May 2016

Researchers from Israel's Bar Ilan University and New York University designed a six-state magnetic element - which could be used to create a magnetic memory device with six-states - and thus a higher density than a the regular 2-state device.

The researchers say that multi-level MRAM cells based on this design should not suffer from low writing speed and high power consumption - problems that are common in multi-level Flash memory cells.

Researchers from Japan's Tohoku University developed a technology to stack magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) directly on the the vertical interconnect access (via) without causing deterioration to its electric/magnetic characteristics. The researchers say that this technique can reduce the chip area of STT-MRAM.

The via in an integrated circuit design is a small opening that allows a conductive connection between the different layers of a semiconductor device. Placing the MTJ directly on the via holes has been avoided because it can degrade the MTJ's characteristics because the MTJ is very sensitive to the quality of the surface of its lower electrode.

MRAM-Info has been focused on MRAM technologies for over 10 years, and the technology has advanced a lot since then, with over 60 million chips produced and growing densities. A new memory technology is now starting to enter the market as well - RRAM, or Resistive RAM, which is based on memristors, materials that change their resistance.

RRAM is promising storage-memory candidate, and we are happy to announce the launch of a new site dedicated to this technology, RRAM-Info.com. We will post daily news, commentary and updates about RRAM memory technologies. This is certainly a technology that all memory professionals should be aware of! You can subscribe to our weekly RRAM newsletter here - and if you have not done so already, be sure to also signup for our free MRAM newsletter!