THE UK DATA STORAGE NETWORK (DSNet-UK) C David Wright School of Engineering and Computer Science

1. THE UK DATA STORAGE NETWORK (DSNet-UK) C David Wright School of Engineering and Computer Science University of Exeter Exeter EX4 4QF, UK

2. The UK Data Storage Network Outline of Talk Data Storage in the UK Network Aims and Objectives Network Targets and Scope Network Membership Data Storage Families and Market Trends Technological Limits? Scanning Probe Based Storage - a new paradigm for small, low power, high density storage for ‘un-tethered’ applications ?

3. The UK Data Storage Scene According to UK Directory of Information Storage Manufacturing and R&D (2nd edition - DTI Publication - see http://www.mackintoshconsultants.co.uk) 54 UK Companies 15 UK Universities Involved in some aspect of data storage drive manufacture components and sub-assemblies test and manufacturing equipment consumables and services HP Bristol - digital tape systems - 1000+ employees Seagate Northern Ireland - HDD read/write heads - 1500+ employees Infortrend - Surrey - RAID controllers - 5 employees SomerData -Wells- PC-based real time data storage - 3 employees APH Industries - Buxton - HDD process chemicals - 60 employees

4. Aims of DSNet-UK To promote and grow an inclusive industrial-university network to determine appropriate goals, aspirations and development strategies for the UK's data storage research, technology and manufacturing base. Routes for the successful implementation of such strategies will then be explored and put in place. Likely to include: development of UK Data Storage 'Road Map' general and topical meetings and workshops invited addresses by world-leading (industrial) storage experts staff exchanges joint funding bids Steering Committee Chairman - Eddie Townsend (Xyratex) Co-ordinator - David Wright (University of Exeter) Members - Andrew Pauza (Plasmon), Eric Mayes (NanoMagnetics), Barry Middleton (University of Manchester), David Jenkins (University of Plymouth) DTI ‘Monitor’ - Nigel Mackintosh

5. Network targets and scope A UK Roadmap/strategy document by the end of month 9 (Dec 2004) 1 general and 2 topical meetings per year 1 invited world-leading industrial speaker per year 30 person/days exchanges per year joint funding applications totalling 1 million per year Aim to double the number of industrial members by months 18 Technological scope and priorities of the network will of course be heavily influenced by the outcome of the UK Roadmap exercise. However, likely focus is : magnetic recording (disk and tape) optical data storage (particularly phase-change) scanning probe based storage MRAM and PCRAM memories

6. Start-up membership Industrial NanoMagnetics - Bristol (Eric Mayes) Philips - Southampton (Simon Bramwell & John Kinghorn) Plasmon - Cambridge (Andrew Pauza) Xyratex - Havant (Eddie Townsend) Academic University of Aston (Prof John Sullivan - tribology) University of Central Lancashire (Prof Phil Bissell - noise in magnetic media) University of Exeter (Prof C David Wright - storage materials and systems) University of Glasgow (Prof John Chapman - electron microscopy) University of Manchester (Prof Barry Middleton - storage materials & systems) University of Plymouth (Prof Des Mapps - storage materials and systems) University of Sheffield (Prof Mike Gibbs - magnetic materials and SPM)

7. Industrial members - Xyratex Sites in UK, USA, Singapore, China Malaysia Fibre channel RAID - 690MBytes/s with up to 35TBytes storage

8. Industrial members - Plasmon Sites in UK and USA, 12 inch TrueWorm technology 5.25 inch MO jukebox technology Ultra Density Optical technology (UDO) UDO Roadmap

9. Industrial members - Philips Systems Laboratory Sites Worldwide Systems Lab in Southampton focuses on IC design for future optical disk formats (Multi-layer DVD, blu-ray, MAMMOS, near-field systems, portable formats etc) Optical card Portable blue

10. Industrial members - NanoMagnetics Site in Bristol UK Biologicallly inspired particulate media for high-density magnetic storage regular 8nm diameter with 4nm ferromagnetic core Focusing on low-cost, high-density flexible storage e.g. miniature floppy for removable applications with DVD-like capacity 100 million digital video tapes shipped in 2002 !

11. Mass storage families and markets Mass storage families Magnetic recording hard disks magnetic tapes (analogue & digital), floppy disks etc Optical recording CD, DVD, Blu-Ray magneto-optic (Sony Minidisc) etc Solid state storage Compact flash card, memory stick, USB drive etc Emerging technologies - MRAM, PCRAM SPM-based storage (MEMS-based storage)

12. Future market trends

13. A time for change ? A changing environment ? Personal computer has been dominant electronic platform in past (office tasks, e-mail, web, games, computing, data logging etc) -relatively power hungry Un-tethered (mobile) devices will be the dominant platform in the future (laptops, PDAs, digital cameras, mobile phones, personal music and video players etc etc) - need (ultra) low power and (ultra) small form factors Technological limits ? Magnetic recording - superparamagnetic limit - no clear cut way to true nanoscale storage? Optical recording - optical diffraction limit Solid-state storage - scaling problems ‘somewhere in the not too distant future we are going to have to change technologies to keep going forward’ Mark Kryder, Senior Vice President, Seagate Research ‘un-tethered devices will usher in a new component set, consisting of non-volatile PLDs, non-volatile memory, and MEMS-based storage’ Gilder Technology Report, March 2003

