Transistor breakthrough could increase smartphone memory

The team at Tel Aviv University says the memory transistor can both transfer and store information, eliminating the need for a capacitor. It was designed to solve the problem that mobile devices currently face with large, power hungry RAM and the need to be ever sleeker. The research was inspired by findings into how molecules can store both an electric charge and information at the same time. The team used C60 molecules, made up of 60 carbon atoms, and put them in the channels of a transistor, creating a small high speed transistor that could also do the job of a capacitor. "When this new technology is integrated into future devices, you will have much more memory on your smartphones and tablets, approaching the level of a laptop," commented PhD candidate Elad Mentovich. "With that kind of memory, you'll be able to run applications simultaneously, and because it is low voltage, power consumption will fall and battery life will be longer." According to the researchers, major companies in the memory industry have already expressed interest in the technology. The next step is to find a fabrication facility with the necessary materials required for manufacturing. The team says that the transistors can be put together using equipment that is standard in many facilities, so in theory the devices could be manufactured almost anywhere. "The distance to implementation is not far," Mentovich concluded.