Scientists discovered that adding table salt to the solution used to create hard drive platters causes the magnetic bits on the platters to organize into a more defined pattern, allowing up to a six-fold increase in data storage capacity. The salt forces the bits into a predictable pattern, making more efficient use of space. Currently, a 1TB hard drive could hold 6TB of data using this method. In the future, capacities over 3.3TB per square inch may be possible. This discovery could significantly increase hard drive storage capacities over the next few years as the technology is further developed and adopted commercially.

1. IMPROVING THE MEMORY CAPACITY OF COMPUTER
HARD DISKS BY SALT
AlinaBaber
alinababer@live.ocm
patterns on your hard drive.These pictures show the difference
of improving memory space capacity of computer hard disks between the hard disk space pattern before and after using salt.
by using salt. This Research makes our computer hard disks
able to store more data and increases memory capacity.
Abstract— This research report is based on the technology
I. INTRODUCTION
This technology to increase hard disk capacity was
discovered in Singapore. Scientists at the Agency for Science,
Technology and Research (A*STAR) in collaboration with
National University of Singapore and the Data Storage
Institute discovered that, by simply adding tablesaltto a
solution used when creating hard drives,increases the capacity
of hard drives almost up to six times larger then the capacity
of today’s normally used hard drives.
II. RESEARCH CONCEPT
As we know the process of how a current hard drive works.
The spinning magnetic platters are covered with randomly
dispersed nanoscopic grains that work in clumps of 10 to form
one bit. Scientists idea is to get rid of the random clumps and
instead make slightly larger grains in a regular pattern that
each store one bit.They found that dipping a hard disk wafer
platters into a reorganizes the nanostructures inside the disk
there by increasing its storage capacity.The process is that,
when we will add sodium chloride to the developer solution,
we can produce nanostructures with a much higher resolution.
These nanostructures are produced by an e-beam lithography
process on the platter.
The sodium chloride-soaked wafers had a neater, more defined
structure, which allows for a potential six-fold increase of data
storage.Scientists tried different salts as sodium bromide,
iodide, fluoride, and but they observed that sodium chloride
gave the best performance to increase the capacity of hard
drives.
The higher resolution structures allow us for much more data
to be stored per square inch. A typical current-generation of
hard drive can hold up to 500GB of data per square inch.
By this new method will be demoed at 1.9TB per square inch.
Moving forward, capacities of up to 3.3TB per square inch are
possible.The table salt causes the bits to align in a more
organized fashion, making room for more bits in the same
space.
This advance means a hard drives holding 1 Terabyte (TB) of
data today, in the future, could hold 6 TB of data within the
same size and form factor.
The salt causes this increase because it forces the bits (pieces
of information on your hard drive) into predictable, organized
This discovery could be significant but one must wonder if it
will have much relevance as flash memory slowly overtakes
the storage industry.
Solid state drives are significantly faster than traditional
spinning hard drives but capacity and prices of these storages
are still remain an issue today for most.
Scientists have demonstrated that onto an entire disk requires
reliable and cheap processing methods. Electron beam
lithography is very useful for device prototyping and for doing
demonstrations, but in order for this industry to adopt this
technology, new processes need to be developed them.
Scientists predict that the addition of sodium chloride may
double or triple memory space for commercial hard disks over
the next several years.Getting a six-fold increase may take a
few years longer.
III. CONCLUSION
In conclusion, this research make our computer hard drives
able to store more data and will get more capacity of storage.
By this process, in future we will get those types of hard disks
which have more memory space and capacity to store data in
affordable prices.
REFERENCES
news.discovery.com
www.techspot.com