The ultimate dielectric is ...nothing

猜猜谁说的。。。。IBM这个大牛。
评委说：This is a winner. Vacuum has the ultimate "low-k" dielectric constant of 1.0.  It is cheap, too.

每次都把IEEE的免费杂志丢一边，今天要画图，随手翻了翻，还是蛮有意思的。

浑浑噩噩了很久，才意识到工作要有动力，今天找到个动力网站

http://www.almaden.ibm.com/spinaps/research/smp/

立个目标，明年intern去IBM做，怎么样，酷吧。

硬盘大家都知道，是磁存储最具代表性的产品。半导体在六十年里迅猛的发展，掩盖了磁性材料的潜力，直到如今半导体产业遇到瓶颈。用磁性材料取代半导体材料的计算机内存，什么时候才能实现产品？在这个新的领域，又太多的问题，也有太多的潜力。

History

• 1955 - Magnetic core memory had the same reading writing principle as MRAM

• 1989 - IBM scientists made a string of key discoveries about the "giant magnetoresistive effect" in thin-film structures.

• 2000 - IBM and Infineon established a joint MRAM development program.

• 2002 - NVE Announces Technology Exchange with Cypress Semiconductor.

• 2003 - A 128 kbit MRAM chip was introduced, manufactured with 0.18 micrometre technology.

2004

• June - Infineon unveiled a 16-Mbit prototype based on 0.18 micrometre technology

• September - MRAM becomes a standard product in Freescale, which has began sampling MRAM.

• October - Taiwan developers of MRAM to tape out 1 Mbit parts at TSMC.

• October - Micron drops MRAM, mulls other memories.

• December - TSMC, NEC, Toshiba describe novel MRAM cells.

• December - Renesas Technology Develops High-Speed, High-Reliability MRAM Technology.

2005

• January - Cypress samples MRAM, uses NVE IP.

• March - Cypress to Sell MRAM Subsidiary.

• June - Honeywell posts data sheet for 1-Mbit rad-hard MRAM using 0.15 micrometre technology.

• August - MRAM record: memory cell runs at 2 GHz.

• November - Renesas Technology and Grandis to Collaborate on Development of 65 nm MRAM Employing Spin Torque Transfer.

• December - Sony announced the first lab-produced spin-torque-transfer MRAM, which utilizes a spin-polarized current through the tunneling magnetoresistance layer to write data. This method consumes less power and is more scalable than conventional MRAM. With further advances in materials, this process should allow for densities higher than those possible in DRAM.

• December - Freescale Semiconductor Inc. revealed MRAM that uses magnesium oxide, rather than an aluminum oxide, allowing for a thinner insulating tunnel barrier and improved bit resist during the write cycle, thereby reducing the required write current.

2006

• February - Toshiba and NEC announced a 16 Mbit MRAM chip with a new "power-forking" design. It achieves a transfer rate of 200 MB/s, with a 34 ns cycle time - the best performance of any MRAM chip. It also boasts the smallest physical size in its class -- 78.5 square millimeters -- and a low power requirement of 1.8 volts. 
  

• July - On July 10, Austin Texas - Freescale Semiconductor begins marketing a 4-Mbit MRAM chip, which sells for approximately $25.00 per chip

It is unanticipated to enter the area of data storage when I graduated from Tsinghua. I was recommended to Dr. Wang (Dr. at that time) to pursue the master degree, who was working in the Data Storage Institute (DSI) in Singapore. Except the year interrupted in the middle, I have been working in this magnetic data storage field for about four years. Wow, it is a long time, but I don't feel like an expert so far, just like learning english, still pretty poor after more than ten-year study. Since I'm so crazy about the feeling as an expert, I decide to take more effort on this. So.. .I try to creat a new category on the topic of Magnetic Data Storage and Processing!!! wow..hehe

So far I don't have a clear picture about what I am gonna to say, but I will begin from writing some articles on the basic knowledge. I wish I can make a clear and complete picture on this topic step by step.