Dutch researchers have created a microscopic data storage system that encodes each bit with one atom - allowing a kilobyte of data to be stored in a space of less than 100 nanometers.
This corresponds to a storage density of about 500 terabits per square inch. By comparison, the density of the 4 terabyte hard drives you can buy today is about 1 terabit per square inch. Unlike the new system, the previous ones used hundreds and thousands of atoms to store one bit.
“In theory, this storage density would allow all the books ever created by mankind to fit into one postage stamp,” said Sander Otte, a leading scientist at Delft University of Technology.
The data storage array (the name "hard disk" is not entirely accurate, but better conveys the meaning) turns out to be surprisingly original in its organization - since it works at the atomic level.
"Each bit corresponds to two positions on the surface of the copper atoms of one chlorine atom, which can be moved back and forth between these two positions," Otte explained. Since chlorine forms a clear square lattice on the copper surface, it is quite easy (relatively, in any case) to position atoms and take information. If the chlorine atom at the top is 1; if at the bottom it is 0. If you put 8 chlorine atoms in a row, they form a byte.
In addition, there are a few special characters that indicate things like the end of a line or file, or that the next region of space should be ignored (for example, in case of corruption). In general, the system turns out to be quite efficient, allowing hundreds of characters to be stored on a nanometer space of 96 × 128 (12 rows and 12 columns, each cell stores 8 bytes). These manipulations are easy enough to perform, which makes it possible to automate the process.
The data with which the researchers decided to demonstrate the technology was part of a lecture by scientist Feynman. So far, this can only be done under laboratory conditions. An array of chlorine and copper remains stable only in a pure vacuum and at liquid nitrogen temperature. Otherwise, the organization of the construction of atoms will be disrupted.
This research is very promising. The idea of using individual atoms to store a bit has long fascinated the minds of many scientists, and there are countless applications for high-density storage technology. The study was published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology.
Promotional video:
Sergey Lukavsky