IBM Demos Single-Atom DRAM

An anonymous reader writes "A single-atom DRAM was demonstrated by IBM recently with a slow-mo movie of the atomic process of setting and erasing a bit on a single atom. Videos of atomic processes inside chips were not possible until now, leading to IBM's claim that its pulsed-STM (used to make the movie) will lead to a new atomic-scale semiconductor industry, and not just for memory chips, according to this EETimes story: 'The ultimate memory chips of the future will encode bits on individual atoms, a capability recently demonstrated for iron atoms by IBM's Almaden Research Center in San Jose, Calif., which unveiled a new pulsed technique for scanning tunneling microscopes (STMs). Pulsed-STMs yield nanosecond time-resolution, a requirement for designing the atomic-scale memory chips, solar panels and quantum computers of the future, but also for making super efficient organic solar cells by controlling photovoltaic reactions on the atomic level.'"

Comments

A video explaining how it works

[rminsk]

Video explaining the process.

Just one atom?

[iceaxe]

One atom ought to be enough for anybody.

(Sorry)

Has not already happend yet...

[Meshach]

From TFA:

The ultimate memory chips of the future will encode bits on individual atoms, a capability recently demonstrated for iron atoms by IBM's Almaden Research Center in San Jose, Calif., which unveiled a new pulsed technique for scanning tunneling microscopes (STMs).

So this has not already happened (as the article implies) but is an idea for future development.

Big deal...

[skynexus]

the processor on my computer runs on a single Atom already. I'm not impressed.

Re:Big deal...

[n1hilist]

I overclocked mine and it split :(

Re:where on the periodic table?

[rubycodez]

funny, but actually IBM started with punched cards for external storage, gears for internal memory, and later patch panels for ROM.

http://www.columbia.edu/acis/history/tabulator.html

Re:And by Moore's Law...

[jameskojiro]

1 year after that we will be encoding data on quarks themselves.....

6 months later we will make neutrinos our bitches for storing and processing data....

3 months after that we will be creating even smaller particles from cosmic strings to process and store data int he fabric of spacetime.

1 day later we will make God cry.

Re:Where on the DRAM spectrum?

[vidnet]

Who would want to carry around a cryostat with [their] laptop?

Just slap an Apple logo on it, and people will never leave home without it.

Re:So.. Much as it seems like it, this does not qu

[TheRaven64]

Actually, Moore's law applies to the number of components on an integrated circuit (for a fixed cost). The original paper makes no mention of processors, and only talks about transistors as an example of the components you put on an IC. It directly applies to RAM, and any other kind of IC, because it's talking about process technology not about what you do with the ICs.