Imagine being able to store thousands of songs and high-
resolution images on data devices no bigger than a fingernail.
Researchers from A*STAR’s Institute of Materials Research and
Engineering (IMRE) and the National University of Singapore
(NUS) have discovered that an ultra-smooth surface is the key
factor for “self-assembly” – a cheap, high-volume, high-density
patterning technique. This allows manufacturers to use the
method on a variety of different surfaces. This discovery paves
the way for the development of next generation data storage
devices, with capacities of up to 10 Terabits/in2 which could
lead to significantly greater storage on much smaller data
devices. 1. Singapore, 10 October 2012 – The “self-assembly”
technique is one of the simplest and cheapest high-volume
methods for creating uniform, densely-packed nanostructures that
could potentially help store data. Self-assembly is one of the
leading candidates for large scale nanofabrication at very high
pattern densities. One of its most obvious