A memory device that can operate at temperatures over 700 °C could enable electronic systems to withstand harsh conditions with less need for cooling. The device, which is a memristor based on graphene, tungsten and a hafnium oxide ceramic, can store data for over 50 hours, has a working voltage of just 1.5 V, and is robust to more than 109 switching cycles. It also has a high switching speed of just tens of nanoseconds, according to its developers at the University of Southern California (USC), US.
“Our work provides one of the most critical electronic components – memory – for a wide range of applications, particularly in extreme environments,” says Joshua Yang, who directs USC’s Center On Neuromorphic Computing undeR ExTreme Environments (CONCRETE). “These include space exploration, deep-Earth drilling (for geothermal energy) and nuclear and fusion energy plants in which intense heat is generated.”
Heat-tolerant electronics could also dramatically reduce the need for energy-intensive cooling systems, cutting both power consumption and fan noise, Yang adds. “Our work also shows that these devices require significantly lower voltage and current to operate at elevated temperatures – meaning higher ambient temperature can actually improve energy efficiency of computing systems.”
To read more, click here.