COMPUTER MEMORY OF PLASTIC TO KEEP THESE AND WITHOUT POWER
Researchers at Ohio State University and their colleagues have expanded the possibilities for a new kind of electronics, known as spintronics.
Although spintronics as technology has not yet fully developed, it can lead to computers that store more data in a smaller amount of memory to process data faster, and consume less energy. ? It might even lead to an instantly downloadable computer |, said Arthur J. Epstein, a professor of physics and chemistry and director of the Center for Materials Research at Ohio State University.
Spintronics uses magnetic fields to control the spin of electrons. In the current issue of the journal Advanced Materials, Epstein and his colleagues describe how through the use of a magnetic field, they carry almost all the movements of electrons in a plastic material as it rotates. This effect is called polarization rotation.
The achievement of polarization rotation - the first step in the transformation of plastic in a device that could read and write data in a working computer by replacing the hard drive.
?Theoretically, inexpensive inkjet technology could eventually be used to quickly print full sheets of plastic semiconductors for spintronics. |
The uniqueness of the work of researchers is that they have reached the polarization rotation in the polymer, which has a number of advantages over silicon and gallium arsenide - the traditional materials used in electronics.
Epstein#39;s research partners on the program were: Joel S. Miller, professor of chemistry at the University of Utah, in collaboration with Ohio State University, Vladimir N. Prigodin, Nandyaloy P. Rayu and Constantine I. Pohodiniya.
Since the mid-1980s, Epstein and Miller developed a plastic electronics, and in the end of the study - a plastic magnet that conducts electricity. Epstein described this latest project as the next step on their way to spintronics.
?Electronics and magnetism transformed modern society |, Epstein said. ? The appearance of plastic electronics opens up many opportunities for new technologies, such as flexible displays and low-cost solar cells. |
?In this latest study, we have shown that we can do all of the components that go into spintronics, of plastics |, says Epstein.
Current efforts to develop spintronics with traditional inorganic semiconductors have been stymied by the fact that most of these materials are not magnetic, except at very low temperatures. Create a cryogenic cold environment in the hot interior of the computer where the operating temperature of the surface of parts are heated to +50 | C, would be very expensive. In addition, the increased size of equipment would be through the installation of cooling and the small computer would again become the size of a room, as it was in the 70s.
That is why the researchers chose a plastic-based tetrasianoetanida vanadium. This material shows magnetic properties at high temperatures, even above the boiling point of water (+100 | C), so that it can be operated easily on a computer without special cooling equipment.
Normal computer electronics encodes data based on a binary system? Zeros | and? Units |, depending on whether there is or there is no electron in a certain place of the material.
But in principle, the direction of rotation of the electron can also be used as an information label. So spintronics effectively would enable to carry twice as much information per electron and is based on a system of three parameters v? Null |,? Unit | and? Rotation |.
Another advantage of this technology lies in the fact that once a magnetic field pushes the electron in a certain direction of rotation, it will continue to rotate with it, while the other magnetic field does not cause it to change direction of rotation. This effect can be used to create a very fast memory that will retain information even when the computer is turned off for some reason. These data may be stored and accessed at any time potentially indefinitely.
Plastic spintronics weighs less than traditional electronics and would cost less if it will produce. Today inorganic semiconductors are multiple methods step by step in a vacuum. Low-cost inkjet technology would ensure the rapid production of plastic semiconductors.
Contact information:
Arthur J. Epstein, (614) 292-1133; Epstein.2 @ osu.edu
