Samsung speeds up development of a new breed of memory that combines RAM and SSD properties

Forward-looking: Samsung is moving to accelerate nan improvement of a promising caller representation exertion called Selector-Only Memory. The latest tech combines nan non-volatility of flash retention and DRAM's lightning-fast read/write speeds, making it a imaginable game-changer. Furthermore, manufacturers tin stack nan chips for higher densities.

The halfway conception down SOM is utilizing unsocial chalcogenide materials that execute double work arsenic some nan representation compartment and nan selector device. In accepted phase-change aliases resistive RAM, you request a abstracted component, for illustration a transistor, to enactment arsenic nan selector to activate each cell. Conversely, nan chalcogenide worldly successful SOM switches betwixt conductive and resistive states to shop data.

Of course, not conscionable immoderate chalcogenide creation will do nan trick. The materials must person optimal properties for representation capacity and selector functionality. To find nan correct candidate, Samsung utilized precocious machine modeling to foretell nan imaginable of various worldly combinations. The institution estimates that complete 4,000 imaginable chalcogenide mixtures could activity for SOM. Unfortunately, sorting done each those possibilities pinch beingness experiments would beryllium a nightmare successful position of costs and time.

However, eeNews Analog notes that Samsung's researchers took a shortcut, utilizing analyzable simulations to surface thousands of chalcogenide combos. The investigation squad modeled everything from nan bonding properties to thermal stableness to electrical behavior, whittling nan database down to 18 premier candidates for fabrication and testing.

The simulations looked astatine cardinal metrics for illustration period voltage drift and nan "memory window" separating nan connected and disconnected states complete time. Samsung claims its modeling techniques found clear screening criteria to place nan astir promising SOM worldly blends.

The squad plans to coming its findings astatine nan International Electron Devices Meeting successful December. In nan meantime, Samsung claims nan models allowed it to perchance spot high-performance outlier materials it mightiness person missed pinch accepted experimental methods alone.

This computational acceleration could springiness Samsung a important advantage arsenic nan title to bring SOM to marketplace kicks into precocious gear. Last twelvemonth astatine IEDM, nan institution presented results connected a 64Gb SOM spot pinch a earnestly dense 16nm compartment size, proving it is simply a existent contender.

Image credit: Raigvi