Scientists at the University of Pennsylvania have created a new computing storage device that can operate accurately even in rock-melting temperatures. This new invention will pave the way for future computers operating in harsh environments on Earth.
Current non-volatile memory (NVM) devices (which include solid-state drives, and SSDs) stop working after reaching temperatures of 300 degrees Celsius. However, scientists have created a new ferroelectric diode (a semiconductor switching device) that can continue to operate for hours even after reaching 600 degrees Celsius.
This means that the sensors and commuting devices in which this diode will be used can be used in extremely harsh environments (such as nuclear plants, deep-field oil, and gas exploration, or the hottest planets in our solar system).
The NVM device described in a paper published in Nature Electronics journal is made of ferroelectric aluminum scandium nitride (AlScN) material. In the last five years of modern science, this is the only material that has emerged as a semiconductor with excellent performance.
The AlScN diode-based device has a width of 45 nanometers, meaning the device is 1800 times smaller than a human hair.
