Protein-Based Disk Recording at Areal Densities beyond 10 Terabits/in. 2
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Recording at Areal Densities beyond 10 Terabits/in.2
S. Khizroev, R. Ikkawi, N. Amos, R. Chomko, V. Renugopalakrishnan, R. Haddon, and D. Litvinov Abstract The concept of optical protein-based memory has been of interest since the early 1970s. Yet, no commercially available protein-based memory devices exist. This review presents an analysis of the main challenges associated with the practical implementation of such devices. In addition, the discussion includes details on the potential of using the unparalleled properties of photochromic proteins by creating an optical data storage disk drive with unmatched features and, particularly, record-high data densities and rates.
Introduction It is a historical time for the information storage industry. Conventional technology is facing an inevitable end because of a fundamental limit to the laws of scaling. Because the superparamagnetic limit was recently reached, the industry was forced to abandon longitudinal magnetic recording in favor of perpendicular recording.1–3 Perpendicular recording offers a factor of three to five improvement in the data density, which makes it an incremental solution to the growing demand for information storage. A number of technologies have been proposed to further defer the limit. The two most popular alternatives are patterned media4–6 and heat-assisted magnetic recording.7–10 These technologies promise to defer the superparamagnetic limit beyond 1 terabit (Tb)/in.2. However, because of the large number of open questions associated with any of the proposed technologies, it might still be premature for a reliable forecast on how far and how fast any of these alternatives could take the industry.11,12 The industry does not have a consensus on the technology to pursue beyond three to five years from today. Nonetheless, the demand for higher data density of storage and mem-
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ory devices is growing exponentially, especially with the ever-increasing use of the Internet, explosive growth of broadband communication, increasingly complex multimedia mobile devices, and rapid expansion of on-demand databases serving multinational businesses.13 The concept of optical protein-based memory has been of interest since the early 1970s.14 Yet, no commercially available protein-based memory devices exist. In this review, we analyze the main challenges associated with the practical implementation of such devices. In addition, we discuss the feasibility of exploiting the truly unparalleled properties of photochromic proteins by realizing an optical data storage disk drive with unmatched features and, particularly, record-high data densities and rates. It appears that much of the early research on protein-based electronic devices was conducted in the former Soviet Union during the Cold War, in an effort to jump ahead of Western computing technologies, mostly for military purposes.15 Although most results remain classified, Soviet work on bacteriorhodopsin (BR) has become widely known and has triggered extensive
research in this field in Western countrie
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