50TB Per LTO Cartridge Tomorrow Vs. 1.5TB Today ?
Developed by Hitachi Maxell and Tokyo Institute of Technology
This is a Press Release edited by StorageNewsletter.com on May 25, 2010 at 3:23 pmHitachi Maxell, Ltd. and Tokyo Institute of Technology jointly announced the collaboratively development of ultra high capacity tape media with ultra thin nano-structured magnetic film by using of facing targets sputtering method, as a funded program of Collaborative Development of Innovative Seeds, Practicability Verification Stage(3) of the Japan Science Technology Agency (JST).
This joint team demonstrated a world-record(1) areal density of 45.0 Gb/in²×²(2) in linear formatted perpendicular magnetic recording media. This latest technology(4) is a future technology after coated tape generations and enables over 50 TB capacity per a standard tape cartridge, which equals to 33 times(5) larger than a capacity of the latest LTO Ultrium 5 data cartridge.
Today, the usage of the data storage tape has expanded for the development of the information technology society, the electric archive in the public libraries and the public records offices, and the long-term storage of the business writing. Especially, the eco-friendly storage system, the so-called ‘green storage’, that lowers power consumption and considers the environment, is demanded recently.
The coating type medium, which is made by coating the magnetic powder on the base film, is commonly used as a tape medium for the data storage now. It was difficult to make a thin film with the magnetic particles of the size below 10 nm by the coating method though it was necessary to make the magnetic powder small to increase the areal recording density and to raise storage capacity a cartridge.
This time, the super-high density nanometer-sized magnetic thin film was achieved by an open innovation by the combination of Maxell’s tape medium design/evaluation technologies and the new thin-film formation method, Facing Targets Sputtering method that associate professor Shigeki Nakagawa et al. in the Tokyo Institute of Technology, Graduate School of Engineering, Department of Physical Electronics developed. It allows us to make the large-capacity magnetic tape by low-noise laminated soft magnetic underlayers(6) and the magnetic recording film with less 10 nm-diameter crystal grains.
When the areal recording density of the tape medium with this nanometer-structured super-high density magnetic thin film was evaluated, it was clarified of the possession of the areal recording density of 45.0 Gb/in². When one makes the data tape cartridge of the common, linear formatted package by this medium, the capacity of the cartridge could be 50 TB or more.
Detailed results will were presented at the 9th Perpendicular Magnetic Recording Conference, May 17 – 19, 2010, Sendai, Japan.
(1) In linear format data tapes. Our examination in April, 2010.
(2) 45.0Gb/in² = 69.8Mb/mm²
(3) A funded program of Collaborative Development of Innovative Seeds, Practicability Verification Stage of the Japan Science Technology Agency (JST) aims to connect seeds candidate that is found out through industry’s viewpoint from basic research in universities, national and other public research institutes to innovation creation.
(4) Improved process and structure from former release on May 18, 2007.
(5) Assuming of the same width and length of tape medium as present major linear-formatted product, LTO Ultrium 5 data cartridge (non-compressed; 1.5 TB).
(6) Soft magnetic underlayer which assists perpendicular magnetic recording of nano-structured magnetic film.
Features
1. Formation of ultra high density nano-structured
magnetic tape medium by facing targets sputtering
The nano-structured perpendicular magnetic recording film was successively formed on a 4.5μm-thick base film by facing targets sputtering method, which was invented by Tokyo Institute of Technology, at room temperature without a substrate cooling system. Fine composite films, which couldn’t be prepared by previously used magnetron sputtering methods, can be formed by facing targets sputtering, thanks to damage-less formation of films on a very thin plastic film with separated plasma from the film. Also, the medium noise was dramatically reduced by a laminated structure of thin (10 nm thick) soft magnetic underlayers×6. Total thickness of films including a protective layer and underlayers was about 100 nm, that can contribute high-density recording.
Schematic view of an ultra high capacity tape medium
2. Achievement of a world-record(1) areal density
A linear recording density of 531 kbpi(7) and a track pitch of 300 nm without cross-track interference were confirmed by a specially designed tester, that enables precise head motion, when playback performance of the developed nano-structured magnetic tape medium was evaluated. The achieved areal density was 45.0 Gb/in²*².
(1) In linear format data tapes. Our examination in April, 2010.
(2) 45.0Gb/in² = 69.8Mb/mm²
(6) Soft magnetic underlayer which assists perpendicular magnetic recording of nano-structured magnetic film.
(7) 531kbpi = 20.9kb/mm
Comments
Native 50TB or 33 times more capacity into an LTO cartridge at 1.5TB for current generation LTO-5, that's a dream for future archiving applications. By comparison, last generation of Ultrium, number 8, is supposed to offer native 12.8TB according to the official roadmap of LTO Program - that gave no information on the technology used and the launching year. But it could take some time, probably many years, for this 50TB capacity to happen, for several reasons.
Hitachi Maxell speaks about a tape and there is no potential date for the launch of the product that also needs a drive. IBM and HP are actually the sole manufacturers of these devices, not Hitachi or Hitachi Maxell. Note also that the press release does not give any information concerning a crucial specification, the transfer rate, probably excellent as it is related to areal density, here a huge 45Gb per square inch.
A great difficulty will be to assure the compatibility between actual technology based on longitudinal recording and Hitachi Maxell's nano-structured perpendicular magnetic recording film to be able to read/write data for at least one former LTO generation. It's possible but pricey to include a second set of read/write heads into the drive - HP did it for DAT -.
More than that, Hitachi Maxell will have to get the approval of the LTO Program for his new tape. Officially LTO is an "open format" developed jointly by HP, IBM and Seagate (now replaced by Quantum). "Open" only means users have multiple sources of drives (now 2) and tape (5 including Maxell). But the media partners need to be approved by the three founders for each generation of cartridges, officially to secure the compatibility of their products, mainly to pay royalties on each of the media they manufacture.
For example, Quantum got $69 million in royalties during its last fiscal year ended March 31, 2010 (it includes LTO - increasing - and DLT - decreasing -).
The LTO program was introduced in 1998 to launch a new tape format and was a success as it killed DLT that dominated largely the market at this time. It was principally based on IBM Ultrium technology. But its purpose was also (mainly?) for the founders to accumulate royalties. An interesting discussion could happen between them and Hitachi Maxell on the subject for future generation of LTO media.
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