Intel led researchers develop probe storage device

BANGALORE, INDIA: A research team led by Intel has come up with a probe storage device. The ultra high density probe storage device has been developed by coating the tips of the probes with a thin metal film.

The technology used in probe storage devices enables to read and write data by making nanoscale marks on a surface through physical contact. Though the current probes have limited lifespans due to mechanical wear, the technology may extend the data density limits of conventional magnetic and optical storage.

The device has an array of 5,000 ultrasharp probes integrated with on-chip electronic circuits. By sending short electrical pulses to a ferroelectric film, the probes write tiny bits of memory. High speed data need that the probes slide quickly and frequently across the film.

The researchers deposited a thin metal film of hafnium diboride (HfB2) on the probe tips to prevent tip wear. According to the researchers, the metal film reduces wear and enables the probe tips to retain their write-read resolution at high speeds for distances exceeding 8km — greatly increasing the device's lifetime.

''The work is an important step towards the commercialisation of a probe-based storage technology with capacities that exceed those of hard disc and solid-state drives," said the researchers. The data densities of the device are more than 1 Terabit per square inch.