Resistive memory device to supersede flash?
1 min read
A new resistive memory device has been created that, according to its developers, could supersede flash in next generation smartphones and tablets.
The device - unveiled this week by a team from the University of California, Riverside Bourns College of Engineering - is based on the principles of resistive memory, which can be used to create memory cells that are smaller, operate at a higher speed and offer more storage capacity than flash memory cells, the current industry standard.
The key advancement in the team's research is the creation of a zinc oxide nano-island on silicon.
According to lead researcher Jianlin Liu, a professor of electrical engineering, this eliminates the need for a second element called a selector device, which is often a diode.
"This is a significant step as the electronics industry is considering wide scale adoption of resistive memory as an alternative for flash memory," said Liu. "It really simplifies the process and lowers the fabrication cost."
While resistive memory usually has a metal-oxide-metal structure in connection with a selector device, the UC Riverside team found a novel alternative by forming self-assembled zinc oxide nano-islands on silicon.
Using a conductive atomic force microscope, the researchers observed three operation modes from the same device structure, essentially eliminating the need for a separate selector device.
The research has been published in the journal Scientific Reports.
