Magnetoelectronic memories last and last

Article Abstract:

Magnetoelectronic memory devices dramatically improve upon the performance, speed, and reliability of floating-gate nonvolatile memories. Products in development already rival the speeds of volatile modules on the market. The use of ferromagnetic film facilitates the increase in performance. Ferromagnetic film's bistable magnetic state allows it to switch between two stable states in a single clock cycle, and when the field is removed, it retains its state for many years. Individual cells are addressed on the medium by the use of two intersecting write wires, each of which carries half the write current. The intersection of the wires at the cell address adds the currents to the full write voltage, leaving surrounding cells unaffected. Products are expected to begin arriving in 2001.

Science & research, Technology development, Flash memory

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Still waiting for nanotube memory chip: Nantero's alternative to flash memory has reached its sell-by date

Article Abstract:

Nantero's has been saying that their Nanotube-based random access memory (NRAM) will be ready in two years but the company has missed their projections twice since 2002 and again in 2004. The NRAM chips' prospect as a mass-market replacement for flash is increasingly dim.

Usage, Evaluation, Nanotubes, Nantero Inc.

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Ultralight lithography

Article Abstract:

Building ever-smaller features onto an IC creates physical challenges such as the need for more precise fabrication tools. Semiconductor lithography is essentially the photographic transfer of IC features onto a silicon substrate; using smaller wavelengths to expose patterns on wafers places tight design constraints on the cameras used to create them. Next-generation semiconductor lithography will most likely use extreme ultraviolet (UV) light with a wavelength of 13.4 nanometers; other candidates include electron-beam, X-ray and ion-beam projection, but UV is the top contender because it is the only option extensible to the 30-nanometer technology node. The illumination system may be a mercury-xenon lamp or krypton-fluoride laser for existing 248-nm systems, but the newest 157-nm systems require a fluorine laser. A transmissive optical material is used for the laser lens and ranges from fused silica to calcium fluoride; 157-nm systems demand the latter. Masks, chemically amplified photoresists and depth-of-focus issues are all problematic.

Integrated Circuits, Methods, Integrated circuit fabrication, Design and construction, Technical

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