The research outlined in this proposal explores the downward scalability of magnetic bit-patterned media with a defined target of reaching the fundamental magnetic data storage limit (i.e., the superparamagnetic limit) at a bit size of approximately 3-4 nm using the guided self-assembly of highly anisotropic magnetic nanoparticles in precision-fabricated templates. The technology to be developed during the course of this project will give rise to unprecedented capabilities, such as meeting the data storage needs of the world's largest corporations on a single desktop computer, or storing the entire contents of the Library of Congress on an iPod! The intellectual merit of the proposed research is multi-faceted, offering unique insights to the science of guided self-assembly, to the mechanisms of the self-limiting ion milling for high-fidelity template fabrication, and to the synthesis of highly anisotropic magnetic nanoparticles. Furthermore, this work will dramatically expand current theoretical models and experimental testing in the recording physics of magnetic bit-patterned media. Specifically, the availability of genuine nanostructured arrays, which will be developed during the course of this project, will enable fundamental studies of the limits of the micromagnetic formalism widely used for the theoretical modeling of magnetic nanostructures. The broader technological impacts of the proposed research include the development of state-of-the-art nanofabrication technologies that expand our current capabilities far beyond the projected goals of the international semiconductor technology roadmap. The availability of ultra-high-density magnetic media will enable a range of transformative magnetic data-storage applications, including probe-based data storage devices in which a two-dimensional array of read/write nanotransducers can be used to address the bits on a patterned disk. Low cost, low power consumption, and small size are key attributes that make probe storage an attractive solution for mobile applications (e.g., hand-held computers and cellular telephones). With regard to broader impacts on society as a whole, the University of Houston serves the most ethnically diverse student body among doctoral-degree-granting institutions. It is from this diverse student body that the bulk of our graduate students are drawn. Furthermore, the research program outlined here will be integrated with existing NSF-REU, RET, NUE, and GK-12 programs as well as various national and state-supported programs in which the investigators actively enhance the recruitment of women and underrepresented minorities into the fields of science and engineering. The program will also provide research projects that will be compliant with the University of Houston's undergraduate Capstone program. Moreover, the knowledge gained over the course of this program will be disseminated through the newly adopted Nanoengineering Minor Option, which launches in the fall of 2009.
