Examples
One approach to molecular memories is based on special compounds such as porphyrin-based polymers which are capable of storing electric charge. Once a certain voltage threshold is achieved the material oxidizes, releasing an electric charge. The process is reversible, in effect creating an electric capacitor. The properties of the material allow for a much greater capacitance per unit area than with conventional DRAM memory, thus potentially leading to smaller and cheaper integrated circuits.
Several universities and a number of companies (Hewlett Packard, ZettaCore) have announced work on molecular memories, which some hope will supplant DRAM memory as the lowest cost technology for high-speed computer memory. NASA is also supporting research on non-volatile molecular memories.
Read more about this topic: Molecular Memory
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