CAREER: Surface Acoustic Wave Addressable Solid State Magnetic Memory

Oregon State University, Corvallis OR

Investigators

Abstract

CAREER: Surface Acoustic Wave Addressable Solid State Magnetic Memory The objective of this research is to develop the basic technology and demonstrate the feasibility of a novel solid state magnetic memory in which the storage and retrieval of data is accomplished by surface acoustic waves. The approach is to use a phased array of interdigitated transducers to excite, steer and focus the surface acoustic waves on a contiguous magnetostrictive thin film for reading or writing data. E and inverse magnetostrictive effects are exploited respectively for reading and writing. Intellectual Merit: The experiments proposed herein will be a first undertaking to demonstrate the inverse magnetostrictive effect due to surface acoustic waves. Additionally, the investigation of the interaction between high frequency surface acoustic waves and magnetostrictive materials will provide seminal understanding of the physics of magneto-mechanical coupling. Broader Impact: Key advantages of the proposed memory device arise from its radiation hardness, mechanical robustness (no moving components) and likely lower cost than existing solid state memory technologies. It is envisaged for integration with products in portable consumer electronic and space applications. It is expected that the results from this project will forge a new area of research on magnetic surface acoustic wave devices. Potential applications for these devices will include sensors, tunable filters and 2-D associative memory. The project will train graduate and undergraduate students in subjects encompassing diverse engineering disciplines. The learning from the proposed work will be assimilated into the engineering curriculum, and disseminated through publications and presentations. The proposed educational outreach effort involves high school female students and K-12 teachers.