Material breakthrough paves way for major energy savings in memory chips

It is anticipated that, within just a few decades, the surging volume of digital data will constitute one of the world’s largest energy consumers. Now, researchers at Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, have made a breakthrough that could shift the paradigm: an atomically thin material that enables two opposing magnetic forces to coexist – dramatically reducing energy consumption in memory devices by a factor of ten. This discovery could pave the way for a new generation of ultra-efficient, reliable memory solutions for AI, mobile technology and advanced data processing.

Memory units are essential components in virtually all modern technologies that process and store information – AI systems, smartphones, computers, autonomous vehicles, household appliances and medical devices. Magnetism has emerged as a key player in the evolution of digital memory. By harnessing the behaviour of electrons in magnetic materials under external fields and electric currents, researchers can design memory chips that are faster, smaller and more energy-efficient. However, the volume of data being stored, processed and transmitted is growing exponentially. Within a few decades, it is projected to account for nearly 30 per cent of global energy consumption. This has prompted an urgent search for new approaches to building far more energy-efficient memory units – while unlocking entirely new technological opportunities

Now, the Chalmers team is the first in the world to unveil how a novel, layered material combines two distinct magnetic forces, enabling a tenfold reduction in energy consumption in memory devices.

“Finding this coexistence of magnetic orders in a single, thin material is a breakthrough. Its properties make it exceptionally well-suited for developing ultra-efficient memory chips for AI, mobile devices, computers and future data technologies,” says Dr. Bing Zhao, a researcher in quantum device physics at Chalmers and lead author of a study published in Advanced Materials.

Magnetic attraction

In physics and engineering, two fundamental magnetic states are typically considered: ferromagnetism and antiferromagnetism. Ferromagnetism is the familiar phenomenon (seen in everyday magnets) that attracts materials like iron, nickel or cobalt. In this state, electrons align uniformly – like soldiers in formation – creating a unified magnetic field that is externally visible. In contrast, antiferromagnetism involves electrons with opposing spins, causing their magnetic states to cancel each other out. Combining these two opposing forces offers significant scientific and technical advantages, making them perfect for computer memory and sensors. But until now, this has only been possible by stacking different ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic materials in multilayer structures.

“Unlike these complex, multilayered systems, we’ve succeeded in integrating both magnetic forces into a single, two-dimensional crystal structure. It’s like a perfectly pre-assembled magnetic system – something that couldn’t be replicated using conventional materials. Researchers have been chasing this concept since magnetism was first applied to memory technology,” says Saroj P. Dash, Professor of Quantum Device Physics at Chalmers and leader of the research project.

Tilted magnetism cuts energy consumption tenfold

To store information, memory devices must switch the direction of electrons within a material. With conventional materials, this typically requires an external magnetic field to alternate the electron orientation. Chalmers’ new material, however, features a built-in combination of opposing magnetic forces that create an internal force and tilted overall magnetic alignment.

“This tilt allows electrons to switch direction rapidly and easily without the need for any external magnetic fields. By eliminating the need for power-hungry external magnetic fields, power consumption can be reduced by a factor of ten,” says Dr. Zhao.

Simpler manufacturing, greater reliability

The material features a magnetic alloy made from both magnetic and non-magnetic elements (cobalt, iron, germanium and tellurium), allowing ferromagnetism and antiferromagnetism to coexist within a single structure. In these highly efficient memory devices, films of the two-dimensional crystals are stacked in layers. Unlike conventional materials held together by chemical bonds, these layers are bound by van der Waals forces.

“A material with multiple magnetic behaviours eliminates interface issues in multilayer stacks and is far easier to manufacture. Previously, stacking multiple magnetic films introduced problematic seams at the interfaces, which compromised reliability and complicated device production,” says Prof. Dash.

Caption: The Chalmers researchers used a novel, atomically thin material in tiny memory devices, here seen as clusters of golden dots on the top of the chips. The material combines two opposing magnetic forces to create an exchange force and tilted overall magnetic alignment. This co-existence may enable easy device fabrication and a tenfold energy cut in memory devices – with major advantages for future computers, AI and advanced data processing. Credit: Roselle Ngaloy, Chalmers

About the study:

The article Coexisting Non-Trivial Van der Waals Magnetic Orders Enable Field-Free Spin-Orbit Torque Magnetization Dynamics has been published in Advanced Materials.

The authors are Bing Zhao, Lakhan Bainsla, Soheil Ershadrad, Lunjie Zeng, Roselle Ngaloy, Peter Svedlindh, Eva Olsson, Biplab Sanyal and Saroj P. Dash. These researchers are active at Chalmers University of Technology and Uppsala University.

For more information, please contact:

Bing Zhao, researcher in quantum device physics at the Department of Microtechnology and Nanoscience at Chalmers University of Technology.
+46 736 977 858
zbing@chalmers.se

Saroj Prasad Dash, Professor of Quantum Device Physics at the Department of Microtechnology and Nanoscience at Chalmers University of Technology.
Tel: +46 31 772 51 70
saroj.dash@chalmers.se

Funding:

This research project has received funding from the European Innovation Council project 2DSPIN-TECH under: the European Commission’s Graphene Flagship programme; the VINNOVA competence centre, 2D TECH; Wallenberg Initiative Materials Science for Sustainability (WISE) funded by the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation; the Swedish Research Council (VR) project grant; the FLAG-ERA projects, 2DSOTECH and MagicTune; the Graphene Center; the Chalmers-Max IV collaboration grant; and the Areas of Advance of AoA Nano, AoA Materials Science and AoA Energy programmes at Chalmers University of Technology.

Devices were nanofabricated at Chalmers’ MyFab cleanroom facility. The materials were grown by HqGraphene. Structural characterisations were conducted at Chalmers Materials Analysis Laboratory CMAL, in collaboration with Professor Eva Olsson group. Magnetisation measurements were conducted by Peter Svedlindh’s group, with theoretical calculations carried out by the Biplab Sanyal group at Uppsala University. Electronic and magnetic characterisations were conducted at the Quantum Device Physics Laboratory at Chalmers.