Computer memory storage that can endure temperatures above 1000°F might help with other research discoveries in the near future.
Engineering researchers at the University of Michigan are hoping to use their computer storage technology to process data in high temperature environments.
Dr. Yiyang Li is an Assistant Professor of Material Science and Engineering. He says the device can endure geothermal wells, deep earth drilling, and might be used to revisit the surface of Venus. The heat-resistant technology uses tantalum oxide ion interactions, instead of pushing electrons through silicon, like in conventional computers.
“The memory of a computer is limited to 100 ° Celsius. So, it’s not just that we engineered a cooler, or we played some engineering trick. But we really rethought what are some of the physical processes that we can harness.”
Li says the next step in development is to have the device record information at room temperatures, since currently it requires heat to fully operate.
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