Tutorial EL02—Advanced Memory and Computing Technologies Based on Phase-Change Materials

Instructors: Raffaella Calarco, Institute for Microelectronics and Microsystems, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche; Elisa Petroni, STMicroelectronics; Ghazi Sarwat Syed, IBM Research Europe–Zurich; Harish Bhaskaran, University of Oxford

The rapidly growing demand for data storage and processing, driven by artificial intelligence (AI) and other data-intensive applications, is posing a serious challenge for current computing devices based on the von Neumann architecture. For every calculation, data sets need to be shuffled sequentially between the processor and multiple memory and storage units through bandwidth-limited and energy-inefficient interconnects, typically causing 40% power wastage.

Phase-change materials (PCMs) show great promise to break this bottleneck by enabling nonvolatile memory devices that can optimize the complex memory hierarchy and neuro-inspired computing devices that can unify computing with storage in memory cells. Furthermore, due to the need of automotive and consumer markets, the demand for chips embedding both the microcontroller unit and a memory architecture is enormously growing, for which Phase Change Memory is again an important promising technology.

In recent years, PCM technologies demonstrated their potential in nonvolatile photonic applications, laying the groundwork for all-photonic memories and active plasmonics. Leveraging integrated photonics advancements, PCM technology is even venturing into the realm of optical computing, offering unparalleled computational potential.

To explore these transformative advancements in depth, we have curated a tutorial session led by senior researchers from prestigious institutions such as the University of Oxford, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR)-Italy, STMicroelectronics, and IBM Research. Through four engaging talks, participants will gain invaluable insights into the latest breakthroughs in PCM technology, covering topics from materials development to embedded phase-change memories and the exciting frontier of optical computing. By attending, participants will not only stay abreast of cutting-edge developments but also gain a comprehensive understanding of PCM's pivotal role in shaping the future of computing.

9:00 am

Phase-Change Materials—Recent Development from the Materials Science Perspective

Raffaella Calarco, Institute for Microelectronics and Microsystems, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Italy

10:00 am BREAK

10:30 am

Ge-Rich GST for Embedded Phase-Change Memories—Electrical Features, Physical Properties and Reliability

Elisa Petroni, STMicroelectronics, Italy

11:30 am BREAK

1:30 pm

Fundamentals of Phase-Change Computational Memory

Ghazi Sarwat Syed, IBM Research Europe–Zurich, Switzerland

2:30 pm BREAK

3:30 pm

Extra Degrees of Freedom in Photonics and Its Translation to Faster Compute—Opportunities, Challenges and Recent Progress

Harish Bhaskaran, University of Oxford, United Kingdom