10TB hard drive in sight

Here, Seagate, Western Digital, and Hitachi form a coalition in hopes of ending the disputes between patterned media technology and heat-assisted magnetic recording technology and jointly developing next-generation mechanical hard drives. At the same time, Toshiba’s magnetic recording technology conference in San Diego, USA Announced that its patterned media technology has achieved a breakthrough.

In order to increase the storage density in the conventional hard disk, it is necessary to continuously reduce the particle size of the magnetic powder on the disk. When the size is reduced to a certain extent, the information stability cannot be guaranteed due to the influence of the superparamagnetic effect. The so-called patterned medium The technology is to use a lithography technology similar to that of a chip to etch a magnetic medium information dot arranged in a regular pattern on a hard disk platter. Each dot represents 1 bit data, which reduces mutual interference and helps the head to be positioned quickly.

Toshiba’s “Bit Patterning Media” technology demonstrated using a 17nm process etching mask to create a prototype of a storage disk with a regular pattern. This is the first time that a regular pattern of magnetic storage media has appeared outside the laboratory and is also the first time there is a hard disk. The manufacturer succeeded in "controlling the high-density tracks composed of magnetic polymer dots flying over the heads of the self-assembled polymer." Toshiba demonstrated a prototype sample with a storage density of 2.5 Tb/sq., which is close to the current storage density of 541GB/sq. Times conversion, using this technology will achieve three-disc 10TB capacity hard drive. In the future, Toshiba also plans to further reduce the 17nm data points below 10nm, to achieve 5Tb per square inch storage density.

Toshiba said that they have tried patterned media technology and heat-assisted magnetic recording technology, but now it seems that patterned media technology is easier to implement. In addition, they have not yet decided whether to join Seagate, Western Digital, Hitachi Technology alliance.