Communications of the ACM
Molecular Flash Memory Could Store Massive Amounts of Data
Metal-oxide clusters that can retain electrical charge and act as RAM could form a new basis for data cells used in flash memory.
Credit: University of Glasgow
Novel molecules could help expand the storage capacity of flash memory, which is widely used in mobile devices such as smartphones. European scientists report polyoxometalate (POM) molecules can serve as storage nodes for MOS flash memory.
Metal-oxide clusters can retain an electrical charge, act as random access memory, and form a new basis for data cells used in flash memory, according to the team from the University of Glasgow and Rovira i Virgili University.
The researchers created a new type of memory, called write-once-erase, using tungsten to synthesize POM metal-oxide clusters and adding selenium to their inner cores in a process known as doping. They validated the approach at the nanoscale using realistic, industry-standard device simulations.
The team believes POMs could potentially be used as a realistic nanoscale flash memory. Moreover, POMs can be fabricated with devices already widely used in industry, and there would be no need to expensively overhaul production lines, notes Glasgow researcher Lee Cronin.
Previous research in this area has grappled with problems such as low thermal stability and low electrical conductivity, which has complicated the application of molecular models to MOS technologies.
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