Nanomaterials for Smart Data Storage
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Southampton
Department Name: Optoelectronics Research Ctr (closed)
Abstract
Demand for data storage continues to grow at over 40% per annum, in part as a result of increasing movement of data to
the cloud. All segments of the hard drive market remain in demand and the recording transducer is critical for storage
capacity. A total of 25% of the world's transducers are manufactured in the UK thus we have a unique opportunity to grow
this market as demand for this highly complex nanoengineered component increases. This project will deliver smart
nanophotonic materials to be used in the writer for the next hard drive technology transition using Heat Assisted Magnetic
Recording, due in 2018. The very high performance demands and fluctuating operating temperature make reliable
operation difficult to achieve in prototype devices today. The solution is to make this key component from smart materials
which self-compensate for these thermal effects as well as providing other functionality. The UK has world class capability
in the area of nanophotonics (UoS) and material discovery and optimization (Ilika) and this project provides an opportunity
to develop these materials for improved product performance and competitiveness for the manufacturing business of end
user Seagate.
the cloud. All segments of the hard drive market remain in demand and the recording transducer is critical for storage
capacity. A total of 25% of the world's transducers are manufactured in the UK thus we have a unique opportunity to grow
this market as demand for this highly complex nanoengineered component increases. This project will deliver smart
nanophotonic materials to be used in the writer for the next hard drive technology transition using Heat Assisted Magnetic
Recording, due in 2018. The very high performance demands and fluctuating operating temperature make reliable
operation difficult to achieve in prototype devices today. The solution is to make this key component from smart materials
which self-compensate for these thermal effects as well as providing other functionality. The UK has world class capability
in the area of nanophotonics (UoS) and material discovery and optimization (Ilika) and this project provides an opportunity
to develop these materials for improved product performance and competitiveness for the manufacturing business of end
user Seagate.
Planned Impact
The proposal addresses an area of significant national importance and addresses several EPSRC priorities in Advanced
Materials, Photonics for Future Systems, Towards an Intelligent Information Infrastructure, Quantum Technology Hubs and
physics grand challenges and Nanoscale Design of Functional Materials.
Our proposal will make a significant contribution to the training of a mid-career post-doctoral researchers, Dr Chung-Che
Huang (ORC) who will be mentored by Professor Hewak. Other post-doctoral students and PhD students working in
related areas will also benefit. Our proposal compliments that of several research groups in the UK and our results will
feed into and strengthen the UK foundation in this area.
We will disseminate our overall results in high-impact journals and will present this interdisciplinary work at a wide range of
conferences such as (E-)MRS (materials), CLEO and LEOS (optoelectronics), Semicon West and EPCOS (electronics),
SPIE Photonics West (opto-semiconductors) and ICANS (amorphous semiconductors).
Results of the research will be exploited through the Research and Innovation Services (R&IS) group at Southampton. We
aim for the first technological outputs of this programme to demonstrate commercial potential by the end of the project and
would look for routes to bring successful work to market. To this end we will focus on strengthening our links with future
exploiters including our previous licensee, Ilika Technologies Ltd. We will also pursue entrepreneurial and start-up activity
with Set Squared.
Materials, Photonics for Future Systems, Towards an Intelligent Information Infrastructure, Quantum Technology Hubs and
physics grand challenges and Nanoscale Design of Functional Materials.
Our proposal will make a significant contribution to the training of a mid-career post-doctoral researchers, Dr Chung-Che
Huang (ORC) who will be mentored by Professor Hewak. Other post-doctoral students and PhD students working in
related areas will also benefit. Our proposal compliments that of several research groups in the UK and our results will
feed into and strengthen the UK foundation in this area.
We will disseminate our overall results in high-impact journals and will present this interdisciplinary work at a wide range of
conferences such as (E-)MRS (materials), CLEO and LEOS (optoelectronics), Semicon West and EPCOS (electronics),
SPIE Photonics West (opto-semiconductors) and ICANS (amorphous semiconductors).
Results of the research will be exploited through the Research and Innovation Services (R&IS) group at Southampton. We
aim for the first technological outputs of this programme to demonstrate commercial potential by the end of the project and
would look for routes to bring successful work to market. To this end we will focus on strengthening our links with future
exploiters including our previous licensee, Ilika Technologies Ltd. We will also pursue entrepreneurial and start-up activity
with Set Squared.
People |
ORCID iD |
| Dan Hewak (Principal Investigator) |
Publications
Huang, C
(2016)
Emerging CVD technology for functional chalcogenide materials
Huang, C.C.
