Traditional DDR operates within a specific temperature range, typically not exceeding 100°C. Exceeding this range may lead to data loss and thermal throttling.
However, researchers at the University of Michigan have developed a new memory architecture with characteristics almost the opposite of DDR. Its operating temperature range is at least 260°C and can function at temperatures as high as approximately 594°C.
This unconventional memory design utilizes battery-like characteristics to store data at extremely high temperatures.
In this design, data is stored by moving negatively charged oxygen atoms between two layers of the memory—tantalum oxide and metallic tantalum.
These oxygen atoms transfer through a solid-state electrolyte between the two tantalum layers, and the solid-state electrolyte acts as a barrier, preventing the oxygen atoms from freely jumping between the layers.
It is claimed that the oxygen atoms are guided through three platinum electrodes, which control the movement of each oxygen atom from one layer to another, representing a change in data.
These movements resemble battery behavior, where the three electrodes control whether the oxygen atoms are absorbed into tantalum oxide or pushed out, akin to a battery’s charging or discharging process.
The oxygen content of tantalum oxide is said to act as either an insulator or a conductor, representing binary digits 0 or 1, allowing the material to switch between two different voltage states.
This solution is entirely different from traditional methods, as current memory technologies mostly rely on electron movement, which is highly sensitive to temperature.
At excessively high temperatures, due to the physical limits of current, electrons become uncontrollable.
In contrast, the University of Michigan’s special technology relies on oxygen atoms, which are not subject to the same temperature limitations.
Researchers noted that this oxygen-based solution still requires a relatively high minimum temperature, meaning that a heater must be used to bring the memory to its operating temperature, much like an internal combustion engine.
Although no maximum temperature limit has been declared yet, the researchers revealed that this memory can store information at temperatures exceeding 594°C for over a day.
Additionally, due to its design, this solution is more energy-efficient compared to other alternative memory designs.
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