Professors Eric Pop and H.-S. Philip Wong have re-established PCM technology as one of the frontrunners for energy-efficient data storage and computing. In their recent article, 'Novel nanocomposite-superlattices for low energy and high stability nanoscale phase-change memory,’ their novel combination of phase-change material superlattices and nanocomposites achieve record-low power density and switching voltage, with the smallest dimensions to date for a superlattice technology on a CMOS-compatible substrate.

"We are not just improving on a single metric, such as endurance or speed; we are improving several metrics simultaneously," reports Eric. "This is the most realistic, industry-friendly thing we’ve built in this sphere. I’d like to think of it as a step towards a universal memory.”

"It takes a lot of energy to shuttle data back and forth, especially with today’s computing workloads,' said Xiangjin Wu, EE PhD candidate and co-lead author. "With this type of memory, we’re really hoping to bring the memory and processing closer together, ultimately into one device, so that it uses less energy and time."

Excerpted from Stanford News, ‘New candidate for universal memory is fast, low-power, stable, and long-lasting'