Volumetric Density Trends (Tb/In.(3)) For Storage Components: Tape, Hard Disk Drives, Nand, And Blu-Ray

Memory storage components, i.e., hard disk drives, tape cartridges, solid state drives using Flash NAND chips, and now optical cartridges using Blu-ray disks, have provided annual increases in memory capacity by decreasing the area of the memory cell associated with the technology of these components. The ability to reduce bit cell sizes is now being limited by nano-technology physics so that in order for component manufacturers to continue to increase component capacity, volumetric enhancements to the storage component are now being introduced. Volumetric enhancements include adding more tape per cartridge, more disk platters per drive, and more layers of memory cells on the silicon NAND substrate or on the optical disk substrate. This paper describes these volumetric strategies, projects density trends at the bit cell level, and projects volumetric trends at the component level in order to forecast future component capacity trends. (C) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC.