1. Nanotechnology Storing Data To Atoms
Judson Haley
Josh Tratz
Virginia Young
Photo reprint Courtesy of International Business Machines Corporation copyright 2007 © International Business Machines Corporation

2. Smaller Computer Chips
Replacing Silicon
Using Atoms

3. Scanning Tunneling Microscope
(STM)
Two IBM scientists in Switzerland won the 1986 Nobel Prize in physics for this 1981 invention. It enabled our first glimpse into the molecular world

4. Heinrich Rohrer (left) and Gerd Binnig (right)
Shown here in 1981 with a first-generation scanning tunneling microscope
Schematic diagram of a scanning tunneling microscope
Photo reprint Courtesy of International Business Machines Corporation copyright 2007 © International Business Machines Corporation

5. IBM Advances Measure magnetic anisotropy at the atomic level
Use individual atoms as electric switches
Search for atoms that can do it at suitable temperatures

6. in the "on" and the "off" state
Actual STM
images of the molecule
in the "on" and the "off" state
Photo reprint Courtesy of International Business Machines Corporation copyright 2007 © International Business Machines Corporation

7. Three-dimensional image of a molecular "logic gate" of two molecules, being probed by the STM
Photo reprint Courtesy of International Business Machines Corporation copyright 2007 © International Business Machines Corporation

8. Atoms
Able to maintain magnetic orientation
Suitable for storing data

9. Old Way
Current hard drives use millions of atoms to store each individual bit of information.

10. Squeeze millions of times more data on to a disk of comparable size.
New Way
Squeeze millions of times more data on to a disk of comparable size.
Storing data in individual atoms could lead to devices capable of storing the equivalent of 30,000 movies in a device the size of an iPod.

11. Still several years from reality
WHEN!?!
Still several years from reality

“At least 10 years from being used for components in commercial products”

12. Resources http://www-03.ibm.com/press/us/en/presskit/22242.wss