Better Phase- Change Memory

摘要

Results: Researchers at Intel and STMicroelectronics have developed an algorithm that doubles the amount of data that can be stored in a single phase-change memory cell, which represents bits as distinct arrangements of a material's atoms. Why it matters: For the past decade, flash memory has provided compact, sturdy storage for small devices such as iPods and cell phones. But flash chips, which store data as electric charge, may soon reach the limits of their capacity. Phase-change memory is among the alternatives that engineers have been pursuing. Previously, a phase-change memory cell could represent only one bit of data at a time. But the researchers found a way to store two bits in each cell, doubling the capacity of phase-change memory and making it competitive with flash.