This new tech could deliver a 1000x boost to digital memory speed @ T-rays

This new tech could deliver a 1000x boost to digital memory speed

Using the almost magical properties of terahertz radiation, scientists are on the road to creating superfast RAM

You're probably well aware of what RAM is to a computer or a smartphone. It's that 'volatile' storage that is responsible for holding everything from the key components of the operating system to running programs. Besides the device processor, RAM is one of the most important links in the chain when it comes to the speed of the device--the faster the memory, the better it is able to multitask and juggle the various running apps and programs.

Traditionally, an external electromagnetic field has been used to switch the states of the individual storage cells in RAM--this turning on and off is what determines the speed of the memory. Lately, Russian and European scientist have discovered a newer approach to trigger this switching using the far speedier terahertz radiation, otherwise known as 'T-rays'.

T-rays happen to be the same technology used to power airport body scanners. This particular approach can result in an increase in switching speed by about a thousand times, and could be used to fabricate blazing-fast memory in future digital devices. This process is composed of a series of brief electromagnetic pulses with a wavelength of about 0.1mm, slotting it between the infrared and microwave frequency bands. This particular range of frequencies have numerous unique abilities, including being able to quickly scan the innards of luggage, examine the insides of microchips for microscopic fractures, and even in archaeology to read text within fragile books without even opening them.

These are still early days though--the scientists have only demonstrated the underlying concept on a weak thulium orthoferrite (TmFeO?) ferromagnet, discovering that that terahertz radiation is both faster and more efficient compared to the current-day magnetic field approach. And even this is just the first step in applying this new technology to computer storage, it could be the onset of an era of devices that have instant startup and touch-and-it-launches app launches.

Image caption: Using a different type of radiation to trigger memory could be the answer to

Source | Daily News Analysis | 14 October 2016

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Pralhad Jadhav

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