Programmable Metallization Cell
November 5th, 2007 | by Narendra |
PMC – A new technology for had disk storage, it stands for Programmable Metallization Cell. It is likely to hit the markets in the next 18 months, if successful, this will probably replace hard drives, flash memory and RAM used in PCs.
The technology uses nanowires created from copper atoms to record binary data. It stores information by rearranging atoms to form stable and extremely small memory cells. Each cell can potentially store multiple bits of information.
The memory could also prove easy to make. Recently, the Arizona group published work demonstrating that nano-ionic memory can be made from materials conventionally used in computer memory chips and microprocessors. That could make it easier to integrate with existing technologies, and it would mean less retooling at factories, which would appeal to manufacturers.
Still, nano-ionic memory may not be far behind. A few companies have licensed nano-ionic-memory technology developed at the University of Arizona. These include Qimonda, based in Germany; Micron Technologies, based in Boise, ID; and a Bay Area stealth-mode startup. The startup is well on the way to producing its first memory devices, which Kozicki says could be available within 18 months. These first chips, however, won’t rival hard drives in memory density, he says.
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