Method of converting magnetic data to optics

Researchers at the University of Iowa have discovered a way to convert magnetic data into optical data without the need for an external power source. This is a big step towards cheap, disposable and cheap plastic computing devices . This type of device is gradually becoming more popular with the transformation of society into mobile computing and self-quantitative monitoring device.

Plastic computing devices are basically similar to metal devices but instead of being made with semiconductor wafers, plastic devices contain organic semiconductor components such as polymers and this component is placed on a flexible plastic substrate, creating organic field-effect transistors (OFET) . OFET does not possess the same performance characteristics as silicon but they are good enough for use with wearable electronics and ultra-low power mobile devices. An example to help us can easily imagine is that OLED displays use organic semiconductors currently on the market.

Although we have seen the computing power and logic of plastic computing devices, there is still a big question for these devices regarding storage capacity and power consumption. OFET is not effective and current semiconductor density is too low to make a RAM or a NAND Flash memory on a plastic substrate. Although in theory, it is still possible to use a thin magnetic leaf to store high-density data like disk platters, it is difficult to read magnetic data with organic semiconductors. and a lot of energy. However, this problem has been sought by Iowa researchers to overcome.

The team has found a way to convert magnetic data stored on magnetic plates into optical data generated by an organic LED light bulb. Typically, this process requires a large amount of power but by using an electroluminescent compound in LEDs, researchers have discovered that data conversion can be done. " free". The magnetic field of the data bits is stored on the magnetic plate enough to stimulate the OLED to produce photons. In theory, you can transport this optical data around plastic computing devices by bus interfaces. Although plastic is not a great substrate for making high-performance computers, it is a very good material for optical data transmission. Most fiber used in the network and sound are plastic.

Plastic NAND Flash memory

"The method can solve memory and communication problems for low-cost and low-cost consumer electronics devices made of plastic. Organic light-emitting compounds can work. at room temperature, helping to convert between optical and optical data, " said Professor Markus Wohlgenannt, co-author of the research paper. Technology can be applied to high-capacity information storage devices by exploiting high-speed optical bus communication. For consumers, technology will pave the way for cheap, low-cost devices like wearable devices, curved screens, or flexible sensors.