New Device Can Store and Rewrite Information at Temperatures Over 1100°F
A team of engineers led by the University of Michigan has developed a groundbreaking memory device capable of withstanding temperatures over 1100°F (600°C). This innovation could revolutionize electronics in extreme environments such as fusion reactors, jet engines, geothermal wells, and even sweltering planets.
Breaking the Heat Barrier in Computing
Traditional silicon-based memory struggles to function at high temperatures, as heat causes uncontrollable electrical currents, erasing stored data. The new memory device, created in collaboration with Sandia National Laboratories, bypasses this limitation by transporting negatively charged oxygen ions rather than electrons.
The device uses tantalum oxide, a semiconductor material, paired with tantalum metal, to store data. Oxygen ions move between these layers through a solid electrolyte, which prevents unwanted charges from disrupting the process. Platinum electrodes guide the oxygen ions, enabling the device to switch between states that represent the digital 0s and 1s. This mechanism mirrors how a battery charges and discharges but stores information instead of energy.
A Hotbed for Innovation
“This device opens doors to electronic applications that were previously impossible in high-temperature environments,” said Yiyang Li, an assistant professor of materials science and engineering at the University of Michigan and senior author of the study published in Device.
While the current prototype holds just one bit of data, further development could scale its capacity to megabytes or gigabytes, paving the way for advanced memory systems.
Enhancing Efficiency in Extreme Settings
The memory’s ability to store data for over 24 hours at 1100°F is comparable to other high-temperature memory technologies. However, it stands out by operating at lower voltages and supporting multiple analog states, which could be crucial for in-memory computing. This feature reduces the need for power-hungry processors, a key advantage for applications in energy-constrained environments like geothermal wells and space missions.
“In-memory computing chips can preprocess data before it reaches AI processors, cutting down power consumption significantly,” noted Alec Talin, a senior scientist at Sandia National Laboratories and a co-author of the study.
Towards Practical Applications
The research team is now exploring ways to commercialize the technology. They have filed a patent and are seeking industry partners to scale production and integrate the device into real-world systems.
Supported by funding from the National Science Foundation, Sandia’s Laboratory-Directed Research and Development program, and the University of Michigan College of Engineering, the device was fabricated at the Lurie Nanofabrication Facility and tested at the Michigan Center for Materials Characterization.
As researchers refine this high-temperature memory, its potential applications promise to push the boundaries of electronics into some of the most extreme environments known to humankind.
