EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Photonic Integration and Advanced Data Storage

信息技术和互联网是我们社会的核心，这些技术需要以指数级增长的规模存储数字信息。有两种主要类型的存储：传统硬盘驱动器（HDD）以低成本提供高密度存储，固态硬盘（SSD）以更高的价格提供更少的容量，但更节能，没有机械部件。虽然大多数个人计算和相关电子设备正在迁移到SSD，但对HDD的需求也在增加-在本地环境中（例如个人电视和录像机）以及远程，特别是在云计算中。云计算是一个快速增长的领域，几乎所有的电子商务和互联网以及大部分工程行业都依赖于数据农场，这些数据农场充满了大量使用HDD存储信息的“服务器”计算机。这些数据包括银行详细信息和社交媒体等个人信息，以及环境数据、与健康相关的数据以及公司和机构的特定数据。2010年，云计算占存储使用量的25%，到2020年，这一比例将超过60% --每600部智能手机或120台平板电脑就需要一台服务器。因此，需要不断增加容量的HDD。由于目前材料的限制，将需要一种新的技术来提高磁数据记录的密度，预计这种技术将是热辅助磁记录（HAMR）。HAMR将需要在磁记录头内集成激光器、波导和等离子体天线等光子组件。HAMR只有在能够作为低成本可制造技术部署时才会成功。因此，它的成功开发将推动低成本光子集成和等离子体技术进入其他行业和应用。CDT将与来自大学和工业界的大量合作伙伴一起应对这一挑战，并在一系列相关技术主题方面对连续几批研究生进行培训：- 在恶劣环境中运行的超可靠半导体激光器（激光器可能必须在100摄氏度的温度下工作）-低成本平面光波电路（PLC）平台和激光器与天线耦合方案，适用于批量生产-能够在极端环境（200- 2000 ℃）下工作的新型纳米等离子体天线300摄氏度和高达10个大气压的压力。在磁盘/磁头接口处）-用于磁记录的先进材料-原子尺度分析技术这套技术必须是高度可制造的，并且适合于在坚固的平台中的异构集成。HAMR技术的成功开发将使数据存储设备的性能发生范式转变，但低成本的加固型异构集成技术也将适用于多个市场。虽然HAMR环境特别恶劣，但许多其他消费者和社会驱动的应用（例如可广泛部署的高速互联网）也需要在恶劣环境中运行。我们的行业合作伙伴已经确定，分布式工作是现有博士培训中缺少的元素。许多尖端技术的研发是在地理上分散的地点协作进行的，因为需要将通常不在同一地点的专业知识和能力结合在一起。重要的是，博士生在这种工作方式中获得经验，并发展技能和策略，使其在这种环境中变得熟练和有效。解决先进数据存储的光子和异构集成要求所需的技术能力并不存在于英国的一所大学，因此，跨合作伙伴大学网站的合作为提供分布式工作培训提供了工具。

Information technology and the Internet are central to our society and these technologies require storage of digital information on an exponentially increasing scale. There are two principal types of storage: traditional hard disk drives (HDD) that provide high density storage at low cost, and solid state drives (SSD) that offer less capacity at greater price, but are more power efficient and have no mechanical parts. While most personal computing and related electronic devices are migrating to SSD the need for HDD is also increasing - in a local context (e.g. personal TV and video recorders) and also remotely, particularly in cloud computing. Cloud computing is a rapidly growing sector, where already almost all of e-commerce and the internet and much of the engineering industry rely on data farms filled with large numbers of 'server' computers using HDD to store information. These data range from personal information such as bank details and social media through to environmental data, data related to health and company and institution specific data. Cloud computing accounted for 25% of storage use in 2010 and by 2020 it will account for >60% - a server is required for every 600 smartphones or 120 tablet computers. As a result, HDDs of ever increasing capacity are required. Due to the limitations of current materials, a new technology will be needed to increase the density of magnetic data recording at the present rate, and it envisaged this technology will be heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR). HAMR will require the integration of photonic components such as lasers, waveguides and plasmonic antennas within a magnetic recording head.HAMR will only be successful if it can be deployed as a low-cost manufacturable technology. Its successful development will therefore drive low-cost photonic integration and plasmonic technology into other industries and applications. The CDT will address the challenge with a critical mass of partners from universities and industry to meet this challenge and undertake the training of successive cohorts of research students in a set of cognate technical topics:- Ultra-reliable semiconductor lasers operating in hostile environments (the laser may have to operate at temperatures of 100 degree C)- Low cost planar lightwave circuit (PLC) platforms and laser and antenna coupling schemes, suitable for volume manufacture - Novel nanoplasmonic antennas capable of operating in extreme environments (200-300 degree C and pressures up to 10 atm. at the disk/head interface)- Advanced materials for magnetic recording- Atomic scale analysis techniquesThis suite of technologies must be highly manufacturable and suitable for heterogeneous integration in a rugged platform. The successful development of HAMR technology will see a paradigm shift in the performance of data storage devices but the low-cost ruggedized heterogeneous integration technology will also be applicable in multiple markets. Although the HAMR environment is particularly harsh, many other consumer and society driven applications (such as widely deployable high speed internet) also require operation in harsh environments.Our industry partners have identified that distributed working is an element missing from existing doctoral training. Much R&D in cutting edge technology is undertaken collaboratively across geographically separated sites because of the need to thread together expertise and capability that is often not co-located. It is important that doctoral students gain experience in this way of working and develop the skills and strategies to become adept and effective in this environment. The technical capability required to address the range of photonic and heterogeneous integration requirements for advanced data storage does not reside within one single University in the UK and therefore collaboration across the partner university sites provides the vehicle for delivering training in distributed working.