MIT Team Achieves Precise Control of Ultrathin Magnet at Room Temperature
An MIT team has successfully controlled an ultrathin magnet at room temperature, a breakthrough that could lead to faster and more efficient processors and computer memories.
Controlling a Van der Waals Magnet
Two-dimensional magnetic materials, made up of layers that are only a few atoms thick, have the potential to revolutionize magnetic-based devices with their properties of speed, efficiency, and scalability. However, one major hurdle to overcome is the difficulty of controlling these materials at room temperature, as they typically require extremely cold temperatures to function.
MIT researchers have made significant progress in this area by demonstrating precise control of a van der Waals magnet at room temperature. By using pulses of electrical current, the researchers were able to switch the magnetization of the device, which is a crucial step in utilizing magnetic switching for computation and data storage in computer memories.
Energy Efficiency and Applications
The MIT team's device requires an order of magnitude lower electrical current to switch the van der Waals magnet compared to bulk magnetic devices. It is also more energy efficient than other van der Waals magnets that cannot switch at room temperature. These findings open up possibilities for building faster and more energy-efficient computers, as well as nonvolatile magnetic computer memories and processors for AI algorithms.
According to Shivam Kajale, a graduate student involved in the research, making radical changes and rethinking the materials being used can lead to better solutions in improving computer technologies.
Advantages of Van der Waals Materials
Van der Waals magnetic materials have an advantage over conventional bulk materials, such as silicon, when it comes to building small computer chips. These materials are intrinsically layered and maintain a smooth surface, even at nanoscale dimensions, which helps to ensure optimal performance. Additionally, the ability to stack layers without atom leakage allows the materials to retain their unique properties and enables scalability for commercial applications.
Iron gallium telluride, an emerging van der Waals material, has been key to achieving room temperature magnetism in this study. It possesses all the necessary properties without the need for rare earth elements, making it environmentally friendly.
