Monday, June 16, 2003
IBM and Infineon Technologies AG announced they have developed an advanced Magnetic Random Access Memory (MRAM) technology by integrating magnetic memory components into a high-performance logic base.
The announcement is expected to accelerate the commercialization of MRAM, a memory technology with the potential to begin replacing some of today's memory technologies as early as 2005. MRAM could lead to "instant on" computers, allowing users to turn computers on and off as quickly as a light switch.
At the VLSI Symposia, IBM and Infineon presented their 128-Kbit MRAM core. It is fabricated with a 0.18ìm logic-based process technology, the smallest size reported to date for MRAM technology. This small base enabled the two companies to incorporate the smallest MRAM memory-cell size of 1.4 square microns, which is about 20 million times smaller than the average pencil eraser top. By accurately patterning the magnetic structures within this small cell, researchers were able to control the memory reading and writing operations.
A memory technology that uses magnetic, rather than electronic, charges to store bits of data, MRAM could improve portable computing products by storing more information, accessing it faster and using less battery power than the electronic memory used today.
"MRAM has the potential to become the universal memory technology of the future," claimed Dr T. C. Chen, VP Science and Technology, IBM Research. "This breakthrough demonstrates that MRAM technology is rapidly maturing and could fundamentally alter the entire memory marketplace within the next few years."
By: DocMemory
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