IBM Demos Single-Atom DRAM 150
An anonymous reader writes "A single-atom DRAM was demonstrated by IBM recently with a slow-mo movie of the atomic process of setting and erasing a bit on a single atom. Videos of atomic processes inside chips were not possible until now, leading to IBM's claim that its pulsed-STM (used to make the movie) will lead to a new atomic-scale semiconductor industry, and not just for memory chips, according to this EETimes story: 'The ultimate memory chips of the future will encode bits on individual atoms, a capability recently demonstrated for iron atoms by IBM's Almaden Research Center in San Jose, Calif., which unveiled a new pulsed technique for scanning tunneling microscopes (STMs). Pulsed-STMs yield nanosecond time-resolution, a requirement for designing the atomic-scale memory chips, solar panels and quantum computers of the future, but also for making super efficient organic solar cells by controlling photovoltaic reactions on the atomic level.'"
A video explaining how it works (Score:5, Informative)
Re:So.. Much as it seems like it, this does not qu (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Quantum effects? (Score:4, Informative)
You have to start worrying at quantum effects WAY before the scale which is currently in most modern computers. Interesting question though.
And while single-atom memory is an interesting feat, memory density isn't everything. It lets you get more capacity into less space, which can be nice. But if size was everything, I'd use my hard drive instead of my system memory and CPU cache. After all, it's easy to get a hard drive on the order of a couple terabytes while system memory is still typically on the order of a few gigabytes, and CPU cache is on the order of a few megabytes.
Re:Quantum effects? (Score:4, Informative)
And while single-atom memory is an interesting feat, memory density isn't everything. It lets you get more capacity into less space, which can be nice.
yes, indeed, will let you get more capacity only when you fit the probe in the same space. For the time being, an STM is about this big [uta.edu].
As a research technique, is amazing. As an applicative discovery... a long way yet until the real-life consumer grade direct application will emerge (if ever)
But if size was everything
Hit the nail in the head here: latency and power consumption spring into my mind as well.
Re:where on the periodic table? (Score:5, Informative)
funny, but actually IBM started with punched cards for external storage, gears for internal memory, and later patch panels for ROM.
http://www.columbia.edu/acis/history/tabulator.html [columbia.edu]
Re:So.. Much as it seems like it, this does not qu (Score:4, Informative)
And that single atom in a RAM cell doesn't count as a transistor?
If it performs the same functions, there is no reason to not apply the same law.
Oh, hey, look, we've got Transistors with THREE atoms.
ONE atom shouldn't be a problem. If it acts like a transistor, it's a transistor.
A transistor either acts as an amplifier or an electrical signal switch.
Therefore, a single-atom DRAM cell would be using single-atom transistors.
Want to try making this argument against someone *NOT* deeply involved in this industry?
Crappy headline. (Score:3, Informative)
Re:So.. Much as it seems like it, this does not qu (Score:5, Informative)