Data movement from one device to another has improved dramatically over the past several years, but a new technology can prove to be a breakthrough in data transfer speeds. Scientists at the University of Oxford in the UK have managed to develop magnetic whirls in membranes, which can allow for data to move at incredibly high speeds in kilometres per second. According to the researchers, this breakthrough in data transfer could kick off the next generation of superfast computing platforms.
In their findings published in the journal Nature Materials, the researchers argued that silicon-based computing is energy-inefficient for the next generation of applications, especially those involving full-scale artificial intelligence (AI) and autonomous devices. A “new computing paradigm,” thus, is needed to overcome the challenges and become future-proof.
For a long time, researchers have been looking at alternate technologies for data transfer methods, but nearly all of them use non-silicon materials. Researchers say because the current computing technology heavily relies on silicon, it would take several years to adopt a new material. The practical approach would be to find a silicon-compatible solution to the problem.
Previous research in this field has involved the use of materials called antiferromagnetic, which can be used to create magnetic whirls that can transfer data up to 1,000 times faster than existing technology. The research team working at the laboratory of Paolo Radaelli, a professor at Oxford University, developed ultra-thin crystalline hematite membranes that perform similarly.
“Such membranes are relatively new in the world of crystalline quantum materials and combine advantageous characteristics of both bulk 3D ceramics and 2D materials while also being easily transferrable,” said Radaelli in a press release highlighting the new technology.
The researchers used a hematite crystal template coated with a special cement component layer to create these magnetic whirls. According to the findings, the cement component layer would dissolve in water later, leaving the hematite behind. This free-standing hematite could then be transferred onto silicon, as well as other materials to create the magnetic whirls. Since the team needed to visualise the nanoscale magnetic patterns of the hematite membranes, they additionally developed a novel imaging technique involving the use of polarised X-rays. Through visuals, the researchers could understand how hematite membranes were behaving in a magnetic whirl.
“Unlike their rigid, ceramic-like bulk counterparts that are prone to breaking, our flexible membranes can be twisted, bent, or curled into various shapes without fracturing,” said Hariom Jani, a post-doctoral fellow in the Department of Physics at Oxford University.
The researchers are now planning to create prototypes that can leverage the abilities of magnetic whirls using electrical currents.
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