TRRAM- The new milestone of Transparent Electronic Systems

Ever wondered you could use totally transparent electronic devices say computer monitors and televisions. Clear electronic devices may make your room or wall more spacious by allowing electronic devices to be consolidated and stacked in small clear spaces. The new transparent devices will drive electronics in a new direction. TRRAM (Transparent Resistive Random Access Memory) is basically the first and the most important part involved in making a transparent electronic device.

A group of scientists at Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) have fabricated a working computer chip that is almost completely clear - the first of its kind. The new chip is similar in type to an existing technology known as complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) memory - common commercial chips that provide the data storage for USB flash drives and other devices. Like CMOS devices, the new chip provides "non-volatile" memory, meaning that it stores digital information without losing data when it is powered off. The Korean team is also developing a TRRAM using flexible materials. By integrating TRRAM device with other transparent electronic components, a total see-through embedded electronic system can be created.

Technically, TRRAM devices rely upon the existing technology known as Resistive Random Access Memory (RRAM), which is already in commercial development. RRAM is built using metal oxide materials, which are transparent. TRRAM chip is built by sandwiching these metal oxide materials between equally transparent electrodes and substrates and hence it contributes to the transparent look of the RAM.

TRRAM will become one of the alternative devices to the current CMOS-based flash memory in the near future. The new devices have the potential to be manufactured cheaply because any transparent material can be utilized as substrate and electrode. They also may not require incorporating rare elements such as Indium. With transparent chips it will be possible to implement electronic hardware into the windshield of a car; it can be used in sunglasses or highly-fashioned transparent cell phones. It widens the area in which electronic devices can be implemented, making many concepts look much closer to the real life. Bendable screens, transparent chips - all these improvements are making electronics more flexible, stylish and easy to use.

This development can truly revolutionize the world of modern devices and gadgets. But transparent chips have some disadvantages too. Transparent phones would be much easier to hide or lose, and soldering a fully transparent chip is also not easy. Also the durability of these chips is in question.

So let us see how this technology works out. Though this technology doesn't have major disadvantages or drawbacks at present that may prevent it from being widely used but still it may take time for TRRAM to be used as a working prototype.