| Mar 28, 2011 |
Carbon nanotube transistors for memory storage holds key to 'green' gadgets |
| (Nanowerk News) Researchers have created a tiny device that improves on existing forms of memory storage. |
| Conventional methods use electronic devices to convert data into signals that are stored as binary code. |
| This latest device uses a tiny mechanical arm to translate the data into electrical signals. |
| This allows for much faster operation and uses much less energy compared with conventional memory storage tools. |
| Technical advantage |
| The device records data by measuring the current passing through a carbon nanotube. |
| The binary value of the data is determined by an electrode that controls the flow of current. |
| Scientists at the University, who helped create the device, say it could offer gadget designers a way to create faster devices with reduced power consumption. |
| Pioneering solution |
| Previous attempts to use carbon nanotube transistors for memory storage hit a stumbling block because they had low operational speed and short memory retention times. |
| By using a mechanical arm to charge the electrode - which operates much faster than conventional memory devices - scientists have been able to overcome these problems. |
| The research, carried out in collaboration with Konkuk University and Seoul National University, Korea, was published in Nature Communications ("A fast and low-power microelectromechanical system-based non-volatile memory device") and supported by EaStCHEM. |
| Source: University of Edinburgh |
