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ePaper created 2014-12-22, 09:34:33 | version 1.34.00
Energie I Erde und Umwelt I Gesundheit I Luftfahrt, Raumfahrt und Verkehr I Schlüsseltechnologien I Struktur der Materie 31 Science and Technology of Nanosystems This programme aims to develop new technologies for the synthesis and functionalisation of nanostructural materials and nanoparticles. Researchers are working on the develop- ment of novel process technologies designed to manufacture and structure nanomaterials with specific characteristics. Advanced Engineering Materials The focus of this programme is to develop customised alloys for lightweight construction and process technologies for a wide range of applications, such as extremely lightweight construction components, heat-resistant high-performance components and medical implants. The new functionalised materials developed in this programme are primarily utilized in membrane technologies for CO2 separation and water puri- fication, as well as in hydrogen production and storage. BioSoft: Fundamentals for Future Technologies in the Fields of Soft Matter and Life Sciences The properties and interactions of the underlying molecular The goal of developing computers, sensors and energy con- vertors that use very little energy could be achieved using so-called redox-based resistive memory cells, or ReRAM. Rainer Waser is researching and developing these minis- cule, fast and energy-saving electronic components at Forschungszentrum Jülich and RWTH Aachen. In conventional data storage devices, electrons are moved around and stored. However, it is difficult to “subdue” these elementary particles in order to ensure that the stored infor- mation is not lost over time. It is not only storage density and speed that are problematic – this form of data storage also requires a lot of energy. For this reason, scientists all over the world are working on nanoelectronic components that use charged atoms, or ions, to store data. Ions are several thou- sand times heavier than electrons and are therefore much easier to restrain. As a result, individual storage elements us- ing ions can be reduced in size to almost atomic dimensions while retaining an enormous storage capacity. In ReRAM cells, ions behave like batteries. The cell con- tains a metal oxide layer only a few nanometres thick that connects two electrodes. Electrical impulses move the DATA STORAGE OF THE FUTURE: ENERGY-EFFICIENT AND POWERFUL ions in the metal oxide, producing redox processes. As a consequence, the level of electrical resistance chang- es, an effect that can be exploited for data storage. The stored information remains intact even when there is no electricity flow. At the same time, the ReRAM cells can be switched a thousand times faster and require a thou- sand times less energy than elements in conventional data storage devices. The physical phenomenon on which such resistive cells are based was discovered as early as the 1960s, but scien- tists were initially unable to work out how it functioned in detail. In 2006 the group around Rainer Waser succeeded in deciphering the workings of this mechanism: the electri- cal resistance of a metal oxide layer changes abruptly and reversibly when voltage is briefly applied to it. In recent years, the development of ReRAMs has become one of the dominant trends in nanoelectronics, and today Rainer Waser and his colleagues are collaborating with companies such as Intel, Hewlett-Packard, Samsung and Toshiba. Further examples from this research field g Forschungszentrum Jülich Rainer Waser has developed particularly small, economical data storage devices. Image: Forschungszentrum Jülich Energy I Earth and Environment I Health I Aeronautics, Space and Transport I Key Technologies I Structure of Matter