| Mobile
phones could one day have the memory capacity of
a desktop computer thanks to a microchip that mimics
the functioning of the brain, scientists report today
(9 September) in the journal Science.
Researchers from Imperial College London, Durham
University and the University of Sheffield say their
new computer chip design will enable large amounts
of data to be stored in small volumes by using a
complex interconnected network of nanowires, with
computing functions and decisions performed at the
nodes where they meet a similar approach to neurons
and axons in the brain.
Currently the memory chips of mobile phones have
a very limited capacity, making it impossible to
store the videos that the new generation of phones
can record. Electronics firms have been looking at
miniature hard drive disks as a possible solution
but so far the high expense of this option has rendered
it unattractive.
This latest research, however, has the potential
to develop a chip that combines the storage capability
of a hard drive with the low cost of memory cards,
potentially increasing memory capacity by 200 times
from an average of 500MB to around 100GB.
Lead researcher Russell
Cowburn ,
Professor of Nanotechnology in Imperial's Department
of Physics, explains: "The new video mobile phones
are very popular, but they desperately need more
memory so that people can take longer videos and
store them. This technology has the potential to
transform mobiles into fully functioning video
cameras, in addition to a range of other applications."
The technology is based on the discovery by Professor
Cowburn and colleagues that by using nanotechnology
it is possible to reproduce the key functions of
semiconductor electronics in microchips using only
the 'spin' of electrons, which is responsible for
magnetism, rather than the more conventional 'charge'
that traditional microchips use.
This has allowed them to construct a completely
new architecture for electronics in three dimensions
rather than the two dimensional flat structure of
conventional microchips, an approach Professor Cowburn
compares to using cupboards instead of table tops
for storing goods. He says:
"Traditionally
we have used electronics for microchips and magnetism
for hard disk drives. This discovery allows us
to combine these two approaches to make a new generation
of 3D microchips that can store so much more information
than a flat two dimensional surface."
The team is now working with commercial partners
to develop the technology and is currently building
a more advanced demonstrator chip using full microchip
manufacturing facilities.
For further information contact:
Abigail Smith
Imperial College London Press Office
Tel: 020 7594 6701
Email: abigail.smith@imperial.ac.uk
Notes
Magnetic Domain-Wall Logic, Science, Volume 310,
9 September 2005
D A Allwood1, G Xiong2, C C Faulkner3, D Atkinson2, D Petit3, R P Cowburn3,
4
1 Department of Engineering Materials, University
of Sheffield
2 Department of Physics, University of Durham
3 Department of Physics, Imperial College London
4 Durham Magnetic Optics Ltd, University of Durham
About Imperial College London
Consistently rated in the top three UK university
institutions, Imperial College London is a world
leading science-based university whose reputation
for excellence in teaching and research attracts
students (11,000) and staff (6,000) of the highest
international quality.
Innovative research at the College explores the
interface between science, medicine, engineering
and management and delivers practical solutions
that enhance the quality of life and the environment
- underpinned by a dynamic enterprise culture.
Website: www.imperial.ac.uk
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