New Data Storage Method Discovered: Mechanically Pressing Data Onto a Ferroelectric Surface
A research team at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln lead by Alexei Gruverman and in collaboration with researchers in Spain and at the University of Wisconsin have discovered a new way of writing data to ferroelectric materials, such as those used in mechanical hard disc drives.
Normally, data is stored by passing a tiny electromagnet (the HDD’s “head”) over the surface and modulating the magnetic polarity of the ferroelectric material by changing the magnetic polarity of this head by passing a current through a coil of wire which forms it. In this case however, a tiny 10nm-sized probe physically presses against the ferroelectic material, in a similar way to an electron microscope and the tiny mechanic pressure exerted by the probe allows it to write data to the material. “It’s a completely voltage-free switching of polarization, which is what makes the results of this research unique,” Gruverman said. A key advantage of this method is high data density and the establishment of an alternate way to write data. It’s still very much in the research phase. There’s lots more detail about this in the press release linked to below.
To date, researchers have relied on the electrical voltage to store information. However, Gruverman’s team found that the same bit could be written simply by pressing harder against the ferroelectric material’s surface. In a sense and in this case, the probe’s needle works much like a nanoscopic typewriter in its ability to write data in a very specific area on a ferroelectric film and leave data behind without damaging the surface. That finding makes the research team the first to demonstrate that mechanical force can be used to change an areas polarization.
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