It also has the potential to enhance MRAM’s density and zero leakage capabilities, adds Spin Transfer, making it a compelling replacement candidate for embedded (on-chip) SRAM and DRAM devices market.
According to Spin Transfer, applications for the PSC structure include nearly all mobile processors, datacentre CPUs and storage, automotive, IoT, and AI, among others.
The company reported the results, which are said to confirm the PSC structure will increase the spin-torque efficiency of any MRAM device by 40-70%, enabling any MRAM to achieve dramatically higher data retention while consuming less power. This gain translates to retention times lengthening by a factor of over 10,000 (e.g., 1hour retention becomes more than 1year retention), while reducing write current. Furthermore, since the data shows that the PSC structure’s efficiency gains actually increase as the pMTJ get smaller, the PSC structure opens new pathways to achieving embedded SRAMs in the latest 7nm and 5nm generations.
“Emerging applications, especially those using batteries, such as AR/VR, IoT and many machine learning applications need non-volatile alternatives to SRAM and DRAM,” explains Tom Coughlin, president of Coughlin Associates. “STT MRAM will enable these technologies to do more with less power. Advances such as Spin Transfer’s PSC structure will enable the next generation of MRAM.”
SRAM technologies, which are the current market standard on every logic chip, are beginning to hit size and performance limitations, inhibiting the growth in fields such as IoT and AI. Likewise, DRAM, used in datacentres and mobile devices, is experiencing rising power and cost issues.
The PSC structure is designed to enable STT-MRAM to address the size and cost drawbacks of SRAM, as well as the volatility and power complications of DRAM.
“The technology industry has always had a central need for efficient memory, and new applications like AI, VR, and IoT are driving new demands for lightning-fast, rapidly consumable data solutions,” says Tom Sparkman, CEO of Spin Transfer. “While MRAM has long been considered an emerging memory solution, it had significant speed and endurance challenges — which our PSC structure has been proven to address. We believe our advances will propel MRAM to become a mainstream memory technology that will allow continued innovation across most cutting-edge and mainstream applications.”
The PSC structure is designed to be seamlessly incorporated into any MRAM manufacturer’s existing process. According to Spin Transfer, it requires no additional materials or tools than those already used in the production of STT-MRAM and therefore, adds virtually no complexity or cost for the foundries.
