"Superman memory crystal": A memory That Could Store Hundreds Of Terabytes Indefinitely

"Superman memory crystal":  A memory That Could Store Hundreds Of Terabytes Indefinitely

Recently, there have been advances in the field of digital data storage that consists outstanding data density and super-long-term data storage. Due to its similarities to the “memory crystals” used in the Superman films, it has been dubbed the "Superman memory crystal."

Jingyu Zhang

Researchers at the University Of Southampton have created an extremely dense and durable memory that can hold 360TB of data on a single disc for ‘an indefinite amount of time’. The structure is made of glass and it can withstand temperatures up to 1,000 degrees celcius. The data is written to the special glass materials via a femtosecond laser which fires short, powerful bursts of light inside a dense three dimensional nanostructured glass.

The research is led by Jingyu Zhang from the University’s Optoelectronics Research Centre (ORC) and conducted under a joint project with Eindhoven University of Technology. 

The data is stored in three layers of nanostructured dots separated by five micrometers (millionths of a meter). Each dot contains information in the form of the intensity and polarization of the laser beam. Since there are five variables – the three dimensions plus polarization and intensity – the researchers refer to this technique as "5D data storage."

The data is stored in three layers of nanostructured dots separated by five micrometers

The self-assembled nanostructures change the way light travels through glass, modifying polarisation of light that can then be read by combination of optical microscope and a polariser, similar to that found in Polaroid sunglasses.

The result is an extremely stable and high-density data storage technique that would allow 360 TB of (almost) incorruptible data to be stored on a standard sized disc. Normally, you'd need close to eighty thousand DVDs to store that amount of data.

“We are developing a very stable and safe form of portable memory using glass, which could be highly useful for organisations with big archives. At the moment companies have to back up their archives every five to ten years because hard-drive memory has a relatively short lifespan,” says Jingyu.

The speed of writing is 12 kbit/sec although this could improve to around 8 mbit/sec if they use ferroelectric liquid crystals and finally to several Gbit/sec using magneto-optical spatial light modulation (MOSLM).

The speed of writing is 12 kbit/sec

Professor Peter Kazansky, the ORC’s group supervisor, adds: “It is thrilling to think that we have created the first document which will likely survive the human race. This technology can secure the last evidence of civilisation: all we’ve learnt will not be forgotten.”

"The most practical application is data storage device for storing high capacity important data," says Zhang. "The writing device will cost tens of thousands of pounds using current technology, but the reading device will be much cheaper, around a few hundreds pounds."

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Write by: RC - Thursday, July 11, 2013