University embarks on carbon nanotube data storage project, promises DRAM-like non-volatile memory

Trendwatch

By Rick C. Hodgin

Wednesday, November 12, 2008 03:30

Nottingham (UK) - Researchers at The University of Nottingham, one of UK's Top 10 universities, also ranking in the world's Top 100, stated yesterday that Project Nanodevice is underway. Their goal is to create molecular memory built of telescoping carbon nanotubes. "In this project a new device for storing information will be developed, made entirely of carbon nanotubes and combining the speed and price of dynamic memory with the non-volatility of flash memory." Telescoping a carbon nanotube The idea sounds simple enough; two carbon nanotubes of slightly different size, one resting inside the other like a two-member set of matryoshka (Russian dolls where each one has a smaller one inside). Electrical current will pass through the outer tube forcing the inner tube to telescope in or out. When out it will make contact with a remote electrode, thereby completing a circuit to create a binary one. When retracted the circuit will be broken - a binary zero. An artist's rendition of carbon nanotube memory in theory. (a) shows a full extended telescope and completed circuit representing a binary one. (b) shows a retracted telescope and an incomplete circuit creating a binary zero. Single-atom thick walls allow massive storage potential on the order of 10-100x more dense than modern flash memory with read/write speeds rivaling DRAM. This kind of memory will be a physical displacement of matter, meaning something has to move in order to switch states. Tiny, rolled sheets of graphene make up the carbon nanotubes, and these exhibit molecular properties which make the movements extremely fast and reliable, at least theoretically. Non-volatile, fast and friendly Another advantage of this system is that the memory will be non-volatile. Just like flash memory today, it won't need any power to maintain its state. It should also be extremely resistant to G-force induced state changes, such as accidental droppage. Even early generations of this technology should be as fast or faster than modern DRAM. Future computers using this kind of memory won't have a separate memory and hard disk for storage. Theirs will be a unified memory architecture built around this kind of storage medium, a new design paradigm for the instant on computer, one capable of continuous processing and data storage without ever swapping memory out to hard disk through paging. This one fact alone would greatly speed up our computer experience today. "Project"ions The project is being led by Dr. Elena Bichoutskaia, who said, "The electronics industry is searching for a replacement of silicon-based technologies for data storage and computer memory. Existing technologies, such as magnetic hard discs, cannot be used reliably at the sub-micrometre scale and will soon reach their fundamental physical limitations." Her goals, and the goals of the research teams working on this project, is a new memory device. According to Bichoutskaia, a new carbon nanotube memory product will be produced, one that will replacing DRAM and flash. With research of this nature there are no timeframes. Personally, I suggest a name for this creation, one in keeping with the finest traditions of existing memory naming conventions: CRAM (Carbon-nanotube RAM). "How many smaller nanotubes can I cram inside the bigger ones?" Perhaps future generations could move away from binary computers into ternary (or beyond) by having multiple tubes, like a real telescope. Source

Phase changeable memory devices including carbon nano tubes

United States Patent 7,378,701 Hideki May 27, 2008, Samsung

Abstract

An integrated circuit phase changeable memory device includes an integrated circuit substrate, a first electrode on the integrated circuit substrate, and a second electrode on the integrated circuit substrate and spaced apart from the first electrode. A carbon nano tube and a phase changeable layer are serially disposed between the first and second electrodes. An insulating layer can include a contact hole and the carbon nano tube may be provided in the contact hole. Moreover, the phase changeable layer also may be provided at least partially in the contact hole. A layer also may be provided at least partially surrounding the carbon nano tube in the contact hole. Related fabrication methods also are provided.

Inventors: Hideki; Horii (Seoul, KR)

Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (KR)

http://tinyurl.com/4t5yd4

Not sure if this is coincidental, but here it is - same issue day as UMK's offering and very similar. I think the USPTO lets them slug it out together outside the patent office as to who owns what. UMK's was magnetic while this one is phase change so that could be the distinction.

Large-capacity magnetic memory using carbon nano-tube

United States Patent 7,379,326 Ushida,et al., May 27, 2008

[[Note - Is this CNT emitting? If it is Keesmann applies! It could be big!!!]]

Abstract

A high-capacity magnetic memory capable of writing and reading a magnetic record in/from a magnetic recording film according to a perpendicular magnetic recording system at a high speed in a purely-electrically random access manner. In the magnetic memory, a writing-magnetic-field generating means 62 and a writing word line 43 are disposed relative to a perpendicular magnetic recording film 50, and a reading/writing bit-line conductor 41, a magnetoresistive-effect element 20 and a reading word lead conductor 42 are laminated in order on a probe substrate opposed to the perpendicular magnetic recording film 50. A magnetic probe 30 composed of a carbon nanotube containing a soft magnetic material is disposed relative to the magnetoresistive-effect element 20 in a standing manner, and electrically connected to the reading/writing bit-line conductor. During a writing operation, a micro-discharge is generated in a micro-gap G between the edge of the magnetic probe and the magnetic recording film under a writing magnetic field to allow a writing current to flow through the micro-gap G so as to heat a micro-region of the magnetic recording film in such a manner that it goes through its Curie point to thereby become magnetized in the direction of the recording magnetic field to form a magnetic record therein. During a reading operation, the magnetic record is read out through the magnetic probe in accordance with a current variation in the magnetoresistive-effect element.

Inventors: Ushida; Takashi (Furukawa, JP), Mori; Nobuyuki (Furukawa, JP), Kamijo; Yoshimi (Furukawa, JP), Okazaki; Akihiro (Furukawa, JP), Mitsuzuka; Akira (Furukawa, JP), Hatakeyama; Rikizou (Furukawa, JP), Ido; Hideaki (Furukawa, JP), Nakajima; Ko (Furukawa, JP), Takoshima; Takehiro (Furukawa, JP)

Assignee: UMK Technologies Co., Ltd. (Furukawa-shi, JP)

The nano-magnetic probe 30 is disposed in opposed relation to the perpendicular magnetization film 50 through a micro-gap G, and the space S therebetween is sealed in a vacuum or depressurized state. If the conditions for generating a micro-discharge are satisfied, the space may be maintained under an inert atmosphere instead of the depressurized state. [[Sounds like electron emission is present!]]

http://tinyurl.com/4t5yd4

If this is as big as I think it is or could/will be, it could be worth a pretty penny to us and Keesmann. Don't ya think? Then again it might just be another disappointment - we can handle those!!!!!! We are used to it. ;-)

Refs:
http://www.wipo.int/pctdb/en/wo.jsp?wo=2004001851
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/EP1533846.html