- Uchicago PME scientists develop a new atomic data storage method
- Their approach uses crystal defects to store data as zero
- Research combines quantum science, optical storage and dosimetry of radiation
All digital systems use bits, represented like those and zeros, to store, calculate and manage data. The size of the storage devices has long been limited by the physical scale of binary data units, but the scientists of the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering from the University of Chicago (Uchicago PME) have found an intriguing solution.
Their new method for storage of data handles crystalline defects on a atomic scale – microscopic gaps where atoms are missing – so that they can hold an electrical load, which allows them to be designated as “those” and “zeros”, a bit like in the storage of binary data.
“It is impossible to find crystals – of artificial nature or crystals – which have no faults,” said Leonardo França, the first author of the study. “So what we do is that we take advantage of these faults.”
Bits teraoctets in a 1 mm cube
An article detailing the breakthrough was published in the review NanophotonicTo develop the memory storage system, the researchers used yttrium oxide crystals and added praseodymium ions, a rare earth element.
“When the crystal absorbs enough energy, it releases electrons and holes. And these accusations are captured by faults, “said França. “We can read this information. You can release the electrons and we can read the information by optical means. »»
This progression is based on interdisciplinary research, combining principles of quantum science and optical storage. The work arises from previous studies on radiation dosimters – devices used to monitor levels of exposure to radiation in environments such as hospitals and particle accelerators.
“We have found a way to integrate physics into the solid state applied to the dosimetry of radiation with a research group that works strongly in quantum, although our work is not exactly quantum,” said França.
“There is a demand from people who are researching quantum systems, but at the same time, there is a demand for improving the storage capacity of non -volatile conventional memories. And it is on this interface between the quantum and optical storage of the data where our work is put to the ground. »»
“Each memory cell is only one missing atom – a single defect,” said assistant professor Tian Zhong of Uchicago PME. “Now you can wrap bits from bits in a small cube of size material only a millimeter.”
