The "memristor" is a computer component that offers functions memory and logic in a simple package . Has the potential to transform the semiconductor industry, enabling smaller chips and computers, faster, and cheaper.
An electrical engineer from the University of Michigan has taken a step toward that goal with the creation of a chip composed of nanoscale memristor can store up information kilobit . Previously, only a few circuits memristor had shown an array instead of a large scale due to issues of reliability and reproducibility. Although a kilobit is not a huge amount of information, the researchers consider it a breakthrough that will make it more scalable technology to store more data.
"We have shown memory arrays compatible with a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS, for its acronym in English) of ultra high density and the technology used today for microchips based on a silicon memristive . This is an important first step "said Wei Lu, assistant professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.
Moore's Law predicts that technology will double the number of transistors that fit on a chip every two years , has remained valid since mid-1960. The more transistors on a chip can run faster. But it gets more difficult.
This increase of transistors now faces several key challenges and practical including increased energy dissipation as the transistors are reduced in size, difficulties in the establishment of all necessary interconnections, and the high cost to reduce the variations of the devices. The memristor has a simpler structure and are attractive for applications such as the reports because it is much easier to place a large number of them in a single chip to achieve maximum density.
The density of a chip-based memory memristor can be at least an order of magnitude, ie a factor of 10 higher than current transistor-based chip. Such high density circuits can also be very fast. You can save data to a memory memristor to three orders of magnitude faster than a memory Today's flash, for example.
Another benefit of the memristor is that memory is nonvolatile, as is the dynamic random access memory (DRAM, for its acronym in English) today. DRAM is overwritten several times a second because it fades with time. Memristor memory should not be overwritten because it is more stable.
Memristors could pave the way for universal memory. Since the memristor can be included in integrated circuits, offer great hope for robust logic circuits inspired by biology. Each neuron in the human brain is connected to 10,000 other neurons through synapses, it is clear that engineers can not make the kind of connectivity with the current transistor-based circuits. However memristor circuits could overcome this problem.
Mario Pedraza Solid State Electronics Section 2
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