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...read
the wave™
Spintronics
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Spintronics - breakthroughs for next generation electronics
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Traditional silicon chips
in computers and other electronic devices control
the flow of electrical current by modifying the
positive or negative charge of different parts
of each tiny circuit. However it is also possible
to use of the mysterious magnetic properties of
electrons - know as “spin” - to control the movement
of currents. Many large companies have spent millions
of dollars trying to solve some of the problems
faced by this technology, but progress has remained
slow. Discoveries made in Oxford solve several
of the most difficult problems and open up this
exciting new world of possibilities.
Central to the success of modern electronics is the transistor. A transistor
is a switch that controls the flow of electrical current. A modern computer
chip contains many millions of tiny transistors; each acting as a tiny
switch where a small current is used to control the flow of a larger current.
A spin transistor uses the spin properties of the electrons within it,
to control the flow of a current. The big advantage of this approach is
that the spin (or magnetic state) of a transistor can be set and then will
not change, so unlike a normal electrical circuit that requires a continuous
supply of power, a spin transistor remains in the same magnetic state even
when power is removed! Producing a spin transistor that can be included
in a modern silicon chip is a significant challenge, but scientists at
Oxford have developed a spin transistor that works up to 1,000 times better
than previous designs making this a real possibility!
There are potential uses for spin transistors all around us. They might
be used in computers for data processing, but they can also be used to
produce computer memory that is super fast like RAM, but where the data
remains in place when the computer is turned off just like a hard disk.
This type of memory is known as Magnetic RAM, or MRAM.
MRAM is an exciting opportunity; however even once you have working spin
transistors there are other problems that must to be overcome before efficient
MRAM can be produced. Ironically, one of the biggest problems is actually
reading data from individual components of MRAM memory. The problem might
be compared to trying to read a page of small text with a large magnifying
glass, where you can only read one character a time and the image is blurry
with the characters on either side making it difficult to see the central
character clearly.
The time taken to read a page of text this way makes the whole process
unworkable, and it is the same with the “reader circuitry” currently used
with MRAM. One alternative would be to shrink the magnifying glass down
to the size of an individual character, but this would make identifying
each character difficult, and in the same way when we try to shrink the
reader circuitry for MRAM we find it no longer works!
The second breakthrough discovery made in Oxford solves this problem! It
is a new type of reader circuitry that is simple, accurate and works quickly.
The value of each component of MRAM can be easily read without any interference
from adjacent cells, and the reader circuitry itself can be miniaturised
down to the same scale as the individual units of memory. It works like
having a line of lenses across a page, each the same size as an individual
character, and allowing an entire line of text to be read instantly before
moving on to the next one!
These two breakthroughs are protected by a series of patents, including
some that are already granted. When combined together they solve many of
the problems faced by the emerging area of spintronics, and represent a
quantum leap forward in potential levels of performance.
Isis Innovation is the technology transfer company that helps scientists
at the University of Oxford take their research out into the real world.
They are currently seeking industrial partners who are also excited by
this technology, and who have the resources to develop these technologies
quickly into world-leading commercial products. |
| Notes |
| Isis Innovation Ltd. is the
technology transfer company for the University
of Oxford. Isis was set up to help researchers
within the university who wish to commercialise
the results of their research. The services that
Isis is able to provide for the academics includes;
licensing intellectual property; facilitating
the formation of new companies and providing
help with the marketing of their consulting and
services expertise. |
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| Reference URL |
| http://www.isis-innovation.com/licensing/1461.html |
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This
story has been adapted from a news release -
Diese Meldung basiert auf einer Pressemitteilung -
Deze
tekst is gebaseerd op een nieuwsbericht - |
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