storage hurdle.
Seen as an ideal contender for universal memory, PCM could succeed volatile RAM and non-volatile storage like SSDs and hard drives. It switches materials between crystalline and amorphous states to encode binary data. Traditionally, PCM employs a heat-intensive “melt-quench technique,” where materials are heated and quickly cooled.
“The high energy consumption has been a barrier to the widespread adoption of phase-change memory devices,” said Ritesh Agarwal, a materials science and engineering professor at Penn Engineering. The newly discovered energy-saving route offers substantial promise for crafting memory devices that consume less power.
The Peculiar Features of Indium Selenide
The research breakthrough banks on the atypical properties of indium selenide, which boasts a mix of ferroelectric and piezoelectric characteristics. Ferroelectric materials hold their electric polarization without needing an external charge, and piezoelectric materials change shape when charged. Intriguingly, testing unfolded that running a continuous current could amorphize sections of the material, defying the common belief that electrical pulses were necessary.
Gaurav Modi, a study co-author and ex-PhD student at Penn Engineering, initially misconstrued the material’s structural change for a glitch. “We were expecting that electrical pulses would be needed to induce amorphization, yet here was a continuous current reshaping the crystalline structure; this was unexpected,” Modi elaborated.
Subsequent examination implied that the current induced minor distortions within the material, sparking a chain reaction leading to an “acoustic jerk” – an occurrence similar to seismic events in an earthquake.
Agarwal added, “This discovery opens a novel research avenue regarding the structural transformations in materials which exhibit such unique property combinations.” These accidental insights might propel further exploration into the realm of energy-saving electronic and photonic applications, potentially revolutionizing memory technology in electronics.