14. Some un-tethered platforms Philips HDD060 audio player 1.5GByte HDD-based storage 10 hr battery life, 150 euro PDA/pocket PC Samsung camera phone SGH-D410 2inch VGA display, 10MByte storage POP3/IMAP4 e-mail compliant games software still pictures plus 30 seconds MPEG video

15. Roadmap for storage density Atoms ? 10 Pbit/sq.in 30% CGR 1 Pbit/sq.in Molecules ? 100% CGR 100 Tbit/sq.in. HDD industry aiming for 1Tbit/sq.in. storage density by 2008 to 2012 20 25

16. Can we follow the roadmap ? 1 Tbit/sq.in 1 bit - 25 x 25nm by 2010 ?? 100 Tbit/sq.in. 1 bit - 2.5 x 2.5nm by 2020 ?? 1 Pbit/sq.in 1 bit - 0.8 x 0.8nm by 2025 ?? diameter cobalt atom - 0.25 nm If we continue to use surface storage, only available tools known today that can manipulate on these scales are based on scanning probe microscopy AFM, EFM, MFM, MRM, STM, etc Ultra-high density storage that is not lithographically dominated Alternatively - we need to consider volumetric storage

17. IBM Millipede Current status 1 Tbit/sq.in. demonstrated 10nJ per bit to write 64 x 64 tips erasability demonstated

18. Storage Evolution (from IBM) Drive Micro drive Nano drive

19. Practical Nanoscale Storage with PC material ? InProM Project GeSbTe alloy + electro-thermal recording + electrical readout 20 nm dot 100 nm pitch > 300 Gbit/sq.in 500 nm Contact recording - probes suitable for 2-D array low power - 0.1nJ per bit to record 10nm bits already achieved - 3nm stable even at high temperatures 50-100 Tbits/sq.in. possible? 1 Tbit/sq.in Image courtesy of Serge Gidon, Yves Samson, Olivier Bichet, CEA-LETI, Grenoble

20. Various Probes Storage Techniques Phase change Current (Joule) Polyimide Electric Electrostatic Ferroelectric Break down Electromigration Magnetic Tunnel barrier Magnetic field Molecules Thermal Magnetothermal Magnetic Mechanical Thermoplastic Polymers Mechanism Physical mode Media Pressure

21. Possible system performance 1st generation 5x5mm device, 2.5 GByte capacity, 4 Mbit/s data rate 40x40nm bits, 400 Gbit/sq.in., tip pitch 100m, 32x32 tip array, 4kbit/s per tip 2nd generation 1x1cm device, 20 GByte capacity, 50 Mbit/s data rate 25x25nm bits, 1Tbit/sq.in., tip pitch 100m, 64x64 tip array, 6kbit/s per tip 3rd generation 1x1cm device, 80 GByte capacity, 200 Mbit/s data rate 12x12nm bits, 4Tbit/sq.in., tip pitch 50m, 128x128 tip array, 12kbit/s per tip Millipede V1.0 3x3mm device, 1 GByte capacity, 1 Mbit/s data rate 40x40nm bits, 375 Gbit/sq.in., tip pitch 100m, 32x32 tip array, 1kbit/s per tip

22. Advent of the true single-chip computer ? • A true single-chip computer would consist of • CPU • fast-volatile core memory • mass storage • communications (i/o) • The mass-storage element is missing from today’s single-chip computers • If we could find a way to include it, we could open the way for true embedded intelligence • (truly intelligent behaviour needs lots of software and lots of processing - needs lots of memory) • Every appliance might become smart and communicative - true ambient intelligence To implement this with MEMS-based storage is the dream of several researchers world-wide (Richard Carley, CMU) e.g. CPU > 500MIPS, RAM > 64MB, Mass memory > 1GB, i/o > 100MB/s by 2010 ? Also require low cost (order magnitude lower than flash), low power

23. A way forward - research areas ? System architecture and integration development of probe array memories compatible with conventional IC processing development of alternatives to traditional cantilever architectures multiplexing, interconnections, coding, signal processing issues cost reductions (simple architectures, fewest contacts per tip, passive rather than active actuation, reduction in number of processing steps) actuation (scanning, tracking, tip approach - comb drives, linear electrostatic drives, piezo, other?) • Media development • write-once or rewritable media or both? • phase-change, magnetic, polymer, other? • low power write (and read) operation • high density capability (sub 10nm bits) • cyclability and archivability • high SNR capability • integration with IC processing Nanoscale science thermal and electrical properties on the nanoscale (ballistic conduction, quantum effects) material processes on the nanoscale (crystallisation/amorphisation, magnetic switching, melting/freezing, polymerisation)

24. Memory of the future ? Magnetic hard disk, with perpendicular/HAMR to 1Tbit/sq.in by 2010 - 2015 ? Too power hungry for next-generation dominant ‘un-tethered’ platforms ? Can we ever reach 50 - 100 Tbit/sq.in. with traditional granular media approach ? Phase-change media have thermodynamic stability for storage in the 50 - 100 Tbit/sq.in. range (chemical stability ?) - How do we write and read bits ~ 3 nm in size ? SPM-based techniques may hold the answer - EU is strong in this field ! Will disk-based 2-D storage always be King ? Users don’t care about what memory - just performance and cost What would we do with 1 Parabit/sq.in. density ? 10kB image, 5 frames/second, 75 years  1 Parabit video of entire life on 1 inch square !