FeRAM: Past and Future

This afternoon was the best yet for me in terms of stimulating oxide-relate talks.
Right after lunch, Carlos A. Paz de Araujo from his company Symetrix gave a very interesting overview of the FeRAM field. As someone who focuses mainly on magnetic oxides and MRAM (Magnetic Random Access Memory) applications, it was very helpful for me to see a comprehensive overview of the FeRAM (FerroelectricRAM) history and future directions. One of the highlights for me was an overview of many of the versatile applications of FeRAM that are in use today that I had never realized. He talked of their use in cell phones, plasma TVs, cars, and printers. He even said that it is in use on every single Smart card that is in use in Japan today, and, as China will be introducing it into their huge population shortly, that the market is ripe for growth. (So, investing in FeRAM may be where it's at...) Although it was a very different talk than what one usually sees here, I was quite impressed and thankful that I had caught it. It'd be interesting if there were a few more talks like this sprinkled throughout the symposiums.