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Researchers Explore Quantum Dot Based NVRAM

Posted by Soulskill on Fri Dec 28, 2007 01:20 AM
from the where-is-my-quantum-dot-matrix-printer dept.
Data Storage Science
I Don't Believe in Imaginary Property brings us an article describing the possibility of a new type of non-volatile storage based on quantum dot technology. So far, researchers in Germany have achieved 10ns access times and 0.7Hz refresh rates. Their calculations predict that the access time could be maintained for up to a million years. We have discussed other technologies based on quantum dots, such as solar panels and information teleportation. From the Ars Technica article: "Quantum dots can do this because there is more design freedom in setting them up. Normal flash memory relies on the huge potential barrier created by a silicon oxide layer. However, to get electrons across that barrier when writing data to a flash cell requires a lot of energy, energy that destroys the silicon oxide layer. Quantum dots, in contrast, have tunable properties, so the barrier can be kept low."
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Submission: Researchers Explore Quantum Dot-Based NVRAM by Anonymous Coward
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  • access (Score:5, Funny)

    by game kid (805301) on Friday December 28 2007, @01:29AM (#21837178) Homepage

    So far, researchers in Germany have achieved 10ns access times and 0.7Hz refresh rates

    Who's accessing my dots??? ...are you accessing my dots?

  • The trick in making amazing new science is to remove unneccesary stuff

    • The trick in making amazing new science is to remove unneccesary stuff

      Perfection is reached, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing more to take away.
      -- Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

  • Just What Is A .7 Hz Refresh Rate? (Score:4, Informative)

    by Nom du Keyboard (633989) on Friday December 28 2007, @01:34AM (#21837206)
    Just what is a .7 refresh rate? I know what .7 is. I know what Hertz is. And I know what Refresh typically means in a memory system, but if this thing needs constant, albeit slow, refresh, it's hardly non-volatile. It's more like battery backed-up with a very low current drain. Even so, I'd prefer something that was truly stable since power sources do tend to fail at the worst possible times.

    • Re:Just What Is A .7 Hz Refresh Rate? (Score:5, Informative)

      by jimdread (1089853) on Friday December 28 2007, @01:43AM (#21837242)
      According to the article, the 0.7Hz refresh rate is what they need now with the experimental dots. The researchers predict that in the future they'll be able to make dots with a refresh rate of 3.17 * 10^-14 Hz, or one refresh every 1 million years.
      • Well now here something that I can understand, in layman term ways, so it still a little slow for some of us, but have much will it cost and will everyone share this too.

    • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

      by Anonymous Coward
      The article isn't very clear, but it appears to be saying that they have created experimental models with 0.7Hz refresh rates and 10ns access times, but they predict that quantum dots of different compositions could preserve the access time without a need for refresh (actually, for "one million years," although I think the writer was pulling that number out of his ass).
    • It *could be* nonvolatile:

      >they require a refresh rate as low as 0.7Hz. Further calculations show that more suitable combinations would result in a storage time of one million years while maintaining the same access time.

    • Re:Just What Is A .7 Hz Refresh Rate? (Score:4, Funny)

      by PacoTaco (577292) on Friday December 28 2007, @05:38AM (#21838042)

      Just what is a .7 refresh rate?

      Crysis on a 486.

      • Hey, I've once tried the Quake 3 demo on a 233Mhz AMD without 3D acceleration and got a frame every 18 or 20 s. Thats 0.05 FPS!
    • that was my question too. They are talking about non volatile RAM, at the same time talking about a sub-one-second refresh rate, which in most memory terminology, refers to how often you have to "renew" (read, and then rewrite) the 1 or 0 in the cell to prevent it from resetting. I don't consider that to be non volatile.

      According to the article, the 0.7Hz refresh rate is what they need now with the experimental dots. The researchers predict that in the future they'll be able to make dots with a refresh ra

  • Explore? (Score:5, Funny)

    by michaelmalak (91262) <malak@acm.org> on Friday December 28 2007, @01:35AM (#21837212) Homepage
    Researchers Explore Quantum Dot Based NVRAM

    You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike.

  • I've said it before... (Score:5, Funny)

    by Jafafa Hots (580169) on Friday December 28 2007, @02:01AM (#21837312) Homepage Journal
    ...and I'll say it again. Quantum dots aren't going to be able to store information until we discover quantum dashes to go along with them.

