Molecular information storage systems

A method of recording data on a thermoplastic film consisting of polyvinylidene flouride having a random orientation of its polar molecules in which an electric field modulated in accordance with data to be stored is applied across said film while the film is thermally softened and is moving relative to the electric field, such as to re-orient the said molecules and thereby produce potential differences between the surfaces of the film and, subsequently, the thermoplastic material is cooled so that the molecules remain with substantially the same orientation as adopted in the electric field.

Apparatus for recording data on thermoplastic film consisting of polyvinylidene flouride having a random orientation of its polar molecules including generating means for generating an electric potential which is modulated in accordance with the data to be stored, means for transporting the thermoplastic film relative to the generating means so as to record the data thereon, means for heating the thermoplastic film prior to recording whereby said polar molecules are reoriented by said generating means to record the data as potential differences across the surface of said film;

• and means for cooling the thermoplastic film after recording has taken place to retain said potential differences.

Apparatus for reading data stored on a thermoplastic film consisting of polyvinylidene fluoride having preferential orientations of its polar molecules such as to produce potential differences between the surfaces of the film which constitute the data to be read, comprising means for generating an electron beam, means for transporting the data carrying thermoplastic film past the electron beam,

• a first electrode arranged adjacent the thermoplastic film and arranged to reflect electrons from the primary electron beam onto a second collector electrode, the current through which is dependent upon the stored data.