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Invented by Physics Professor Manus Hayne (pictured) ULTRARAM is a novel type of memory that combines the non-volatility of a data storage memory, like flash, with the speed, energy-efficiency and 
endurance of a working memory, like DRAM.
To do this it exploits quantum resonant tunnelling in compound semiconductors, materials commonly used in photonic devices such as LEDS, laser diodes and infrared detectors, but not in digital electronics, which is the preserve of silicon.
A research paper published in Advanced Electronic Material reports that “ULTRARAM breaks this paradigm via the exploitation of InAs quantum wells (QWs) and AlSb barriers to create a triple-barrier resonant-tunnelling (TBRT) structure.
The 2.1 eV conduction band offset of AlSb with respect to the InAs that forms the floating gate (FG) and channel, provides a barrier to the passage of electrons that is comparable to the SiO2 dielectric used in flash. However, the inclusion of two InAs quantum wells (of different thicknesses) within the TBRT structure, allows it to become transparent to electrons when a low voltage (≈2.5 V) is applied.
Initially patented in the US, further patents on the technology are currently being progressed in key technology markets around the world.
ULTRARAM is to be commercialised following the successful completion of the ICURe Explore award as part of the prestigious Innovate UK ICURe Programme designed to help researchers explore the commercial application and potential of UK research.
The ULTRARAM team was awarded an ICURe Exploit award at an event in Glasgow which marked the culmination of various rounds of selection, from being proposed by the University and accepted onto the ICURe programme and then being selected as a result of the ‘Options Roundabout’.
Jess Wenmouth, Commercialisation Impact Manager at the University said: “The process is a strenuous validation programme of both the scientific development, the market discovery and evidence gathering of need as well as an endorsement of the team’s skills and strengths to take this forward.”
Following this endorsement by the ICURe expert innovation panel, the proposal will develop to become a formal spinout company from Lancaster University, with discussions already taking place with potential investors.
The panel felt the key areas of strength for the project included a clear global opportunity with potentially market-changing technology and huge market potential.
The award also opens the door for the spinout to bid for £300k of Innovate UK funding, exclusively available to successful ICURe ‘graduates’.
There is something really strange going on with the patenting history here.
First off there is a recent patent family that comprises WO2020240186 that seems to match the description in the article:
https://patents.google.com/patent/WO2020240186A1/en
The international application was found to lack novelty over an earlier patent family by the very same inventor and with identical title: US20170352767A1
https://patents.google.com/patent/US20170352767A1/en
Since the latter has priority from 2014, it is quite possible that we have heard the story of this device before.
And most UK university inventions are out of patent by the time the professors have got around to making it ready for market anyway. I dealt with a really innovative one almost a decade ago and could have got millions invested from private funding but they wanted to keep control to a small team so are still living on small government grants.
“The award also opens the door for the spinout to bid for £300k of Innovate UK funding”
Says it all really, the award allows them to bid in a competition for £300k of funding, a miserly amount for funding for a possible “key technology” with no guarantee of getting it. Typical Uk approach – get the punters excited without seriously putting you hand in your pocket. If it’s worth anything some non-Uk company will buy the key parts of the technology for a pittance because the Uk simply won’t fund it properly. And, when that happens, they will all moan about it like the bunch of hypocrites they are. Here we go again ..
Compare Static RAM and Ultra RAM for latency, silicon footprint, and cost of production.
What’s the route to market though ? They could get prototypes made at imec but after that unless a big three memory player picks it up, surely it’s dead in the water.
It is a very persistent dream, DB, with many candidates – MRAM, FRAM, ReRAM , phase-change etc – but no winners
I was wondering if this may be a “Memory Lane” article, because I’ve heard the invention of universal memory heralded so many times before.