Method of making information storage devices by molecular photolithography

An information storage device produced by the process of claim:

• (a) providing a substrate having a surface portion, said surface portion having a charge storage group coupled thereto, said charge storage group having a photocleavable protecting group thereon;
• (b) exposing at least one first discrete segment of said surface portion to radiant energy sufficient to cleave said protecting group from said charge storage group and generate a deprotected charge storage group, so that said charge storage group is deprotected in said at least one first discrete memory location and said charge storage group remains protected in at least one second discrete memory location;
• (c) coupling a first ancillary group to said charge storage group at said at least one first discrete memory location;
• (d) exposing at least one of said second discrete memory location to radiant energy sufficient to cleave said protecting group from said charge storage group and generate a deprotected charge storage group in said at least one second discrete memory location;
• and then
• (e) coupling a second ancillary group to said charge storage group at said at least one second discrete memory location, wherein said first ancillary group and said second ancillary group are different, to thereby produce an information storage device having different storage characteristics at a plurality of discrete memory locations.

A method of electrically storing and retrieving information, comprising the steps of:

• (a) providing an information storage device having different storage characteristics at a plurality of discrete memory locations thereon, said device comprising (i) a substrate having a plurality of discrete memory locations formed thereon, with said discrete memory locations formed on said substrate at a density of at least 100 per square centimeter;
• and (ii) a different charge storage molecule deposited at each of said discrete memory locations, said charge storage molecules comprising at least one porphyrinic macrocycle;
• and
• (b) storing an electrical charge at at least one of said discrete memory locations to thereby store information;
• and then
• (c) determining the presence or absence of a stored electrical charge at said at least one discrete memory locations to thereby retrieve said stored information.