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IBM's data-density world-record of 35 billion bits per square inch
Pictured are two tracks of magnetic bits written onto a hard disk at IBM's Storage Systems Division in San Jose, Calif. The fainter, top track is recorded at IBM's new world-record density of 35 gigabits per square inch, more than three times denser than today's most sophisticated products. The lower track is recorded for comparison at 23 gigabits per square inch.
IBM announced the new world record Monday (October 4, 1999).
This image is made using a magnetic force microscope, which uses the motion of a tiny magnet-tipped cantilever to detect magnetic fields emanating from a surface. The field of view is 1.85 microns, less than 1/50th the diameter of a human hair.
The lines shown in the second image represent the magnetic field intensity averaged across the tracks, demonstrating how the bits can be clearly detected even when the pattern appears visually to be quite faint.
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