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Performance
of 50 Completed ATP Projects
Status
Report - Number 2
NIST SP 950-2
Chapter
4 - Electronics, Computer Hardware & Communications
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Nonvolatile
Electronics, Inc. (NVE)
Computer RAM Chips That Hold
Memory When Power Is Off
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| Conventional
random access memory (RAM) computer chips record information written
or copied into them by a computer, and they hold that data as long
as electricity flows through the chips. Once the power is turned off,
the information is lost unless it has been saved to a floppy disk
or to the computer’s hard disk, which hold data even when the
power is off. Many computer users have learned this fact only after
a power outage or other mishap suddenly erases the data they were
working on. Program manuals and technical support staff repeatedly
advise computer users to save often. |
COMPOSITE
PERFORMANCE SCORE
(Based on a four star rating.)
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RAM That Remembers
Without Power
If a memory chip could store data permanently, it would prevent these
accidental loses of information. And if it could be produced in small
sizes at competitive costs, the new chip would greatly affect how computers
are configured and used. For example, an insertable card containing memory
chips (which have no moving parts) could be substituted for a hard disk
drive.
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| The clean
room at Nonvolatile Electronics in which GMR sensors and other devices
are fabricated. |
Civilian Use of MRAM
Technology
This ATP project with
Nonvolatile Electronics (NVE), founded in 1989 (and operated from the
founder’s house until the ATP award), aimed to develop such a memory
chip. The founder co-invented “magnetoresistive” RAM (MRAM)
technology for defense applications while at Honeywell, which subsequently
licensed the technology to NVE for civilian uses. For these applications,
the technology had to achieve greater density, signal strength, and production
yield to meet cost considerations, which are more important in consumer
markets than in the military market.
A metal is magnetoresistive
if it shows a slight change in electrical resistance when placed in a
magnetic field. In 1988, scientists discovered that a sandwich of metals
shows a much larger change in resistance than a single metal of the same
size. This effect was named “giant magnetoresistance,” or GMR.
Researchers at NVE
saw the use of GMR materials as a way to achieve advances in signal strength,
and they made important advances in the producibility of GMR materials.
They also achieved the project’s circuit density goals and made substantial
improvements to production throughput, or yield. These developments are
all important for lowering barriers to commercializing the technology
for civilian applications. The researchers made prototype high-quality
MRAM cells that were successfully demonstrated at Honeywell.
A Promising Spin-off
Application
As NVE focused on GMR materials advances, it saw a potential spin-off
application that received only marginal attention when the company started
its ATP project: GMR sensors. A major application for sensors based on
the new technology is possibly in antilock brake systems in automobiles
and trucks. These systems use a clamp to grip the edge of a steel disk
attached to the wheel. If the clamp grabs too tightly, the brake locks,
the wheel stops rotating, and the tire slides on the road surface instead
of gripping it. In an antilock brake system, a sensor detects the rotation
of the disk and feeds that information into a computer. If the computer
detects overly rapid deceleration — indicating the brake is about
to lock — it directs the braking mechanism to reduce clamp pressure
to keep that from happening.
The new NVE sensors
are substantially more sensitive than conventional sensors. They can be
farther from the monitored object while performing equally well. Their
magnets can be smaller, so the cost is less. And the NVE sensors can detect
rotational speeds closer to zero, which means the computer receives more
accurate data to use in controlling the brake mechanism. In a vehicle
equipped with an antilock brake system incorporating NVE sensors, the
driver will have better skid and stopping control.
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| Photomicrograph
of a GMR magnetic field sensor, with actual dimensions of 436 x 3370
microns. |
Product Sales and
Commercialization Agreements
NVE expects to apply its sensor technology in several other industries,
too, including medical devices, consumer products, and machine tool manufacturing.
Production for these markets is planned for the near future. According
to NVE, it is the first to make and sell GMR-based sensing products for
the general market, and it has established a new company division for
this purpose. Its sales of GMR-based sensors have grown by about 3,000
percent recently, from around $5,000 in 1994 to more than $150,000 in
1997. The company has also generated revenues from engineering contracts,
as well as royalties from companies that license its technology.
NVE entered into an
agreement with Motorola in 1995 to develop MRAMs, and the development
work is under way. Production could begin in 1999. If this effort succeeds,
NVE expects to capture a sizable share of the $45 billion annual market
for memory and hard-disk drive products. The company also signed an agreement
with Microtrace in 1996 to use a procedure based on GMR techniques to
make counterfeiting of aircraft parts much easier to detect. The development
work is under way, and products for this application are also expected
in 1999.