(2016)
Advanced CVD technology for emerging transition metal di-chalcogenides
Lin, H
(2016)
Glass-on-2-D-material photonics
Nikolaos Aspiotis
(2017)
Large scale CVD 2D heterostructures
Zhang H
(2016)
Enhanced all-optical modulation in a graphene-coated fibre with low insertion loss.
in Scientific reports
| Description | A screening of 2D materials for potential applications in next generation computer technology. Expansion of material base to nitrides. Incorporation of these materials into a computer. Southampton's role in this project was to deliver smart nanophotonic materials to be used in the writer for the next hard drive technology transition using Heat Assisted Magnetic Recording, now due in 2019. The very high performance demands and fluctuating operating temperature make reliable operation difficult to achieve in prototype devices today. The solution is to make this key component from smart materials which self-compensate for these thermal effects as well as providing other functionality. Southampton has world class capability in the area of nanophotonics and material optimization and characterization and this project provides an opportunity to develop these materials for improved product performance and competitiveness for the manufacturing business of end user Seagate. |
| Exploitation Route | Application in other technological fields to be explored. We have made available improved 2D materials and have provided samples to UK and international partners through formal Material Transfer Agreement. Engaging with users of these materials in this way will accelerate implementation of these materials. |
| Sectors | Aerospace, Defence and Marine,Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software),Electronics,Energy,Healthcare |
| URL | https://blog.seagate.com/business/seagate-continues-to-lead-as-hamr-technology-advances/ |
| Description | Evaluation of materials we have synthesized by industry in the UK and USA.. The consortium provided Southampton with valuable experience working with industrial partners. It continued to build a relationship with Ilika Technologies Ltd, expanding its interactions to new families of materials and application spaces. Working with Seagate (Ireland) Inc provided a unique opportunity to engage with a large multinational and world leading manufacturer of specialized electronics. To gain insight how such organizations undertake higher TRL level research provided useful experience which will benefit our future interactions with industry and manufacturing in the UK. Seagate will use the nitride material developed within this project as part of the HAMR transducer in HAMR hard drive product in early 2019. Ilika will publish many of the results from nitride optimisation work carried out within the project and determine if this is of interest to other companies with the semiconductor and photonics industries. Southampton will continue to disseminate results through conference presentations, workshop, invited talks and publications, where it is able to under the terms of our intellectual property agreement. It will continue to utilize knowledge gained in its internal research programme. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2019 |
| Sector | Chemicals,Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software),Electronics |
| Impact Types | Societal,Economic |
| Title | New Processes |
| Description | Ellipsometry of 2D materials Improved annealing processes for 2D materials Processes for lower temperature deposition of 2D materials |
| Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
| Year Produced | 2017 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | The Nanomaterials for Data Storage project has successfully demonstrated new materials with new capabilities to improve read write transducer reliability and performance in next generation hard drive products. High thermal conductivity materials have been processed at Seagate's wafer fabrication facility with follow on electrical testing to verify that the nitride based materials have enabled reduced thermal effects in the transducer, translating into a 25% gain in the ability to set the distance between the head and the disk. This will enable reduced time to product launch for the Heat Assisted Magnetic Recording (HAMR) hard drive technology due to reach the market in early 2019. Advanced material synthesis and test capability at the partner organisations, Ilika and University of Southampton was used to facilitate material optimisation and exploration with many alternative options. |
| Title | Material Database |
| Description | Southampton's role in this project was to deliver smart nanophotonic materials to be used in the writer for the next hard drive technology transition using Heat Assisted Magnetic Recording, now due in 2019. The very high performance demands and fluctuating operating temperature make reliable operation difficult to achieve in prototype devices today. The solution is to make this key component from smart materials which self-compensate for these thermal effects as well as providing other functionality. In this project we undertook material depositions and characterization of over 150 materials and deposition protocols which are now available in an electronic database. |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2016 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | We have made available improved 2D materials and have provided samples to UK and international partners through formal Material Transfer Agreement. Engaging with users of these materials in this way will accelerate implementation of these materials. |
| Description | Smart Materials for Data Storage |
| Organisation | Ilika |
