News and Views

IBTSC is pleased to announce the issue of patent for a composite hard disk drive architecture that enables high drive capacities that match or exceed the shingled magnetic recording or heat-assisted magnetic recording drive while maintaining conventional PMR drive performance. Our drive model demonstrates its capacity and performance benefits, and its reliability matches that of conventional PMR drives when using heat-assisted magnetic recording platters. The architecture offers early technology shipment, increased drive capacity, improved yield, and reduced costs, while reducing technical barriers for new component technologies. The composite drive architecture offers a promising solution for the storage industry's pursuit of higher capacities, improved performance, and lower costs.

IBTSC team is pleased to announce the demonstration of composite magnet technology for HDD voice coil motor (VCM) application and the US patent issued. By adding optimized cladding magnets, the magnetic flux density profile can be optimized to improve VCM operation efficiency. Simple proof-of-concept samples are fabricated and the magnetic flux density from the magnet component is measured using magnetic field mapper measurement.

The results show that the composite magnet solution provides improved VCM operation efficiency using the same amount of permanent magnet materials as compared to conventional magnet solution. Using the same materials, the read and write performance can be improved for the high capacity hard disk drive. In an alternative approach, the high capacity HDD can maintain its performance with reduced power consumption.

The composite magnet solution achieves performance benefits due to:

1. Take advantage of the Halbach structure and reduce soft yoke saturation
2. Geometrical optimization of the core and the cladding magnets, with particular tapered structure and
3. Optimize cladding magnet and core magnet ratio and materials.

An optimized design can realize a target magnetic field profile with reduced materials as compared to the conventional approach. The technology benefits can be utilized to:

1. Replace existing high capacity HDD product solution with reduced materials cost
2. Optimize design solution to achieve higher performance (i/ops) drive
3. Produce high capacity HDD solutions with reduced power consumption.

The cost benefit for the composite magnet solution developed shows that when the materials cost saving exceeds additional process cost associated with the composite magnet fabrication, a net gain in drive cost can be realized. For high capacity HDD currently utilized in cloud data centers, the magnet materials savings make the composite magnet solution attractive to the HDD industry.

“We have received tremendous support from the American Made Network when we developed our Nano Heatsink technology to improve Solar module life time. We are happy to be able to contribute our effort to help other teams and companies for their technology success and winning the American Made Challenges” said by Dr. Kaizhong Gao, the CEO and Chief Scientist of IBTSC.

As an American Made Network Gold connector, IBTSC has put dedicated effort to help start-up teams, particular teams from micro entities and from minority and disadvantaged communities, to achieve their ideas and develop their technology. The IBTSC team, with its superior experience and expertise in materials and hardware technology, technology and product development, IP development and licensing etc., will continue to support teams particular for the American Made Solar Prize competition. The team lead is an IEEE Fellow and a Fellow for the National Academy of Inventors, with dozens of technologies being implemented to the products in various industries.

If your team plans to participate in the American Made Solar Prize challenge or other American Made Challenges and in need of support, please contact us.

Current open American Made Challenges

The IBTSC R&D team has won the Set stage of American Made Solar Challenge round 4 in April 2021 and became one of the 10 finalists nationwide.

With the project titled: Solar Panel with Heatsink (Link to video). Project Summary: The team developed nano-textured heat sink technology for solar panels. The heatsink structure increases the surface area of the back of the solar panel, helping the panel dissipate heat and lowering its peak operating temperature. The lower temperature may make the solar panel last longer.

“We were very fortunate to be selected as one of the winners to advance to the next round. Our team will focus on conducting systematic demonstration of the technology, validate performance and reliability benefits of the technology and establish manufacturable processes.” Said by Dr. Kaizhong Gao, the CEO and Chief Scientist of the company.

The American-Made Solar Prize is a $3 million competition designed to revitalize solar manufacturing in the United States. Competitors may be entrepreneurial students, professors, small-business owners, company staffers, researchers at national laboratories, or anyone else based in the United States with a potentially marketable solar technology solution. This challenge requires competitors to make progress on a condensed timeline, form private-sector partnerships, and secure investments to make their ideas a reality.

