Objective
The INPROM project is a long term research project aimed to investigate the following question: are scanning probe recording techniques, whose performances were recently demonstrated with a specific polymer media, applicable also to phase change or magnetic media? The successful demonstration of IBM's Millipede supports the idea that probe recording has a potential for high capacity, small sized memory chips. However, industry would certainly accept easier this new technology if it could be applicable to today's most widely used rewritable media, namely phase change and magnetic materials.
OBJECTIVES
The InProM project aims at giving to Europe the opportunity to compete in the large market of data storage. The success of the project would put the consortium in the position to play a key role in the future development of SPM based recording systems. Probe storage technologies are foreseen to be very promising for ultra high-density memories. With the Millipede, IBM Zurich has demonstrated storage device prototype, which offers an attractive solution for small sized, high capacity and low access time storage. Within this framework, the consortium's objective is to investigate, with the support of IBM, novel recording media for SPM (Scanning Probe Memory). The possibility to adapt efficient recording media, such as phase change and magnetic, to the Millipede concept, will be studied.
DESCRIPTION OF WORK
The work will focus on the development of phase change and magnetic media for SPM recording. Recording on phase change materials will be investigated using both electrical and thermal tips. In the first approach, Joule heating will be applied to induce reversible phase transition. In this case, the limited size of the heated volume ensures the rapid cooling necessary for amorphisation. A potential drawback is the reliability of a good contact, which will be thoroughly investigated. In the second approach, heating is ensured by heat conduction from thermal tips, such as the ones used by IBM in the Millipede. An appropriate design has to be investigated to ensure a sufficiently rapid cooling. For the development of a magnetic media, two solutions will be investigated. The first one consists in transferring the hard disc head architecture to a cantilever. Reading is achieved by means of a magnetoresistive sensor. For writing, we propose to use the MR element as a flux guide to focus an external magnetic field produced by a coil. Integrated MR sensors, compatible with the Millipede design, will be developed. As a second option, we propose to investigate the use of a MRAM type media. Here, data are stored in MRAM elements on the media. Readout is achieved by measuring the resistance of the element of the cell. The writing process will be performed by means of the supporting field of the conductor embedded below the cell. For all the proposed approaches, tribology is a key issue and will be intensively investigated. Three European laboratories are in charge of the technological work: CEA-LETI/DRFMC and MESA+ will perform experimental work of on phase change and magnetic materials. The Exeter University will be support this work by additional characterisation and simulations. The Inprom consortium will be supported by IBM Zurich who will join the technical discussion and supply thermal cantilevers.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques.
- natural scienceschemical sciencespolymer sciences
- engineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringelectronic engineeringsensors
- engineering and technologymechanical engineeringtribology
You need to log in or register to use this function
Keywords
Topic(s)
Call for proposal
Data not availableFunding Scheme
CSC - Cost-sharing contractsCoordinator
75752 PARIS CEDEX 15
France