IBM touts phase-change memory as Flash killer

Scientists from IBM, Macronix and Qimonda have published joint research predicting that emerging phase-change memory could sound the death knell for Flash.

According to the study, phase-change memory is faster than Flash and can be scaled to smaller dimensions.

This has the potential to enable future generations of high-density " non-volatile" memory devices that do not require electrical power to retain information.

By combining non-volatility with good performance and reliability, IBM suggested that phase-change technology could also enable a path towards a universal memory for mobile applications.

Working at IBM Research labs on both US coasts, the scientists designed, built and demonstrated a prototype phase-change memory device that switched more than 500 times faster than Flash while using less than one-half the power to write data into a cell.

The device's cross-section is just 3nm x 20nm in size, far smaller than Flash can be built today and equivalent to the industry's chip-making capabilities targeted for 2015.

The researchers said that the test shows that, unlike Flash, phase-change memory technology can improve as it gets smaller with Moore's Law advances.

"These results dramatically demonstrate that phase-change memory has a very bright future," said Dr. T C Chen, vice president of Science & Technology at IBM Research.

"Many expect Flash memory to encounter significant scaling limitations in the near future. Today we unveil a new phase-change memory material that has high performance even in an extremely small volume.

"This should ultimately lead to phase-change memories that will be very attractive for many applications."