The storage array (“hard drive” isn’t exactly accurate, but gets the point across) is remarkably elegant in its organization — as it has to be if it is going to work at an atomic level.Full details TechCrunch
“Every bit consists of two positions on a surface of copper atoms, and one chlorine atom that we can slide back and forth between these two positions,” explained Otte. Because chlorine on copper forms into a perfectly square grid, it’s easy (relatively, anyway) to position and read them. If the chlorine atom is up top, that’s a 1; if it’s at the bottom, that’s a 0. Put 8 chlorine atoms in a row and they form a byte.
Dutch researchers create atom-based device with storage density of 500 terabits per square inch
Posted on Tuesday, July 19 2016 @ 14:05 CEST by Thomas De Maesschalck
Researchers from the Netherlands-based Delft University of Technology have created a new storage system that encodes every bit with a single atom. This allows them to fit a kilobyte of data in a space under 100 nanometer across, which equates a storage density of 500 terabits per square inch, or about 500x larger than what's offered by today's hard disk drives.