ACM TechNews

Spin Flip Trick Points to Fastest RAM Yet

New Scientist (08/13/08) McAlpine, Kate

German researchers have developed prototype magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM) technology, which is being heralded as the future of computing by hardware manufacturers. MRAM is a faster and more efficient version of the RAM currently used in computers, offering high speeds but using less power. MRAM stores data by changing the north-south direction of a tiny magnet's magnetic field. Each variable magnet is placed next to a magnet with a fixed field. Reading the stored data is done by running a current through the pair of magnets to determine the direction of the variable magnet's field. The type of MRAM that many manufacturers are backing uses the spins of electrons to flip the magnetic fields, a technology called spin-torque MRAM. Santiago Serrano-Guisan and Hans Schumacher of the Physical-Technical Federal Laboratory of Germany, working with the University of Bielefeld and Singulus Nano-Deposition Technologies, have built a spin-torque system that is significantly faster than any other system. The system is built from tiny pillars 165 nanometers tall. The top of each pillar acts as a variable magnet that stores data, while the bottom is the fixed magnet. A current runs from the bottom of the pillar to the top, with its electrons lined up by the permanent-magnet region at the bottom. When the electrons reach the pillar's other end, they flip the variable magnet region's field to match. The field can be flipped back by reversing the current. The German researchers developed a way to observe and control the field's adjustment during and after the change, which could lead to devices significantly faster than before.

http://technology.newscientist.com/channel/tech/
dn14525-spin-flip-trick-points-to-fastest-ram-yet.html

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