!!! Press Release !!! Nanomagnets: The computer memory of the future is developed in AachenHarddisks with access speeds comparable to those of silicon memory chips, or computer RAM with capacities comparable to today´s harddisks - this is the goal of a new project commenced by Prof. Molenkamp´s group at the Physics Institute of the Technical University of Aachen, in collaboration with AIXTRON AG, the world´s leading manufacturer of MOCVD equipment for the production of compound semiconductor materials. Funded by the German ministry for education and research (BMBF), the new project focusses on the combination of information storage in magnetic materials with the semiconductor technology which is used in today´s memory chips. Using the magnetization of the electrons (usually called „spin") which enter from a magnet into the semiconductor (spinpolarized transport), the information stored in the magnet can be read out electronically, at ultra high speed. The information density of such a new magnetic random access memory (MRAM) would be much higher than that of today´s silicon RAM, whereas the access times may be even smaller. AIXTRON AG, which has over 20 years know-how and experience in the growth of III-V semiconductor materials, will provide the equipment know-how for the highly sophisticated semiconductor structures, consisting of layers of only tens of nanometers in thickness, which are necessary to produce the chips. Prof. Molenkamp´s quantum transport group, which has many years of experience in the fabrication and characterization of extremely small semiconductor structures, will be responsible for the fabrication and characterization of the memory cell. Using the combined know-how and expertise of Prof. Molenkamp´s group and AIXTRON, the appropriate layer and device design will be developed and optimized. The resulting memory technology offers many advantages, including a less complex structure than that of today´s DRAMs and better capabilities for downscaling. There is every reason to expect that MRAMs will take over as the standard chip when CMOS technology has reached its limits in 10 to 15 years time. For further information please contact:
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