For GMR applications
beyond its own pursuits, NVE has offered its knowledge to other companies,
universities, and national laboratories. This was done through another
ATP project (#91-01-0016: “Ultrahigh-Density Magnetic Recording Heads”)
conducted by a large joint venture led by the National Storage Industry
Consortium. NVE officials consulted on fabrication methods for making
GMR films and supplied samples of the films made by NVE.
Benefits From the
Technology
Because NVE is selling only sensors, all benefits will initially come
from that product. When the sensors actually begin appearing in commercial
products — some time after 2000 — end users will have access
to competitively priced devices that operate at much greater temperature
extremes than do conventional sensors. Additional benefits will accrue
from GMR sensors as more are used in a variety of applications.
GMR sensors will likely
generate substantial economic benefits beyond those realized by NVE. A
sensor is a small part of an antilock brake system, which is a small part
of a much larger device — an automobile. Several manufacturing and
subassembly stages lie between the development of the sensor and the final
product, and the sensors add value to the product at each stage. According
to NVE, the total of this spillover benefit will likely be more than 10
times greater than what the company earns for the use of its new technology.
And the aggregate benefit will increase as more cars are equipped with
antilock brake systems incorporating NVE sensors. Spillover benefits promise
to be even larger when the sensors are used in other applications.
In addition to these
applications, the company’s GMR sensors are being used for portable
traffic monitoring instruments, and they may be very useful for instruments
used to detect land mines. Geometrics, Inc., in Denver, Colorado, has
contracts to design and test devices to detect antipersonnel mines for
the U. S. military, and it has subcontracted with NVE to supply GMR sensors
for the detectors. If the design and testing lead to workable detection
instruments, a much better job of finding and removing unwanted land mines
will be the result. There are 100-200 million such land mines throughout
the world in areas that were formerly areas of warfare, and they kill
and maim tens of thousands of innocent people each year.
The market for MRAMs
— the application initially targeted by NVE — may eventually
be important, but it is still in the future. If MRAMs ultimately reduce
accidental loss of information to computer users, benefits will be large.
ATP Project Saves
Company
Before the ATP project, NVE was a tiny, undercapitalized company facing
significant technological risks in developing the technology for commercial
uses. Funding from the ATP, however, enabled the project to be done and
prevented the company from failing, NVE officials say. In addition, the
ATP award improved the company’s ability to attract capital from
other sources.
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Project
Highlights
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PROJECT:
To develop magnetoresistance technology for use in making computer
random access memory (RAM) “nonvolatile” — data will
not be lost when power is turned off.
Duration: 4/1/1991 — 3/31/1994
ATP Number: 90-01-0166
FUNDING (in
thousands):
| ATP |
$1,785
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67%
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| Company |
869
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33%
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| Total |
$2,654
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ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
In its quest to develop magnetoresistive RAM (MRAM), NVE made significant
advances in producibility, circuit density and signal strength by
using giant magnetoresistance (GMR) materials. In the process, the
company developed an important spinoff application of the technology
in sensors. Indicative of progress, NVE:
- started producing
an initial commercial product, a GMR magnetic bridge sensor, in
1994, selling about 50,000 by the end of 1997 to other companies
for examination purposes and earning revenues of more than $150,000
that year alone;
- entered into
an agreement with Motorola in 1995 to develop MRAMs (development
is still under way, with sales possible in 1999);
- entered into
an agreement with Microtrace in 1996 to use a GMR-based procedure
to make counterfeiting of aircraft parts much easier to detect
(development work is under way);
- licensed
the ATP-funded technology to Honeywell (for use in military and
avionics applications), which incorporated it into computer systems
placed in government agencies; and
- transferred
knowledge about GMR materials to members of an ATP joint venture
working on technology for magnetic disk storage based on the GMR
effect.
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COMMERCIALIZATION
STATUS:
NVE is successfully making and selling — with a recent growth
rate of about 3,000 percent — GMR-based sensing products, a
spin-off from its MRAM technology development project. It is also
pursuing commercialization of MRAMs through an agreement with Motorola,
an endeavor that could lead to a substantial share of a $45 billion/year
market.
OUTLOOK:
The outlook is excellent for expanded use of GMR sensors, which
have many applications, including pace makers, engine control, shock
absorbers, antilock brake systems, current monitoring, cylinder
position sensing and automatic meter reading. The outlook for commercialization
of the nonvolatile memory chips is potentially bright. But with
several more years of development, the extent of use remains uncertain.
Spillover benefits are potentially large.
Composite
Performance Score:
COMPANY:
Nonvolatile Electronics, Inc. (NVE)
5805 Amy Drive
Edina, MN 55436
Contact:
James M. Daughton
Phone: (612) 996-1607
Number of employees: 10 at project start, 56 at the end of
1997
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of Contents or go to next section.
Date created: April
2002
Last updated:
April 12, 2005
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