Word and bit line operation of a 1 × 1 μm² superconducting vortex-based memory.

Area of Science:

• Superconducting electronics
• Cryogenic computing hardware

Background:

• Dense random access memory (RAM) is a key bottleneck for digital superconducting computers.
• Vortex-based superconducting memory cells offer a potential solution for high-density cryogenic memory.

Purpose of the Study:

• To experimentally investigate the scalability and operational characteristics of vortex-based superconducting memory cells.
• To demonstrate the feasibility of miniaturized, high-performance superconducting memory for digital computing applications.

Main Methods:

• Miniaturization of vortex-based superconducting memory cells to submicron sizes.
• Implementation of asymmetric tracks to engineer vortex motion and control vortex states.
• Detailed analysis of word and bit line operation in a 1x1 μm² cell.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated successful miniaturization of cells to submicron dimensions, confirming scalability.
• Showcased controllable vortex state manipulation through engineered asymmetric tracks.
• Achieved high-endurance, non-volatile operation at zero magnetic field with reduced threshold currents for combined word/bit line addressing.

Conclusions:

• Vortex-based superconducting memory cells are scalable and can be engineered for controlled operation.
• The demonstrated 1x1 μm² cell performance is a significant step towards dense cryogenic random access memory (RAM).
• Reduced threshold currents enhance individual cell addressing selectivity in multi-cell arrays, paving the way for practical superconducting computers.