Memory Technology - A Primer for Material Scientists.

From our own experience in the group, we know that there is quite a gap to bridge between scientists focused on basic material research and their counterparts in a close-to-application community focused on identifying and solving final technological and engineering challenges. In this review, we try to provide an easy-to-grasp introduction to the field of memory technology for materials scientists. As an understanding of the big picture is vital, we first provide an overview about the development and architecture of memories as part of a computer and point out some basic limitations that all memories are subject to. As any new technology has to compete with mature existing solutions on the market, today's mainstream memories are explained and the need for future solutions is highlighted. The most prominent contenders in the field of emerging memories are introduced and major challenges on their way to commercialization are elucidated. Based on these discussions, we derive some predictions for the memory market to conclude the paper.