On July 9, 2020, DOE launched Round 4 of the American-Made Solar Prize. On April 9, 2021, IBTSC was selected as winner for the Set stage competition based on the proof of concept demonstration achieved. 10 teams were selected to receive $100,000 and a $75,000 voucher that can be used by the AMN partners, such as National Laboratories and advance to the Go stage competition. Their technologies are grouped into three categories: concentrating solar-thermal power (CSP), photovoltaics (PV), and systems integration.

North Oaks, Minnesota – Today, Assistant Secretary for the Office of Electricity (OE), Bruce J. Walker, announced International Business and Technology Service Corporation (IBTSC) as a Tier II Gold winner of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) first “Electricity Industry Technology and Practices Innovation Challenge” (EITPIC), designed to tap into American ingenuity for ideas on how to make the nation’s electric grid stronger and more resilient.

Through the challenge, DOE sought ideas from industry, academia, and other innovators for concepts that include technologies or solutions that can address existing or emerging vulnerabilities and threats to the electric sector or mitigate interdependencies between the electricity sector and other sectors.

After an extensive review, DOE awarded IBTSC for Remote Sensing Technology for Situational Awareness of the Grid. “We are excited to both demonstrate our remote sensing technology for the grid and have the opportunity to contribute to the larger grid modernization effort,” said Dr. Kaizhong Gao, General Manager and Chief Scientist at IBTSC. “This technology was developed in close collaboration with Professor Sy-Hwang Liou’s team at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, with much of the foundational work previously sponsored by DOE. Our goal is to further mature the technology and implement it to improve energy efficiency, grid stability, reliability and resiliency.”

Proposed technologies and solutions were reviewed on criterion including technical merit and viability, potential to mature and implement, innovation and transformation, and potential magnitude of impact.

The official announcement from DOE can be seen from here.

Project Summary: This team is creating a solar panel with a nano-textured heatsink. The heatsink structure increases the surface area of the back of the solar panel, helping the panel dissipate heat and lowering its peak operating temperature. The lower temperature may make the solar panel last longer.

The American-Made Solar Prize is a $3 million competition designed to revitalize solar manufacturing in the United States. Competitors may be entrepreneurial students, professors, small-business owners, company staffers, researchers at national laboratories, or anyone else based in the United States with a potentially marketable solar technology solution.

This challenge requires competitors to make progress on a condensed timeline, form private-sector partnerships, and secure investments to make their ideas a reality. On July 9, 2020, DOE launched Round 4 of the American-Made Solar Prize.

In the first phase of the competition, entrepreneurial individuals and teams pitch an innovative idea that addresses a critical need in the solar industry and identify market demand for it. Those selected to advance to the second phase will design a proof of concept.

In the third and final phase, selected individuals and teams will develop early-stage prototypes for industry testing. On December 4, 2020, 20 teams representing 12 states were selected to receive $50,000 and advance to the next phase of the competition. Their concepts are grouped into three categories: concentrating solar-thermal power (CSP), photovoltaics (PV), and systems integration.

Technology solution for a better future.

Composite hard disk drive

March 2023

Composite Magnet Solution for High Performance Green Drive

2022

IBTSC has become an American Made Network Gold Connector

2021

International Business and Technology Service Corporation Support American Made Challenge Participant Teams as a Connector

2021

International Business and Technology Service Corporation has won American Made Challenge Round 4 Set Stage

2021

International Business and Technology Service Corporation (IBTSC) in Collaboration with University of Nebraska Wins Inaugural Electricity Industry Technology and Practices Innovation Challenge Award from U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)

2019

International Business and Technology Service Corporation (IBTSC) has won American Made Challenge Ready Stage Competition

2020

International Business and Technology Service Corporation (IBTSC)

North Oaks, MN 55127