Flexible memory
A tiny piece of film is set to pack a big punch for memory- and performance-hungry applications. Created by NUS engineers, the “smart” plastic promises to significantly improve data storage and processing power, making flexible and wearable electronics a not-so-distant possibility.
The invention has been engineered in collaboration with researchers from Yonsei University in South Korea, Ghent University in Belgium and Singapore’s Institute of Materials Research and Engineering.
The team embedded a powerful magnetic memory chip on a flexible plastic material to obtain a malleable memory chip, which will form a critical component for the development of flexible and lightweight devices. These items can be deployed in wide-ranging areas such as automotive, healthcare electronics, robotics and avionics systems.
Current fabrication of high-performance memory chips on soft substrates faces the challenge of reduced efficiency. Led by Associate Professor Yang Hyunsoo of NUS Electrical and Computer Engineering, the group got around this problem by adopting magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM) which uses a magnesium oxide-based material to store data. MRAM outperforms conventional dynamic random access memory chips by up to 1,000 times, consumes lower power and retains data after the power is switched off.
The breakthrough, published in Advanced Materials on 6 July 2016, represents the world’s first flexible MRAM using magnesium oxide.
In the new technique, the magnetic memory chip was grown on a silicon surface, and then the underlying silicon etched away. By employing a transfer printing method, the team implanted the chip on a flexible plastic surface instead of the traditional rigid silicon by scrupulously controlling the amount of strain in the process.
Experiments showed that the device’s magnetoresistance — a measurement of sensor performance — could reach up to 300 per cent compared to less than 100 per cent of existing commercialised MRAM products, said Assoc Prof Yang. Together with improved switching and other enhanced features, the flexible magnetic chip is able to transfer data much more rapidly.
He added, “Flexible electronics will become the norm in the near future, and all new electronic components should be compatible with flexible electronics. We are the first team to fabricate magnetic memory on a flexible surface, and this significant milestone gives us the impetus to further enhance the performance of flexible memory devices and contribute towards the flexible electronics revolution.”
The technology has been granted US and South Korea patents. The investigators plan to apply their technique in various electronic components, and are exploring tie-ups with industry partners.
See press release.
