Light is the most energy-efficient way of moving information. Yet, light shows one big limitation: it is difficult to store. As a matter of fact, data centers rely primarily on magnetic hard drives. However, in these hard drives, information is transferred at an energy cost that is nowadays exploding. Researchers of the Institute of Photonic Integration of the Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) have developed a 'hybrid technology' which shows the advantages of both light and magnetic hard drives. Ultra-short (femtosecond) light pulses allows data to be directly written in a magnetic memory in a fast and highly energy-efficient way. Moreover, as soon as the information is written (and stored), it moves forward leaving space to empty memory domains to be filled in with new data. This research, published in Nature Communications , promises to revolutionize the process of data storage in future photonic integrated circuits.
Data are stored in hard drives in the form of 'bits', tiny magnetic domains with a North and a South pole. The direction of these poles ('magnetization'), determines whether the bits contain a digital 0 or a 1. Writing the data is achieved by 'switching' the direction of the magnetization of the associated bits.
Synthetic ferrimagnets
Mark Lalieu , PhD candidate at the Applied Physics Department of TU/e: 'All-optical switching for data storage has been known for about a decade. When all-optical switching was first observed in ferromagnetic materials - amongst the most promising materials for magnetic memory devices - this research field gained a great boost'. However, the switching of the magnetization in these materials requires multiple laser pulses and, thus, long data writing times.
Storing data a thousand times faster
So how does all-optical switching compare to modern magnetic storage technologies? Lalieu: "The switching of the magnetization direction using the single-pulse all-optical switching is in the order of picoseconds, which is about a 100 to 1000 times faster than what is possible with today's technology. Moreover, as the optical information is stored in magnetic bits without the need of energy-costly electronics, it holds enormous potential for future use in photonic integrated circuits."
'On-the-fly' data writing
Koopmans: "This 'on the fly' copying of information between light and magnetic racetracks, without any intermediate electronic steps, is like jumping out of a moving high-speed train to another one. From a 'photonic Thalys' to a 'magnetic ICE', without any intermediate stops. You will understand the enormous increase in speed and reduction in energy consumption that can be achieved in this way".
What's next? This research was performed on micrometric wires. In the future, smaller devices in the nanometer scale should be designed for better integration on chips. In addition, working towards the final integration of the photonic memory device, the Physics of Nanostructure group is currently also busy with the investigation on the read-out of the (magnetic) data, which can be done all-optically as well.
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Reference
'Integrating optical switching with spintronics' by M.L.M. Lalieu, R. Lavrijsen and B. Koopmans is published online in Nature Communications. Lalieu is a PhD candidate in the Physics of Nanostructures group of the Department of Applied Physics. Lalieu will defend his PhD thesis on March 11th 2019.
Nature Communications