| Department | Ilika Technologies Ltd. |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | HAMR is a technology designed to enable the next big increase in the amount of data that can be stored on a hard drive. It uses a new kind of media magnetic technology on each disk that allows data bits, or grains, to become smaller and more densely packed than ever, while remaining magnetically stable. A small laser diode attached to each recording head heats a tiny spot on the disk, which enables the recording head to flip the magnetic polarity of each very stable bit, enabling data to be written. Our research team provided expertise in our knowledge of advanced materials to the industrial partner Seagate to help them indentify materials more suitable in the hard drives they were developing. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The Nanomaterials for Data Storage project has successfully demonstrated new materials with new capabilities to improve read write transducer reliability and performance in next generation hard drive products. High thermal conductivity materials have been processed at Seagate's wafer fabrication facility with follow on electrical testing to verify that the nitride based materials have enabled reduced thermal effects in the transducer, translating into a 25% gain in the ability to set the distance between the head and the disk. This will enable reduced time to product launch for the Heat Assisted Magnetic Recording (HAMR) hard drive technology due to reach the market in early 2019. Advanced material synthesis and test capability at the partner organisations, Ilika and University of Southampton was used to facilitate material optimisation and exploration with many alternative options. The Nanomaterials for Data Storage has resulted in strong working relationship between Seagate, llika and the University of Southampton. As a result of this another Innovate UK funded project, Photonic Material Process for Data Storage, is underway. The aim of this project is to put in place a mechanism for continued business interaction between Seagate and Ilika. Also, the University of Southampton has been able to quickly demonstrate material properties and measurements in several areas that are of interest to Seagate. It is hoped that one of these areas can become the focus on a future Innovate UK funded project. The partners are actively working on this at the moment. |
| Impact | Ellipsometry of 2D materials Improved annealing processes for 2D materials Processes for lower temperature deposition of 2D materials Invited to Participate Knowledge Transfer Network, UK led workshop: Contact: Monika Dunkel monika.dunkel@ktn-uk.org Participated in Flexible and Printed Electronics, Displays & Photonics demonstrator workshop, 21 November 2017, Cambridge |
| Start Year | 2016 |
| Description | Future Photonics Hub, 20 Sept 2018 Southampton |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | The Future Photonics Hub Industry Day, taking place on 20 September 2018 at the University of Southampton, aims to unite the UK's excellent science base with companies, R&D organisations and funding agencies; and showcase the latest research in new, practical and commercial photonics manufacturing technologies. A highlight of the event is the keynote speaker, Dr Benn Thomsen of Microsoft Research, who joins the programme of invited speakers and expert scientists presenting in a series of five sessions on key photonics technology platforms. In his opening keynote speech, 'Opportunities and challenges for photonics in the cloud', Benn will address how cloud computing is driving a phenomenal growth in data centre computing and network infrastructure, and the openings that this creates for photonics-based solutions: "At Microsoft we are inventing future, non-legacy-based technologies to empower the next generation of the cloud; by creating new types of storage, network and compute resources that exploit optics. In this talk I will try to put some of these challenges into context and give a glimpse into some of the things we are currently working on in the photonics space." 'Opportunities for UK photonics' is a major theme for the day and the focus an afternoon session in which invited speakers Ben Whitaker, Innovation Partner at the Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) Georgios Papadakis, Innovate UK's Innovation Lead for Electronics, Sensors and Photonics Dr John Lincoln, CEO of the Photonics Leadership Group present their inputs on the topic. Further sessions will cover progress in silicon photonics, advanced materials, optical fibres and lasers from leading researchers including Professors David Richardson and Graham Reed, discussing solutions for next-generation data communications; and Professors Nikolay Zheludev and Dan Hewak discussing the volume manufacturing of 2D and metamaterials. The opening and closing of the programme will be given by Professor Sir David Payne, Director of the Hub and Southampton's Optoelectronics Research Centre (ORC). The Industry Day is aimed at those working in research, the photonics industry or in one of the many industries enabled by photonics, and offers plenty of opportunities for networking in the welcome brunch and packed exhibition which runs throughout the event. Attendees also have the chance for one-to-one meetings with key investigators and to tour Southampton's £120M cleanroom complex. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | https://www.zeplerinstitute.ac.uk/news/6369 |
| Description | Materials Research Exchange, 12 March 2018, London |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | The 2018 Materials Research Exchange and Investor Showcase, organised by the Knowledge Transfer Network and Innovate UK and supported by EPSRC and Dstl provides an excellent platform to help develop commercial success of UK-generated materials research and innovation. Taking place on 12 and 13 March, 2018 at the Business Design Centre, London it will provide an ideal opportunity to absorb current trends and take a glimpse of future innovations. The UK is an acknowledged global hub of excellence in materials research and know-how. This event will demonstrate the groundbreaking new materials and processes to industry to accelerate the process of taking these through to commercialisation. From metals, powders and textiles to graphene and polymers - innovations in advanced materials research have numerous applications across a wide range of sectors. MRE2018 will be the largest and finest materials innovation event of the year... designed by those working in materials for the materials sector to engage with key application sectors in the UK and beyond. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | http://www.rsc.org/events/detail/30124/materials-research-exchange-and-investor-showcase-2018 |
| Description | SPIE Photonics West |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Approximately 80 industrials stopped by our exhibition in the SPIE Photonics West Exhibit, held 27 Jan-1 Feb 2018, San Francisco, USA. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | https://www.zeplerinstitute.ac.uk/events/spie-photonics-west-2018 |
| Description | Thin Films in Hard Drive Technology |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Visit of industrial partners Seagate Inc and Ilika Technologies Ltd and their staff to the Zepler Institute Clean Room facility followed by discussions on the use of 2D materials in products made by Seagate |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |