New technology standard could shape the future of electronics design

Scientists at the University of Southampton have discovered a way of enhancing the capabilities of an emerging nanotechnology that could open the door to a new generation of electronics.

In a study published in the journal Scientific Reports, researchers show how they have pushed the memristor - a simpler and smaller alternative to the transistor, with the capability of altering its resistance and storing multiple memory states - to a new level of performance after experimenting with its component materials.

Traditionally, the processing of data in electronics has relied on integrated circuits (chips) featuring vast numbers of transistors - microscopic switches that control the flow of electrical current by turning it on or off.

Transistors have got smaller and smaller in order to meet the increasing demands of technology, but are now reaching their physical limit, with - for example - the processing chips that power smartphones containing an average of five billion transistors.

Memristors could hold the key to a new era in electronics, being both smaller and simpler in form than transistors, low-energy, and with the ability to retain data by 'remembering' the amount of charge that has passed through them - potentially resulting in computers that switch on and off instantly and never forget.

The University of Southampton team has demonstrated a new memristor technology that can store up to 128 discernible memory states per switch, almost four times more than previously reported.

In the study, they describe how they reached this level of performance by evaluating several configurations of functional oxide materials - the core component that gives the memristor its ability to alter its resistance.

Themis Prodromakis, Professor of Nanotechnology and EPSRC Fellow at the University of Southampton, said: "This is a really exciting discovery, with potentially enormous implications for modern electronics. By 2020 there are expected to be more than 200 billion interconnected devices within the Internet of Things framework - these will generate an incredible amount of data that will need processing.

"Memristors are a key enabling technology for next-generation chips, which need to be highly reconfigurable yet affordable, scalable and energy-efficient.

"We are thrilled to be working with world-leading industry, bringing innovations into new electronic systems that require bespoke customisation. Such examples include systems that are employed in inaccessible environments; for example, inside the human body, space or other remote or harsh locations.

"At the same time this technology is ideal for developing novel hardware that can learn and adapt autonomously, much like the human brain."

Research Report: Multibit memory operation of metal-oxide bi-layer memristors, is published in Scientific Reports. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-17785-1

Related Links
University of Southampton
Computer Chip Architecture, Technology and Manufacture
Nano Technology News From SpaceMart.com

Tweet

Thanks for being there;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.

SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5+ Billed Monthly

paypal only

SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once

credit card or paypal

Shape-shifting organic crystals use memory to improve plastic electronics
Champaign IL (SPX) Feb 27, 2018
Researchers have identified a mechanism that triggers shape-memory phenomena in organic crystals used in plastic electronics. Shape-shifting structural materials are made with metal alloys, but the new generation of economical printable plastic electronics is poised to benefit from this phenomenon, too. Shape-memory materials science and plastic electronics technology, when merged, could open the door to advancements in low-power electronics, medical electronics devices and multifunctional shape-memory ... read more