In a study published July 16 in the journal Science, scientists demonstrated a two-dimensional (2D) flash memory chip that can trap a solitary electron at room temperature, reducing the energy needed for processing data.
The reason this technology could be a big breakthrough, the scientists believe, is that it promises to solve challenges associated with energy efficiency, speed and stability all in one device.
A diagram showing the structure of an atom, with electrons orbiting the nucleus. (Image credit: agung fatria viaGetty Images)
According to the study, scientists tried to store data using a single electron in the late 1990s, but the signal, or electrical pulse, generated from trapping the electron was too faint to read clearly. They likened it to trying to detect the ripple from a single drop of rain falling into a reservoir.
Electrons can move through graphene's single-atom hexagonal lattice with very low resistance and at high speed with minimal energy loss. This layer of graphene enables electrons to accelerate before jumping into the floating gate, where they are then trapped.
Liu told China Daily that Guiyi could help data move more quickly between computing and storage units. "That would significantly reduce data transfer delays, improve computing efficiency and help expand AI applications across industries," he said.
The challenge in scaling up
Demand for AI workloads and large language models has created a performance gap between processor and memory speeds, thereby slowing data transfer. At the same time, the three chipmakers that dominate the NAND flash memory market — Samsung, SK hynix and Micron — are deprioritizing this form of non-volatile memory that keeps data stored when power is turned off.
Although Guiyi is a strong proof of concept, commercial use will be a different story. Humphris warned that the real challenge will be in scaling up, saying, "a scientific breakthrough can only transform an industry when it can be produced reliably, repeatedly and economically."
Related storiesHe cited the example of component maker ASML, whose extreme ultraviolet (EUV) technology has become ubiquitous in the semiconductor industry; it's used by the likes of Intel and Samsung for the production of 3- and 5-nanometer process nodes. ASML took more than two decades to take EUV technology from the research lab to commercial production — which is much longer than the company had anticipated.
Nonetheless, the team led by study first author Zhou Peng, a microelectronics professor at Fudan University, has bold plans. As reported by the South China Morning Post, he told Jiefang Daily (the official daily newspaper of the Shanghai Municipal Committee of the Chinese Communist Party) in June that they plan to set up a company later this year to commercialize the technology within three to five years. If they're successful, he said, it could "shake up" the flash storage market.
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