1. A Presentation By: ……….
Ajay Singh
Electronics and Communication
Student of
Engineering
B. Tech.
2. Contents
Overview
History
Present Status of Protein Memory
RAM Types
Protein Memory
Data Write, Read & Erase Techniques
Practical Memory Cell
Applications
Conclusion
References
3. Overview
•Protein memory is an experimental means of storing
data.
•Using proteins, that respond to light from bacteria found
in salt water, a small cube can store large amounts of
data.
•By using lasers, the protein can be changed depending
on various wave lengths, allowing them to store and
recall data. As a result protein can be used to store
enormous amounts of data using lasers to read and write
binary code.
4. History of Protein Memory
Protein memory was discovered by Walther Stoeckenius and
Dieter Oesterhelt at Rockefeller University in New York.
They discovered that a protein isolated from a salt marsh
bacterium exhibited photosensitive properties. They called this
protein bacteriorhodopsin, because it was very similar to the
protein, rhodopsin that founds in the eyes of humans and
animals.
5. Present Status
Not used for commercial applications.
Used for military and scientific applications..
Researches are going on for….
High speed high capacity memory for commercial applications
Ultimate machine intelligence with the aid of genetic engineering
(A memory that mimics human brain).
Carry a small encyclopedic cube containing all the information we
need !!.
7. DRAM (Dynamic RAM)
Must be refreshed every few millisecond
Cheaper and widely used
Low power consumption
SRAM (Static RAM)
Faster than DRAM
Costly
8. Protein Memory
How Protein Memory compete with electronic memory?
Speed
Reliability
Capability
Cost
Basic unit of Protein Memory
Bacterial protein molecule - Bacteriorhodopsin (bR)
9. Protein Memory (Cont.)
Bacteriorhodopsin ( bR )
Purple membranes of Halo bacterium halobium.
Changes mode of operation upon light incident.
Light energy to chemical energy conversion.
10. Protein Memory (Cont.)
Why bR?
bR grows in salt marshals
Where temp can exceed 150 degree Farad for extended
time period
Salt concentration in approx 6 times that of sea water
Survival indicates its resistance to thermal and
photochemical damages
Excellent optical characteristics & Long term stability
11. Protein Memory (Cont.)
Photo Cycle of Bacteriorhodopsin
Chromophore – Light absorbing component
Light energy triggers a series of complex internal
structural changes - Photocycle
16. Data Erasing Technique
Blue laser erases encoded data
Q state absorb blue light and return to original bR state
Individual data can be erased using blue laser
17. Birge’s Memory Cell
Stores data with 10,000 molecules per bit
Molecule switches in 500 femtoseconds
Speed only limited by laser steering speed
Estimated that Data stored live around 5 years without any
refreshment
18. Applications of bR
Ultra fast RAM
Finger print processing
Optical switches
Neural Logic gates (genetic engineering)
19. Conclusion
During the past decade, the speed of computer processors
increased almost 1,000 times, where as data storage
capacities increased only by a factor of 50. Also, the transfer
of data within the computer remains the principal bottleneck
that limits performance.
Protein memories use laser beam, which improve their life
with reduction in wear and tear.
20. References
Protein Based Computers Birge, Robert R., Scientific American
March 1995
Molecular and Biomolecular Electronics, Birge, Robert R. Ed.,
American Chemical Society
Organic Chemistry Baker, A. David, Robert Engel.
www.quantum.com
www.che.syr.edu (Department of Chemistry, Syracuse
University)
24. Birge’s Memory Cell Vs.
Conventional Electronic RAM
Data access
300 times faster than conventional RAM
Storage Capacity
4096 x 4096 bits page
16 Mb per page
1000 such pages
16 Gb total capacity
25. Birge’s Memory Cell Vs.
Conventional Electronic RAM (Cont.)
`
Cost
bR protein can be produced in large volumes at low
price
Birge’s memory cell costs 2 US $ and can store 7 Gb.
26. Birge’s Memory Cell Vs.
Conventional Electronic RAM (Cont.)
`
Transportation
Can remove small data cubes and ship gigabytes of data
No moving parts – safer than small hard drives
Can operate in wider range of temperatures