Transparent, flexible and heat-resistant chips are to replace the flash memory

Chemist James Tour (James M. Tour) from Rice University (Houston,. Texas, USA) presented an interesting discovery of the group, which is engaged in organic synthesis.

They managed to create a new type of nonvolatile memory chips with amazing properties. In addition to high-density data from multiple states of the cells, the new chips can be stacked like paper, they can withstand heat up to 538 º C and, finally, they are almost completely transparent. Thus, the memory can now be placed directly on the screen.

As said Dr. Tour, the first samples of the chip included a layer of graphene and other carbon-containing materials on the surface of supposedly inert insulating layer of silicon oxide (actually - a chemically pure form of quartz). However, after a series of experiments revealed that silica itself is a very suitable material. As a result, scientists were able to opt out of graphene.

The design of the memory chips provides two pins on one bit of information, although in traditional chips they need three. This interesting and unusual property allows new cells to pack them into three-dimensional structure, which is much more efficient in terms of information storage density than traditional two-dimensional chips.

Another remarkable feature of the new chips - the ratio of current conditions in the "on" and "off". In the test samples, this ratio reaches 000:1 1000, that is, the current level in the cell, which stores information, a million times greater than the maximum level of current in an empty cell. According to the developers, this factor will be very attractive to manufacturers because markedly reduces the requirements for the control elements of the chip and the parameters of the electric power supply for memory chips.

Because the new chips have not only transparent but also flexible and can be used in the manufacture of touch screens for mobile phones and other devices, and so represent a grid of electronic sensors (usually resistive or capacitive). Thus, we can significantly increase the amount of memory devices, touch screens themselves will become less brittle. The implementation of the memory screen also helps to save space inside the device, freeing it for other important components, so that the device will become even thinner than it is today. Finally, these chips can be used to display information on the windshields of airplanes, cars and other vehicles.

In July 2012 the creators of new transparent memory chip planned to send their samples to the International Space Station to test their resistance to space radiation. In addition, negotiations with a number of producers regarding plans to introduce technology into mass production.