Third Party Funds Group - Sub project
Acronym: M3d
Start date : 01.12.2012
End date : 30.11.2016
M3d is a FP7 European project aiming at developing advanced magnetic materials suitable for designing a data storage solution in three dimensions (3D). Conventional planar (2D) devices are expected to reach the limits of scaling within less than a decade, so that long-term massive progress could only be achieved by exploiting the third dimension. We will develop the materials needed for such 3D memories based on magnetic shift-register devices, namely dense arrays of vertical magnetic wires in a matrix (race-track memory, IBM patent). In this concept series of bits are shifted along each wire, requiring only one read/write element per wire. Synthesis will rely largely on bottom-up routes to minimize production costs. In order to minimize risks, several strategies will be explored both for coding bits, data shifting, read&write schemes. We address NMP data storage call targets density (5-50Tbit/in2), and reasonable cost per Tbit (2-20€), going beyond the scalability of all-planar devices while remaining competitive in terms of speed and energy consumption (1-10GHz with zero seek time; 10-100 pJ/bit). In all four targets, 3D magnetic memories promise to outperform Hard Disk Drives, providing more storage capacity with less energy consumption. The project brings together relevant leading academic research groups in Europe. Two SMEs are also partners, one for material development (SmartMembranes, world leader in self-organized anodized products), and the European leader in Magnetic-RAM development, Crocus Technology.