Data Storage: Shingled Tracks Stack Up Science News

4/18/13
Data storage: Shingled tracks stack up
News
Articles
Videos
Images
Books
Reference
Health & Medicine
Mind & Brain
Plants & Animals
Earth & Climate
Space & Time
Matter & Energy
Science News
... from universities, journals, and other research organizations
Data Storage: Shingled Tracks Stack Up
Apr. 10, 2013 — Simply changing the pattern by
which data is recorded may lead to increased hard
drive capacities.
Share This:
Like
20
Tw eet
13
0
2
Related Ads:
Study Science
Data Storage
Shingle Roofing
Engineering
See Also:
Matter & Energy
Medical Technology
Batteries
Transportation
Science
Electronics
Alternative Fuels
Engineering
Reference
Aerodynamics
Electromagnetic
radiation
Seismometer
Hydrogeology
Modern hard drive technology is
reaching its limits. Engineers have
increased data-storage capacities by
reducing the widths of the narrow
tracks of magnetic material that
record data inside a hard drive.
Narrowing these tracks has required
a concordant reduction in the size of
the magnetic write head -- the device
used to create them. However, it is
physically difficult to reduce the size
of write heads any further. Kim Keng
Teo and co-workers at the A*STAR
Data Storage Institute, Singapore,
and the Niigata Institute of
Technology, Japan, have recently
performed an analysis that highlights
the promise of an alternative
approach, which may sidestep this
problem completely.
In a conventional hard drive, a write
head stores data by applying a
magnetic field to a series of parallel,
non-overlapping tracks. Halving the
width of the track effectively doubles
the data-storage capacity, but also
requires the size of the write head to
be halved. The head therefore
produces less magnetic field than is
needed to enable stable data
storage. This is because the small
magnetic grains that are
characteristic of modern hard drive
media need to be thermally stable at
room temperature.
Shingled magnetic recording
represents a step towards solving this problem as it allows for
narrower track widths without smaller write heads. Rather than
writing to non-overlapping tracks, the approach overlaps tracks
just as shingles on a roof overlap (see image). Tracks are
written in a so-called 'raster' pattern, with new data written to
one side only of the last-written track.
Teo and co-workers analyzed the scaling behavior of this
approach by using both numerical analysis and experimental
verification. Their results showed that the size of the data track
is not limited by the size of the write head, as in conventional
hard drives. Instead, the track size is limited by the size of the
magnetic read head, and by the 'erase bandwidth', which
represents the portion of the track edge that is affected by
adjacent tracks.
"This is a paradigm shift for the industry," says Teo. "A
relatively small difference in the way that writing occurs calls
for a completely new approach to head design." Teo expects
the shingled approach to be a useful stop-gap measure prior to
the arrival of more advanced, next-generation technologies in
the next decade or so that will apply more radical modifications
to the hard drive such as the use of heat to assist the write
head.
The A*STAR-affiliated researchers contributing to this research
are from the Data Storage Institute.
Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:
Like
20
Tw eet
Search ...
13
0
Save
Email
Fossils & Ruins
Print
Share
Just In:
Gene Regulates Heart's Ability to Regenerate
more break ing science news
Ads by Google
Roof Repair & Maintenance — Quality
Waterproofing Services. Free Site Consultation.
Enquire Now
... > www​
.advancewaterproofing​
.com​
.sg
Keep Your Brain Young — Sharpen Your Memory
With Brain Games Made By Neuroscientists
... > www​
.lumosity​
.com
Sir Richard Branson @ NAC — 20% off General
& VIP tickets Book now with promo code: 20LESS
... > www​
.​
N​
A​
Csingapore​
.com​
/​
Sign-​
Up
Computer Science Course — Postgraduate and
undergraduate courses at Newcastle University.
... > study​
.cs​
.ncl​
.ac​
.uk
Related Stories
Data Storage: Going With the Grain (Oct. 25,
2012) — Reducing information stored in magnetic
thin films to the physical size of single grains could
improve computer hard ... > read more
Social Networks
Recommend ScienceDaily on Facebook, Twitter,
and Google +1:
Like
Send
57,238 people like this.
Hard Coating Extends the Life of New
Ultrahigh-Density Storage Device (Sep.
