Random access memory, or RAM, is one of the principal components of any computer or smartphone. The most common type of RAM is known as dynamic random access memory, or DRAM for short. It is a semiconductor memory based on a simple principle. In DRAM, each memory cell consists of one capacitor and one transistor. The transistor is used to admit current into the condenser, allowing it to be charged and discharged. The electrical charge of the capacitor stores binary information, which is conventionally represented as zeros (uncharged) and ones (charged). "RAM technology has been rapidly advancing, with memory modules becoming ever faster. However, this type of memory has one major limitation that cannot be overcome: its low energy efficiency," says principal investigator Sergei Nikitov of MIPT. "In this paper, we present the magnetoelectric memory cell. It will reduce bit reading and writing energy consumption by a factor of 10,000 or more." A #MELRAM cell consists of two components with remarkable properties. The first is a #piezoelectric material. Piezoelectricity is a property of certain materials that are deformed in response to applied voltage and, conversely, generate voltage under mechanical stress. The other MELRAM component is a layered structure characterized by a #highmagnetoelasticity—the dependence of magnetization on the elastic strain. Because the structure is anisotropic—that is, it is organized differently along different axes,—it can be magnetized along two directions that correspond to the logical zero and one in binary code. In contrast to dynamic RAM, magnetoelectric memory cells are capable of maintaining their state: They need not be continually rewritten and do not lose information when power is cut off.
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