For the first time, scientists have identified a new property in a compound that sets it apart from the rest. It turns out that a compound called vanadium dioxide (VO2) behaves like a human brain and can remember past external stimuli. Scientists have recently proposed the idea of using VO2 as an alternative or supplement to silicon for use in electronic devices. It has been said that the material may outperform silicon as a semiconductor. To reveal the compound’s unique memory property, the team conducted experiments and observed that the material could remember the entire history of past stimuli. According to the team, this indicates that the material may outperform conventional metal-oxide semiconductor electronics in terms of speed and energy consumption.
He introduced current into the material and observed that it followed a precise path from end to end. This also heated the material and caused its position to change. Thereafter, the current was removed and the atomic structure was relaxed back. But, the team noticed something fascinating when re-applying the current. They observed that VO2 could remember the first phase transition and anticipate the next phase.
“VO2 used to ‘remember’ the first phase transition and anticipate the next. We did not expect to see such a memory effect, and it has nothing to do with the electronic states, but rather the physical structure of the material. This is a new discovery: no other material behaves this way.” Explained EPFL electrical engineer Alison Mattioli.
With the experiment, the team noted that VO2 was able to store some sort of information on a recently applied current for at least three hours. According to Mattioli, it can store the information for a longer time but the team lacks the equipment needed to measure it.
The researchers now hope that devices made using the material can help meet the demands of electronics “in terms of downscaling, faster operation and reducing voltage-supply levels.”
The team has published their findings in a paper In Nature Electronics,
