Recording and retrieving information in an amorphous memory material using a catalytic material

Apparatus for recording and retrieving information comprising a layer of substantially disordered and generally amorphous memory material which has internal crystallizng forces and crystallizing inhibiting factors, which has one structural condition which is substantially disordered and generally amorphous and having one detectable characteristic, and which is capable of having at least a portion thereof physically changed to another structural condition which is more ordered toward a crystalline like condition and having another detectable characteristic, a catalytic material for said layer which is catalytically capable of increasing the crystallizing forces and decreasing the crystallizing inhibiting factors of the memory material, means for applying electrical energy to at least a portion of said layer of memory material for activating the catalytic material at said at least portion of the layer from said one detectable structural conditon which is substantially disordered and generally amorphous to said other detectable structural condition which is more ordered toward a crystalline like condition to record information in said layer, and means for detecting the detectable structural condition of said at least portion of said layer of memory material as to whether said at least portion is in said one detectable structural condition which is substantially disordered and generally amorphous or in said other detectable structural condition which is more ordered toward a crystalline like condition to retrieve the information recorded in said layer.

The method of recording and retrieving information comprising the steps of:

• providing a layer of memory material which is capable of undergoing a physical change in structure, between a substantially disordered and generally amorphous structural condition having one detectable characteristic and another structural condition having another detectable characteristic, in response to the application of energy above a certain threshold;
• providing said layer with a catalytic material which is catalytically capable of changing said certain threshold so that said physical change in structure can occur in said memory material in response to the application of energy between said certain threshold and said changed threshold;
• activating the catalytic material at at least a portion of the layer to change the threshold thereat, applying electrical energy of a value between said certain threshold and said changed threshold to said layer of memory material to cause a detectable physical change in structure in said at least portion of said layer;
• and detecting the detectable structure condition of said at least portion of said layer of memory material as to whether said at least portion is in said one detectable structural condition which is substantially disordered and generally amorphous or in said other detectable structural condition to retrieve the information recorded in said layer.

Apparatus for recording and retrieving information comprising a layer of substantially disordered and generally amorphous memory material which has one structural condition which is substantially disordered and generally amorphous and having one detectable characteristic, which is capable of having at least a portion thereof physically changed to another structural condition having another detectable characteristic, which has internal biasing forces toward said other structural condition, and which has internal inhibitions against the action of said biasing forces, a catalytic material for said layer which is catalytically capable of increasing said biasing forces and decreasing said inhibitions against the action of said biasing forces of the memory material, means for applying electrical energy to at least a portion of said layer of memory material for activating the catalytic material at said at least portion of the layer and physically changing said layer at said at least portion of the layer from said one detectable structural condition which is substantially disordered and generally amorphous to said other detectable structural condition to record information in said layer, and means for detecting the detectable structural condition of said at least portion of said layer of memory material as to whether said at least portion is in said one detectable structural condition which is substantially disordered and generally amorphous or in said other detectable structural condition to retrieve the information recorded in said layer.

The method of recording and retrieving information comprising the steps of:

• providing a layer of substantially disordered and generally amorphous memory material which has one structural condition which is substantially disordered and generally amorphous and having one detectable characteristic, which is capable of having at least a portion thereof physically changed to another structural condition having another detectable characteristic, which has internal biasing forces toward said other structural condition, and which has internal inhibitions against the action of said biasing forces;
• providing said layer with a catalytic material which is catalytically capable of increasing said biasing forces and decreasing said inhibitions against the action of said biasing forces of the memory material;
• applying electrical energy to at least a portion of said layer of memory material for activating the catalytic material at said at least portion of the layer and physically changing said layer at said at least portion of the layer from said one detectable structural condition which is substantially disordered and generally amorphous to said other detectable structural condition to record information in said layer;
• and detecting the detectable structural condition of said at least portion of said layer of memory material as to whether said at least portion is in said one detectable structural condition which is substantially disordered and generally amorphous or in said other detectable structural condition to retrieve the information recording in said layer.