Big Blue scientists claim to have moved
closer to getting huge amounts of data onto tiny devices.
The scientists say they have worked out
how to steer single atoms in a way that could create building blocks for
ultra-tiny storage devices.
Cyrus Hirjibehedin, a scientist at IBM's
Almaden Research Center in San Jose, California told Associated Press that
understanding and manipulating the behavior of atoms is critical to harnessing
the power of nanotechnology.
Atoms behave like tiny magnets and which
if they are kept stable over time can be used to store
data.
Hirjibehedin and colleague Andreas
Heinrich have managed to take an iron atom on a copper surface and to move its
magnetic orientation around. Now they are looking for an atom that
remains stable over a long time.
More here.