Prof C. David Wright
Professor of Electronics - Leader Functional Materials Research Theme
Extension: 3614
Telephone: 01392 723614
C David Wright was born in England in 1957. He obtained a B.Sc. with first class honours in Physics in 1978 from Imperial College of Science and Technology, London. After a spell working as a Process Engineer for Philips Electronics in Manchester, he returned to academica to obtain an M.Sc. (Solid State Physics) from the University of Sheffield in 1980, and a Ph.D in Perpendicular Magnetic Recording, in 1985. He took up the Chair in Electronic and Computer Engineering at Exeter in 1999, being formerly a Reader in Data Storage at the Department of Computer Science at the University of Manchester. His main area of expertise is experimental and theoretical characterisation of the recording and readout processes in optical, magnetic, solid-state and probe-based memory systems and devices. Professor Wright leads the UK Government (DTI) funded UK Data Storage Network that aims to initiate and enhance UK industrial-academic co-operation in data storage research (see http://www.dsnetuk.org/). He has been a partner in numerous EU and UK funded research projects investigating new forms of probe, optical and solid state memories, and has collaborated at some time or other with most of the major data storage, memory and computer technology companies in the world including Philips, Intel, IBM, STMicroelectronics, Seagate, Thomson, MPO, Plasmon and GEC-Plessey.
Research Interests
My research interests lie in the design, development and characterisation of new types of memory and data storage materials, devices and systems. Memory technology is currently at a critical point in its development. A combination of two very strong driving forces is emerging:
(a) a societal one demanding smaller, lower-power, higher-capacity yet reliable memories for a plethora of multimedia, communication and digital archiving applications;
(b) a technological one brought about by challenges facing conventional storage techniques as they approach formidable barriers to continued improvements: the superparamagnetic limit for magnetic storage, the diffraction limit for optical storage, and device scaling limits in solid state (Flash) storage.
Difficult challenges therefore face conventional memories as they strive to reach ultra-high storage densities required by modern-day and future applications. At Exeter we are working on a number of new storage devices, materials and techniques to overcome these barriers that face traditional storage approaches. These include new types of scanning probe-based memories (similar to the well-known IBM Millipede system), new types of solid-state memories (phase-change RAM devices), new types of magnetic hard disks (ultra-high anisotropy, nano-particulate media for perpendicular and heat-assisted recording), and new types of optical data storage (near-field optical systems, two-photon storage). We are also working on new types of hardware computing devices (new forms of microprocessors) that use phase-change computing processes rather than conventional Si-based technology.
