Grant: Discovery Grants Program - Individual

Numerical modeling and simulation have became and essential part of product development in almost all industries that rely on advanced technology. Nowhere is this more clearly demonstrated than in the data storage industry where computer simulations have played a critical role in the development of new devices and materials that have fuelled the exponential growth in the capacity and speed of magnetic storage that has occurred over the last two decades. The use of numerical modeling allows manufacturers not only to develop new product and reduce costs but also to shorten the product development cycle, essential to maintaining a competitive advantage in industries where success is critically dependant on technological innovation. As the Information Technology industry moves from predominantly stationary terminal devices (desktop pc's etc.) to a wireless enabled, mobile paradigm, the need for innovative, extremely small yet reliable storage will continue to expand. The proposed research will apply and develop numerical simulation techniques to model the behaviour and properties of magnetic multilayers. These materials constitute a key element in the development of future generation data storage media and sensors and the emerging field of spintronics. The proposed research will therefore advance the fundamental science critical to sustaining the rapid pace of development in thin (nano) film technology that has widespread industrial application. Furthermore, it will also provide the training required to supply the personnel necessary to transfer to industry the knowledge and expertise in materials and device modeling that has been developed through the considerable investment of the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) in high performanace computing (HPC) at Canadian Universities.