Qimonda researchers will discuss scalable non-volatile resistive memories made from carbon. Carbon exists in many allotropes, each with a different arrangement of atoms.
“It is thought that current can change the atomic bonds and hence the conduction state, making one or more of the allotropes of carbon suitable for storing data,” says Qimonda, which has evaluated three forms of carbon: nanotubes, conductive carbon and insulating carbon.
Findings indicate that sp3 (tetrahedral) insulating carbon may be the best candidate for low-power operation in future high-density memories.
“Although the work is at an early stage, they demonstrated repetitive high-speed switching and the potential for multi-level programming,” according to Qimonda.