IBM Trio Claims Fast Phase-Change MemoryIBM Trio Claims Fast Phase-Change Memory

SAN FRANCISCO — At the International Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM) here on Monday (Dec. 11), IBM, Macronix and Qimonda will claim that they have developed a phase-change memory prototype that boasts switching speeds at more than 500 times faster than traditional flash-memory technologies.

The device's cross-section, which measures 3- x 20-nm in size, is also said to use less than one-half the power to write data into a cell, according to the companies.

The technology enables devices for the 22-nm node and beyond. At the heart of the technology is a ''tiny chunk'' of semiconductor alloy that can be changed rapidly between an ordered, crystalline phase.

The new memory material is a germanium-antimony (GeSb) alloy to which small elements have been added to enhance properties. More details will be described at the IEDM conference in a paper, entitled ''Ultra-Thin Phase-Change Bridge Memory Devices Using GeSb.''