NANOTECHNOLOGY

IN
MEMORY DEVICES
ABSTRACT:
Nanotechnology deals with the study of nano sized particles. With the study of nano size
particles, devices and composites, we will find ways to make stronger materials, detect
diseases in the bloodstream, build extremely tiny machines, generate light and energy and
purify water. The most fascinating application of Nanotechnology is that to make Nano\
sized switches to store information. The memory needs of the contemporary world have
increased dramatically. Fulfilling these needs, a constant work to improve the capacities
of today’s memory devices is in progress. The maximum available semiconductor RAM
in common use is of 1GB. Even this could not fill the growing memory desire of today’s
users. As a result a nonvolatile, fast and vast RAM has been built with the combination of
semiconductor and nanotechnology, named as NRAM (Nano RAM). The main objective
of this paper is to show how NANOTECHNOLOGY comfortably mingles with the
existing semiconductor technology to from a sup erior RAM, which is nonvolatile, vast
and economical, both, in price and power consumption . An effort, to explain why and
how the Nano—RAM’s are superior to the existing forms of RAM devices, is made in
the introductory part. This paper also includes the design and description of the Nano
RAM, followed by its advantages and disadvantages. As the CARBON NANOTUBE
forms the heart of these devices , a short notes is also added to introduce the CARBON
NANOTUBE’s. Efforts are also made to include a small comparison between the Nano
RAM and other possible RAM technologies which claim themselves “Universal” as that
of Nano—RAM.

INTRODUCTION:

Today the world is of digital. All the electronic devices are formalized to manipulate the
digital data. The back -bone of today’s research and development “The Computer” is also
a digital device. Digital by name deals with digits and all the gadgets available today (like
PDA’s, laptops, etc…) need to manipulate the digital data. To manipulate first we have to
store it at a place. Thus MEMORY in t oday’s world plays a key role and a constant
research to improve the memory in today ’s electronic gadgets is ON. RAM (random
access memory) is the main storage device in all digital systems. The speed of the system
mainly depends on how speed and vast the RAM is. Today with increasing power need of
man even the POWER consumed is also a major part to look at. By generations RAM
also had under gone many changes. Some of the versions of RAM’s which are in use are
DRAM, SRAM and FLASH MEMORY. DRAM (dynamic RAM) although has a
capability to hold large amounts of data it is slower and volatile. SRAM (static RAM)
even superior to DRAM in speed but less denser . Even this is volatile in nature. Over
coming the volatile nature of these two FLASH MEMORY is the latest of today random
access memories. Even this fails in power saving. Overcoming all these failures of above
mentioned RAM’s , researchers developed a new RAM which unlike the semiconductor
technology alone used by the former, uses a combination of NANOTECHNOLOGY and
contemporary SEMICONDUCTOR TECHNOLOGY and is
given the name NRAM.

THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING NANOTUBE MEMORY:

Nano-RAM, is a proprietary computer memory technology from the company Nantero.

It is a type of nonvolatile random access memory bas ed on the mechanical position of
carbon nanotubes deposited on a chip -like substrate. In theory the small size of the
nanotubes allows for very high density memories. Na ntero also refers to it as NRAM in
short, but this acronym is also commonly used as a s ynonym for the morecommon
NVRAM (nonvolatile random access memory), which refers to all nonvolatile RAM
memories. The active element used in this is a CARBON NANOTUBE.

CARBON NANOTUBE:

Carbon nanotubes are cylinders, measuring a nanometer or so in diamet er, that display a
surface of hexagonal carbon rings that give the material the appearance of a honeycomb
or chicken wire. The chemical bonds between carbon atoms in nanotubes are stronger
than in diamond. Carbon nanotubes are 50 times stronger than steel, yet five times less
dense. These are highly elastic and resilient to heat, and have large surface area.
Nanotubes conduct electrically better than copper, which makes them a contender for
replacing the delicate wires that connect components together insi de computer chips. But
only that, these can carry heat far more efficiently than diamond one of the best heat
conductors around. So if the processor chips are made from nanotubes, there would be
little risk of burning up. No matter how hard a nanotube is s queezed, it will bend and
buckle without breaking, pringing back into shape as soon as the external force is
removed.

DESIGN and DESCRIPTION:

The design is quite simple. Nan tubes can serve as individually addressable
lectromechanical switches arrayed across the surface of a microchip, storing hundreds of
igabits of information may be even a terabit. An electric field applied to a nanotube ould
ause it to flex downward into depression etched onto the chip’s surface, where it would
ontact rather another nanotube or touch a metallic electrode. Once bent, the nanotubes an
emain that way, including when the power is turned off, allowing for non volatile
peration. Vanderwaals forces, which are weak molecular forces of attractions, ould hold
he switch in place until application of fields f different polarity causes the anotube to
eturn to its straightened position. ig: simple construction of NRAM showing ts arious
omponents. s shown in fig sagging and straightening represent ’1’ and ‘0’ tates,\
pectively, for a random access memory. In its ‘0’state, the nanotube fabric emains
spended above the electrode. When the transistor below the electrode is turned on, the
ectrode is turned on, the electrode produces an electric field that causes the nanotube bric
o bend and touch the electrode - a configuration that denotes ‘1’ state. This is the rinciple
a switching device. nanotube memory is faster much smaller while consuming ittle
power. Due to heir extraordinary tensile strength, resilience and very high onductivity,
nanotubes can e flexed up and down million times without any damage and an make a
very good witchingcontact.

