The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) recently published a paper on the successful development of a new type of phase change memory (PCM) that can flexibly switch between crystalline (low resistance) and amorphous (high resistance) states, thus combining the advantages of DRAM and NAND.
DRAM is fast but unstable, which means that data stored in it disappears when power is lost (such as when turning off the computer); whereas NAND flash memory can retain data even when power is lost, but it is significantly slower than DRAM.
Although PCM achieves both speed and non-volatility—a case of having one’s cake and eating it too—its manufacturing cost is very high, and a lot of heat is required to melt the phase change material into an amorphous state, making the production process very power-intensive.
Led by Professor Shinhyun Choi, the research team designed a new method by only shrinking the components directly involved in the phase change process, creating a phase-changeable nano filament.
Compared to traditional phase change memory manufactured using expensive lithography tools, this novel method reduces power consumption to one-fifteenth and significantly lowers manufacturing costs.
The new type of phase change memory retains many characteristics of traditional memory, such as fast speed, high ON/OFF ratio, small variations, and multi-level storage features.
Choi stated that they expect their research results to become the foundation for future electronic engineering and could potentially be applied in high-density 3D vertical memory, neuromorphic computing systems, edge processors, and in-memory computing systems.
Disclaimer: This article is created by the original author. The content of the article represents their personal opinions. Our reposting is for sharing and discussion purposes only and does not imply our endorsement or agreement. If you have any objections, please contact us through the provided channels.
