Molecule-sized bit storage could pave the way for petabyte SSD's

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Researchers store memory bit on a lone molecule, could pave the way for petabyte SSDs
By Steve Dent  posted Jul 11th 2012 at 3:01AM



The Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) just deflated the size of a bit down to a solitary nanometer -- the length of an organic molecule.

The international research team managed it by first embedding a magnetized iron atom into a molecule made up of 51 atoms, then taking advantage of so-called memristive and spintronic properties.

By applying a current, they flipped the atom's magnetic charge, altering the resistance of the molecule as well -- which they subsequently measured, storing a bit.

Compared to a typical magnetic drive which needs 3 million atoms per bit, a device made this way could theoretically store 50 thousand times as much data in the same size -- and would be an all-electric device, to boot. If the research ever pans out, a terabyte magnetic drive could turn into a 50 petabyte solid state unit -- hopefully ready in time for all those 4K home movies you'll need to store one day soon.

The Register
KIT

http://www.engadget.com/2012/07/11/researchers-store-memory-bit-one-molecule/