Make Way For New Electronic Memory Devices, Thanks To NCSU Researchers

It's time to make way for next-generation electronic memory devices thanks to the research work of a team from North Carolina State University (NCSU). Their work on multiferroic materials (the ones that have both ferromagnetic and ferroelectric properties) is going to have a significant impact on the development of new non-volatile electronic memory devices that consume less power. In fact, they have already created prototypes of these devices and are currently testing them. With multiferroic materials, it is possible to switch a material's magnetism with an electric field, or switching its electric polarity with a magnetic field.

Identifying the problem -
For years together, it was known that multiferroic materials could be created using two layers - one ferroelectric (barium titanate or BTO) and another ferromagnetic (lanthanum strontium magnese oxide or LSMO). These 'bilayer' thin layers or films couldn't be used in large-scale manufacturing as they could not be integrated on a silicon chip. Therefore, a technique was needed that could make it possible to use the ferroelectric material as ferromagnetic too, eliminating the need of LSMO. As also by developing buffer layers that can be used to integrate either this bilayer film onto a silicon chip. Well, the NCSU research team did just that.


Research & Development -
By using a high-power nanosecond pulse laser, the team created oxygen vacancy-related defects (which created the ferromagnetic properties) in the BTO multiferroic material. The buffer layers used were made of titanium nitride (TiN) and magnesium oxide (MgO). The resulting multiferroic material could function efficiently without diffusing into the silicon or destroying silicon transistors.

The team, led by Dr. Jay Narayan, Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at NC State University, was able to successfully develop a prototype device using this mechanism and once its testing is done, they will be looking for industry partners to venture into full-scale manufacturing.

Source: Researchers Develop Novel Multiferroic Materials and Devices Integrated With Silicon Chips | NC State News