Communications of the ACM
Material That Could Boost Data Storage, Save Energy
North Carolina State University (NCSU) researchers have developed a new material that would enable a fingernail-sized computer chip to store a terabyte of data. The breakthrough material was created through the process of selective doping, in which an impurity is added to a material to change its properties. The process also be used to reduce heat generated by semiconductors.
The researchers added metal nickel to magnesium oxide to create a material that contained clusters of nickel atoms no larger than 10 square nanometers, 90 percent smaller than was achievable through previous techniques. "Instead of making a chip that stores 20 gigabytes, you have one that can handle one terabyte, or 50 times more data," says NCSU professor Jagdish Narayan. He says the new doping technique could have applications in alternative energy sources such as solar energy, and also will advance the field of spintronics.
From NCSU News
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