Fig: suspended nanotube switched connection notubes purchased from bulk suppliers are
a form of high -tech carbon soot that cntains a

As shown in fig sagging and straightening represent ’1’ and ‘0’ states espectively, for a
andom access memory. In its ‘0’state, the nanotube fabric remains uspended above the
lectrode. When the transistor below the electrode is turned on, the lectrode is turned on,
he electrode produces an electric field that causes the nanotube abric to bend and touch
he electrode - a configuration that denotes ‘1’ state. This is the rinciple of a switching
evice. nanotube memory is faster much smaller while consuming little power. Due to
heir extraordinary tensile strength, resilience and very high conductivity, nanotubes can e
lexed up and down million times without any damage and can make a very good
witchingcontact. ig: suspended nanotube switched connection anotubes purchased from
ulk suppliers are a form of high -tech carbon soot that

Fig: suspended nanotube switched connection

Nanotubes purchased from bulk suppliers are a form of high -tech carbon soot that
contains a residue of about 5 percent iron a containment that must be removed before
further processing. It requires a complex filtration process to reduce the amount of iron to
the parts per billion levels. The purified carbon nanotubes are deposited as a film on the
surface of a silicon wafer without interfering with adjoi ning electrical circuitry from
which chips are carved.
Deposition of nanotubes onto the wafer using a gas vapour requires temperatures o high
hat the circuitry already in place would be ruined. It is therefore done by\ raying a special
olvent containing nanotube on the top of the silicon disk spinning like phonograph cord.
he thin film of nanotubes left after the solvent is evaporated, is ubjected to standard
emiconductor lithography and etching, which leave the surface roupings of nanotubes ith
nterconnecting wires. Thereafter, chips are cut from the afer and encapsulated by the
tandard IC technology.
avantages:
RAM has a density, at least in theory, similar to that of DRAM. DRAM consists f a mber
f capacitors, which are essentially two small metal plates with a thin nsulator etween
hem. NRAM is similar, with the terminals and electrodes being oughly the same ize as he
lates in a DRAM, the nanotubes between them being so uch smaller they add othing to th
verall size. However it seems there is a minimum ize at which a DRAM an be built, elow
hich there is simply not enough charge being tored to be able to ffectively read it. NRAM
ppears to be limited only by the current tate of art in\ thography. This means that NRAM
ay be able to become much denser han DRAM, eaning that it will also be less expensive,
f it becomes possible to control he locations of arbon nanotubes at the scale
thsmiconductor Industry can control the\ acement of evices on SILICON. dditionally, like
AM, NRAM does not require power to refresh" it, and ill retain its memory even after he
ower is removed. Additionally the ower needed to rite to the device is much lower han a
RAM, which has to build up harge on the lates. This means that NRAM will not nly
ompete with DRAM in terms of cost ill require much less power to run, and as a esult
also be much faster (write speed is argely determined by the total charge needed). RAM
can theoretically reach sp eeds imilar to SRAM, which is faster than DRAM but uch less
dense, and thus much more xpensive. n comparison with other NVRAM echnologies,
NRAM has the potential to be ven more advantageous. The most common orm of
NVRAM today is Flash RAM, hich combines a bistable transistor circuit known\ lipflop
(also the basis of SRAM) ith a high-performance insulator wrapped around one of he
transistor's bases. After eing written to, the insulator traps electrons in the base lectrode,
locking it into th e "1” tate. However, in order to change that bit the insulator has to be
"overcharged" to erase ny charge already stored in it. This requires high voltage, about 10
volts, much more han a battery can provide. Flash systems thus have to include a "charge
ump" that lowly builds up power and then releases it at higher voltage. This process is not
nly ery slow, but degrades the insulators as well. For this reason Flash has a limited
ifetime, etween 10,000 and 1,000,000 "writes" before the device will n o longer operate
ffectively. RAM potentially avoids all of these issues. The read and write process are oth
low energy" in comparison to Flash (or DRAM for that matter), meaning that NRAM
sult in longer battery life in conventional devices. It ma y also be much faster to rite than
either, meaning it may be used to replace both. A modern cellphone will often iclude
Flash memory for storing phone numbers and such, DRAM for higher speed
working memory
Comparison with other proposed systems
RAM is one of a variety of new memory systems, many of which claim to be universal"
n the same fashion as NRAM -- replacing everything from Flash to DRAM o SRAM. He
nly system currently ready for commercial use is ferroelectric random ccess memory
RAM or FeRAM). FeRAM adds a small amount of a ferro –electric aterial in an therwise
normal" DRAM cell, the state of the field in the material ncoding the bit in a o structive
ormat. FeRAM has all of the advantages of NRAM, lthough the smallest ssible cell size s
uch larger than for NRAM. FeRAM is urrently in use in a number of plications where the
imited number of writes in Flash s an issue, but due to the massive vestment in Flash\
ctories (fabs), it has not yet been ble to even replace Flash in the rket. her more peculative
emory systems include MRAM and PRAM. MRAM is ased on a agnetic effect similar to
hat utilized in modern hard drives, the memory as a hole consisting of a grid of small
agnetic "dots" each holding one bit. Key t AM's potential is the way it reads the memory
sing the magneto -restrictive effect, llowing it to read the memory both non –
destructively nd with very little power. nfortunately it appears MRAM is already aching
t's fundamental smallest cell size, lready much larger than existing Flash devices. PRAM
s based on a technology similar o that in a writable CD or DVD, using a phase –change
aterial that changes its magnetic r electrical properties instead of its optical ones. PRAM
ppears to have a small cell size s well, although current devices are nowhere near small
nough to find if there is some ractical limit.
CONCLUSION:
Though this technology today is limited to laboratories and not economically
viable, some new method of construction will have to be introduced in order to make the
system practical. Once this is d one we can see the enabling of instant-on computers,
which boot and reboot instantly with un-imaginable memory sizes , as well as
highdensity
portable memory - MP3 players with 1000s of songs, PDAs with 10 gigabytes of
memory, high-speed network servers and much more.