Tw eet 25K
Follow 58.8K follow ers
12, 2012) — Probe storage devices read
and write data by making nanoscale marks on a
+6644 Recommend this on Google
surface through physical contact. The technology
may one day extend the data density limits of
Other book mark ing and sharing tools:
conventional magnetic and ... > read more
|
Share
Share
Share
Share
Share
Share
Share
Share
Share
80.3K
Data Storage: Keeping Things in
Place (Aug. 2, 2012) — Fluid dynamics
simulations aim to better predict how air
circulating in a hard disk drive perturbs the vibrating
read/write ... > read more
Hard Drives: A Bit of Progress (May 9,
2012) — A modified approach to
fabrication of magnetic memory elements
may lead to a new generation of stable, ultra-highcapacity hard ... > read more
Data Storage: World Record Data Density for
Ferroelectric Recording (Aug. 17, 2010) —
Scientists in Japan have recorded data at a density
of 4 trillion bits per square inch, a world record for
the experimental "ferroelectric" data storage
method. This density is about eight times the ...
> read more
Ads by Google
Toxic Waste Management — NEA-approved. One
stop Industries Waste Recovery & Management
... > nsloilchem​
.com​
.sg​
/​
Call_6863-5270
NS Get Moving Blog — Be a Part of a Vibrant
Online Community for NS men. Join Us Now!
... > www​
.ns​
.sg​
/​
N​
S-​
Fit-​
Life-​
Blogs
Sec 1/2 Maths and Science — IP for RI, RGS,
Nanyang, HCI and ACS - Maths and Science
Program ... > www​
.doctorpeh​
.com
#1 SD Card Recovery — How to Recover SD Card
in 3 Steps. Very Easy Info (Recommended)
... > ​
S​
D​
.​
Card​
Recovery​
Pro​
.com
Breaking News
... from NewsDaily.com
Last-minute glitch postpones debut of new U.S.
rocket
Test launch of private rocket scrubbed in US
East Coast test rocket launch scrubbed
Wednesday's test rocket launch scrubbed by
private firm contracted to supply space station
Scientists decode DNA of 'living fossil' fish
APNewsBreak: Diplomats: Iran ups nuke
technology
Chinese marathon bomb victim remembered as
bright
Colorado River tops 2013 endangered waterways
list
Pressure cookers help make good bombs _ and
clues
Other social book mark ing and sharing tools:
Share
Share
Share
Share
Share
Share
Share
Share
Share
|
Go
Computers & Math
2
New U.S. rocket cleared for test flight from
Virginia spaceport
NASA OKs East Coast rocket test launch this
week
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/04/130410114113.htm
1/2
4/18/13
Data storage: Shingled tracks stack up
more science news
Story Source:
In Other News ...
The above story is reprinted from materials provided by The
Agency for Science, Technology and Research
(A*STAR).
Texas fertilizer plant
explosion leaves
injured
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For
further information, please contact the source cited above.
Serbia, Kosovo talks
fail once again
Ex-unionist tipped as
Italy holds
presidential poll
Journal Reference:
1. Kim Keng Teo, Moulay Rachid Elidrissi, Kheong Sann
Chan, Yasushi Kanai. Analysis and design of shingled
magnetic recording systems. Journal of Applied Physics,
2012; 111 (7): 07B716 DOI: 10.1063/1.3679383
North Korea
demands end of
sanctions if U.S.
wants dialogue
Kerry blames Iran for
attack on Iraq camp
Need to cite this story in your essay, paper, or report? Use
one of the following formats:
APA
MLA
North Korea lays out
tough conditions for
talks
The Agency for Science, Technology and
Research (A*STAR) (2013, April 10). Data
storage: Shingled tracks stack up.
ScienceDaily. Retrieved April 18, 2013, from
http://www.sciencedaily.com​
/releases/2013/04/130410114113.htm
Military court
upholds secrecy in
WikiLeaks trial
French PM urges
calm as gay
marriage heads to
final vote
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily
reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
Search ScienceDaily
Find with k eyword(s):
Number of stories in archives: 135,564
Search
Enter a keyword or phrase to search ScienceDaily's archives for related news topics,
the latest news stories, reference articles, science videos, images, and books.
Stage set for battle
over Canada-US
pipeline
Suspect arrested in
US over Obama ricin
letter
U.S. sends Army
planners to Amman
but wary of Syria
intervention
more top news
Free Subscriptions
... from ScienceDaily
Get the latest science news with our free email
newsletters, updated daily and weekly. Or view
hourly updated newsfeeds in your RSS reader:
Email Newsletters
RSS Newsfeeds
Feedback
... we want to hear from you!
Tell us what you think of ScienceDaily -- we
welcome both positive and negative comments.
Have any problems using the site? Questions?
Your Name:
Your Email:
Comments:
Click button to submit feedback:
Save
Email
Send It
Print
Share
About ScienceDaily® | Editorial Staff | Awards & Reviews | Contribute News | Advertise With Us | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use
Copyright © 1995-2012 ScienceDaily LLC — All rights reserved — Contact: [email protected]
Note: This web site is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/04/130410114113.htm
2/2