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Western Digital's HDD capacity doubles

21.03.2013

A new technology for manufacturing hard disk platters doubles the capacity of today's hard drives and solves the problem of further increasing data density. Researchers at Hitachi GST, which was acquired by Western Digital in March 2012, have developed a new method for manufacturing hard drive platters. It allows you to double the capacity of drives and continue to increase capacity over time, according to Technology Review.

The information in a hard disk is stored in a magnetic material on the surface of a rotating platter. During the manufacturing process, this material is applied to the plate in the form of a thin film. Information is recorded by changing the orientation of the magnetic field of individual sections of the material, known as domains. A group of domains with one direction of the magnetic field forms one bit of information.

The technology for storing information in domains was developed in the 50s, since then scientists have repeatedly come up with ways to increase the recording density by reducing the area of areas required to store one bit. However, it is impossible to reduce these areas indefinitely, because the phenomenon of superparamagnetism begins to manifest itself, in which the magnetic field in the areas of the disk surface takes the same direction as in neighboring areas, which leads to the loss of information. At present, producers are approaching the border beyond which further reduction of areas will not be possible.

To solve the problem, HGST scientists placed magnetic dots, 10 nm in diameter, on the magnetic platter of a hard drive using nanoprinting technology, placing them next to each other in a circle. The researchers demonstrated the ability of the magnetic head to write and read data from these points. They were able to fit 1,2 trillion "magnetic islands" onto one square inch of a platter - enough to store about 1 TB on a 2,5-inch platter, twice the density of today's hard drives. And since the diameter of the dots can be reduced, the density can be even higher.

Nanoprinting technology first appeared in the mid-90s. Its essence lies in applying a soft material to the target surface using a hard stamp with a special stencil. The imprint is used to modify the surface by etching or applying an additional layer. The soft material is then removed and the surface takes on the desired pattern.

Hard drives using nanoprinting technology could be commercially available by the end of this decade, scientists say. According to vice president of HGST Research Currie Munce, nanoprinting technology will be able to approach the physical limit in 15-20 years.

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The car should not drive silently 21.04.2014

Within five years, all new "green" cars intended for operation in the EU countries will be equipped with devices that imitate the sound of the engine. This unusual measure is primarily aimed at improving the safety of blind or visually impaired pedestrians.

According to European authorities, cars with hybrid and all-electric power plants should be equipped with a sound generator that will imitate the sound of an engine, thereby warning pedestrians about the approach of a car.

Europe and the US have long been concerned about the noiselessness of environmentally friendly vehicles. The peculiarity of such cars is that they make almost no noise when driving, so they can threaten the lives of cyclists and pedestrians, primarily the blind and visually impaired. There is also a growing number of accidents involving inattentive mobile device users, who often walk down the street with their eyes on the screen of their "device".

In accordance with the decision of the European Parliament and the Council of the EU, by July 1, 2019, all new hybrid and electric vehicles will have to be equipped with a special acoustic warning system (Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System, AVAS). The main requirements for the operation of this system should be approved by mid-2017.

The need to install engine sound simulators in "green" cars was announced in 2010 by the UK Ministry of Transport. In the same year, the automaker Lotus introduced its own sound generator, and Toyota began equipping the Prius model offered in the Japanese market with similar devices. Toyota's device, for example, emits a sound similar to the operation of a car engine, and the frequency of the sound changes depending on the speed of the hybrid car. In the European region, the French company Renault and the Norwegian Think are developing a similar sound generator.

If "green" cars in Europe should become noisier, then cars with traditional gasoline and diesel engines are quieter. MEPs have voted to reduce engine noise by 4dB by July 2016 in conventional passenger cars, buses and vans. Trucks should be 3dB quieter. Noise pollution in European countries is expected to decrease by 25% by 2026.

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