  • ..possibility of a new type of non-volatile storage based on quantum dot technology. So far, researchers in Germany have achieved 10ns access times and 0.7Hz refresh rates. Their calculations predict that the access time could be maintained for up to a million years. We have discussed other technologies based on quantum dots, such as solar panels and information teleportation.

    Blizzard already introduced guild banks, which are pretty much non-volatile storages, except in case of evil guild leader. Also they were discussing about quantum DoT, but settled on SW:P since quantum stuff is not really a part of medi-evil theme. Me thinks ppl are just trying to copy everything from the WoW.

  • Strange suimmary (Score:4, Interesting)

    by niceone (992278) * on Friday December 28 2007, @02:41AM (#21837446) Journal

    10ns access times and 0.7Hz refresh rates. Their calculations predict that the access time could be maintained for up to a million years.
    What TFA says is that at the moment the memory needs refreshing at 0.7Hz, but they calculate that eventually they'll be able to make one that only needs refreshing once every million years.
  • One step closer to the "standard quantum-dot storage card" mentioned in Singularity Sky.

    No, I don't know why I find that one line so memorable when there were dozens of awesome ones to choose from.

    • No, I don't know why I find that one line so memorable when there were dozens of awesome ones to choose from.
      Cool story, Hansel.
  • ... but it was suspended for nearly a decade after the head researcher stepped into the accelerator... and vanished.
  • Everything I know about Quantum physics I learnt from Futurama... isn't there a danger that you are going to change the state of the dot by observing it?
  • Given that quantum dot 'blinking' seems to be stochastic, I don't see how quantum dots could be utilized for reliable RAM.

    • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

      by davidknippers (1207588)
      I actually can't figure out where all the hype is coming from with quantum dots. They have interesting biomedical applications as fluorophores in cellular imaging and molecular detection. They have advantages to organic dyes traditionally used in imaging applications, as they're tunable, have highly specific emission ranges, very high quantum yields and are resistant to photobleaching. Precise measurements of changes in biomolecules can be measured with quantum dots, such as detection of fluorescence inten

      • I actually can't figure out where all the hype is coming from with quantum dots.
        I don't think you'll hear that out of the researchers who are trying to get investors to fund their work...

        • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

          by BeanThere (28381)
          The resarch and funding IS to figure out and then solve (if possible) the problems still associated with QDs ... duh. It's been exactly the same with every other technology (and/or other potentially interesting line of research) in the entire history of humanity, why should this be different? Do you rather expect all the problems to be solved instantly by researchers before they ever get funding? If the problems were already solved, no research would be necessary ... funding isn't a prize you get after you'
          • I'm not going to disagree with you, but I will say that many dead-ends have also been very well-funded by venture capitalists over the years. Hype alone does not necessarily mean that a technology is all that deserving.

            In other words, both the scientists and the venture capitalists can be right - but they can also be full of hot air.

            I was just answering the poster's question about where all the hype was coming from. It's simple - if I want money for research, I need to sell the sizzle.
            • Yup, I of course realise there are many dead-ends and also snake oil ventures, and plenty of funding has been "wasted" on these throughout history, but that's the nature of things - it's impossible to reliably always know which avenues are worth pursuing, so that apparent "waste" is necessary in pursuit of progress - i.e. just a necessary cost of progress in the long run.

              Naturally one could then criticise QDs on the grounds that e.g. one feels that a new tech's potential is being exaggerated, but from what
      • Quantum dots (and other quan`tum 2D and 3D structures) allow for highly tuned and tuneable electrical and (as you noted) optical properties.

        So the big deal is that they are potentially super useful in ANY field that is "electrical" or "optical", which is a lot of fields.
  • IBM has been trying to do this for years, except back then they called them "atom clusters." These researchers probably only get good memory effects around liquid helium temperatures, too.
  • More DOTS more DOTS...stop DOTS
  • ...who was cloned and genetically modified to refresh the ram after a million years or so, forgets to....then what?

    yes. they have finally made a monkey out of me...
  • General failure reading dots.
    Abort, Retry, Fuse?

  • Story wrong: This is volatile memory (Score:3, Insightful)

    by gweihir (88907) on Friday December 28 2007, @09:35AM (#21838898)
    As could have easily be seen by the "refresh rate". Non-volatile memory cannot have a refresh rate.

    Memory refresh means to read all cells and write them again with btheir value. This is done to neutralize signal decay. All memory that need refresh looses its stored contents over time, and hence is volatile.
  • Their calculations predict that the access time could be maintained for up to a million years.

    Please, call me when it gets to at least 2 millions...

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