Surface atom fabrication method and apparatus

A recording apparatus for recording information at an atomic scale on a recording surface of a recording medium having a regular surface atomic arrangement, comprising:

• recording means including a probe for recording information by field-evaporating atoms from the recording surface of said recording medium to form empty atomic positions in the recording surface, and for then field-evaporating atoms from the tip of said probe to deposit the atoms field-evaporated from the probe tip into said empty atomic positions;
• and
• reproducing means for reproducing information by detecting the atoms deposited into said empty atomic positions;
• wherein said empty atomic positions are formed along a regular-arrangement direction of the atoms in the recording surface, and wherein said atoms deposited into said empty atomic positions are atoms of a different element than the atoms constituting the recording surface.

A cassette atomic-level-recording apparatus, comprising:

• a solid recording medium having a flat recording surface;
• a recording probe having a tip facing said flat recording surface with a small gap therebetween;
• a probe movement mechanism for moving said recording probe in a direction parallel to said flat recording surface;
• voltage applying means for applying a voltage to said recording probe that is negative with respect to the potential of said solid recording medium, for forming a negative electric field between the tip of said recording probe and said flat recording surface, wherein said negative electric field is sufficiently large for field-evaporating atoms from said flat recording surface to form empty atomic positions representing the information to be recorded in said flat recording surface;
• and
• a portable small-sized container for accommodating said solid recording medium, said recording probe, said probe movement mechanism and said voltage applying means.

A recording method for recording information at an atomic scale on a recording surface of a recording medium, comprising the steps of:

• installing a probe having a tip facing the recording surface of said recording medium with a small gap therebetween;
• scanning said probe in a direction parallel to the recording surface;
• and
• applying a voltage to said probe that is negative with respect to the potential of said recording medium, when the tip of said probe has been scanned at each position where information is to be recorded, for forming a negative electric field between the tip of said probe and the recording surface;
• wherein said negative electric field is sufficiently large for field-evaporating atoms from the recording surface to form empty atomic positions in the recording surface, and wherein the empty atomic positions represent the information to be recorded.

A recording apparatus for recording information at an atomic scale on a recording surface of a recording medium, comprising:

• a probe having a tip facing the recording surface of said recording medium with a small gap therebetween;
• a mechanism for scanning said probe in a direction parallel to the recording surface;
• and
• means for applying a voltage to said probe that is negative with respect to the potential of said recording medium, when the tip of said probe has been scanned at each position where information is to be recorded, for forming a negative electric field between the tip of said probe and the recording surface;
• wherein said negative electric field is sufficiently large for field-evaporating atoms from the recording surface to form empty atomic positions in the recording surface, and wherein the empty atomic positions represent the information to be recorded.