Switchable nanomagnets could led to computer memory 1,000 times smaller
June 15, 2012
Illustration for the spin-crossover molecule used for the experiments on gold surface and the STM images of its different magnetic states (credit: Holger Naggert & Thiruvancheril Gopakumar)
Scientists of Kiel University have succeeded in selectively switching the magnetism of individual molecules or “spin-crossover complexes” on and off.
Using individual molecules instead of electronic or magnetic memory cells would revolutionize data storage technology, since molecular memories could be a thousand-fold smaller, the scientists suggest.
The interdisciplinary study is part of the Collaborative Research Centre 677 “Functions by Switching,” funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG). The results prove that it is technically possible to store information using molecules.
Using a scanning tunneling microscope, Kiel scientist Dr. Thiruvancheril Gopakumar was able to switch individual molecules between two magnetic states. Despite their dense packing in a molecular layer, he was able to target individual molecules for switching.
The next step will be to switch molecules with light instead of electrons and at higher temperatures.
Ref.: Gopakumar, TG, Matino, F, Naggert, H, Bannwarth, A, Tuczek, F, Berndt R, Electron-induced spin crossover of single molecules in a bilayer on gold, Angewandte Chemie, 2012, DOI: 10.1002/anie.201201203
Comments (7)
by ChrisF
David U – when you say that ‘today’s memory is about 35nm’, you’re referring to the feature size of each individual transistor. But to store a single bit, you need a tiny circuit containing several transistors, known as a memory “cell”. These cells are approx 10 times larger than the individual transistors they contain – there’s a nice diagram of this at http://techztalk.com/techwebsite/12-18-08-ibm-amd-toshiba-develops-22nm-ram. So this amazing tech really could yield a reduction of 1000 times !
by Gorden Russell
Well, Bri, I suspect most people don’t know the difference between “times” and a “fold.”
Nevertheless, this is on the road to the kind of nanos that will use sunlight to take carbon dioxide out of the air and grow carbon nanotubes, graphene, buckyballs, fiberdiamond, and other as yet unknown carbon compounds. This is the kind of stuff that will end world hunger and want.
by David U
One atom of gold is about 2.6 angstroms. Atom diameters range from about 1 to 5 angstroms. The article does not mention what molecule is being used, but todays memory is about 35 nanometers or 350 angstroms. It is unclear to me how they come up with 1000 times rather than 100 times smaller. The illustration shows molecules about 8 times wider than a single gold atom. It is probably not to scale.
by spikosauropod
Very exciting!
Yes, this continues the trend for the foreseeable future. Memory will not bottom out before we are well into the Singularity.
by Bri
Unbelievable!! I’m sure Ray see’s this as another mile stone on his graphs! Memory this small would be essential to any nanobots we might develop. Again, staggering in it’s implications!!!!
by Bri
People like to ride my case over my misspelled words. So tell me, is it a thousand fold decrease or a thousand times decrease? Big difference in those two numbers!
by GatorALLin
…ahh….More’s Law lives another day….