Thermodynamic Constraints in Dynamic Random-Access Memory Cells: Experimental Verification of Energy Efficiency Limits in Information Erasure

Fuente: arXiv
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Autori principali: Shimizu, Takase, Chida, Kensaku, Yamahata, Gento, Nishiguchi, Katsuhiko
Natura: Preprint
Pubblicazione: 2025
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author Shimizu, Takase
Chida, Kensaku
Yamahata, Gento
Nishiguchi, Katsuhiko
author_facet Shimizu, Takase
Chida, Kensaku
Yamahata, Gento
Nishiguchi, Katsuhiko
contents We measured the energy efficiency of information erasure using silicon DRAM cells capable of counting charges on capacitors at the single-electron level. Our measurements revealed that the efficiency decreased as the erasure error probability decreased, and notably, the Landauer limit was not achieved even under effectively infinite-time bit erasure. By comparing the measured efficiency with the Landauer limit, we identified a thermodynamic constraint that prevents DRAM from reaching this limit: the inability to prepare the initial state in thermal equilibrium, which in turn prohibits quasistatic operations. This finding has broad implications for DRAM cells and for many electronic circuits sharing similar structures. Furthermore, it validates our experimental approach to discovering thermodynamic constraints that impose tighter, practically relevant limits, opening a new direction in information thermodynamics research.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2505_23087
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Thermodynamic Constraints in Dynamic Random-Access Memory Cells: Experimental Verification of Energy Efficiency Limits in Information Erasure
Shimizu, Takase
Chida, Kensaku
Yamahata, Gento
Nishiguchi, Katsuhiko
Statistical Mechanics
Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics
We measured the energy efficiency of information erasure using silicon DRAM cells capable of counting charges on capacitors at the single-electron level. Our measurements revealed that the efficiency decreased as the erasure error probability decreased, and notably, the Landauer limit was not achieved even under effectively infinite-time bit erasure. By comparing the measured efficiency with the Landauer limit, we identified a thermodynamic constraint that prevents DRAM from reaching this limit: the inability to prepare the initial state in thermal equilibrium, which in turn prohibits quasistatic operations. This finding has broad implications for DRAM cells and for many electronic circuits sharing similar structures. Furthermore, it validates our experimental approach to discovering thermodynamic constraints that impose tighter, practically relevant limits, opening a new direction in information thermodynamics research.
title Thermodynamic Constraints in Dynamic Random-Access Memory Cells: Experimental Verification of Energy Efficiency Limits in Information Erasure
topic Statistical Mechanics
Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2505.23087