Time-resolved Measurement in a Memory Device
ETH researchers have measured the timing of single writing events in a novel magnetic memory device with a resolution of less than 100 picoseconds. Their results are relevant for the next generation of main memories based on magnetism.
The chip produced by IMEC for the experiments at ETH. The tunnel junctions used to measure the timing of the magnetisation reversal are located at the centre (Image courtesy of IMEC).
At the Department for Materials of the ETH in Zurich, Pietro Gambardella and his collaborators investigate tomorrow’s memory devices. They should be fast, retain data reliably for a long time and also be cheap. So-called magnetic “random access memories” (MRAM) achieve this quadrature of the circle by combining fast switching via electric currents with durable data storage in magnetic materials.