- Scientists at UChicago PME develop a new atomic-scale data storage method
- Their approach uses crystal defects to store data as ones and zeroes
- Research combines quantum science, optical storage, and radiation dosimetry
All digital systems use bits, represented as ones and zeroes, to store, compute, and manage data. Storage device size has long been restricted by the physical scale of the binary data units, but scientists at the University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering (UChicago PME) have come up with an intriguing solution.
Their new method for data storage manipulates atomic-scale crystal defects – microscopic gaps where atoms are missing – so they can hold an electrical charge, allowing them to be designated as “ones” and “zeroes,” much like in binary data storage.
“It’s impossible to find crystals – in nature or artificial crystals – that don’t have defects,” explained Leonardo França, the study’s first author. “So what we are doing is we are taking advantage of these defects.”
Terabytes of bits in a 1mm cube
A paper detailing the breakthrough has been published in the journal Nanophotonics, as to develop the memory storage system, researchers used crystals of Yttrium oxide and added ions of praseodymium, a rare-earth element.
“When the crystal absorbs sufficient energy, it releases electrons and holes. And these charges are captured by the defects,” França said. “We can read that information. You can release the electrons, and we can read the information by optical means.”
This advancement draws on interdisciplinary research, combining principles from quantum science and optical storage. The work stems from earlier studies on radiation dosimeters – devices used to monitor radiation exposure levels in environments like hospitals and particle accelerators.
“We found a way to integrate solid-state physics applied to radiation dosimetry with a research group that works strongly in quantum, although our work is not exactly quantum,” said França.
“There is a demand for people who are doing research on quantum systems, but at the same time, there is a demand for improving the storage capacity of classical non-volatile memories. And it’s on this interface between quantum and optical data storage where our work is grounded.”
“Each memory cell is a single missing atom – a single defect,” explained Assistant Professor Tian Zhong from UChicago PME. “Now you can pack terabytes of bits within a small cube of material that’s only a millimeter in size.”
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