Mass-storage applications of local probe arrays
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsGerd Karl Binnig, Heinrich Rohrer, Peter Vettiger
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Abstract
The present invention concerns a storage device comprising a local probe array (72) and a storage medium (70) with an array of storage fields (71). The local probe array (72) is situated opposite to the storage medium (70) such that each local probes (73) of the local probe array can be scanned over the corresponding storage field (71). The storage device further comprises circuit for distinguishing between information to be erased from a first section of the storage medium and information in this section which is not to be erased, circuit for selectively copying the information which is not to be erased into a memory, preferably another section of said medium, and circuit for erasing the whole first section.
Claims30
Storage device comprising:
- a storage medium on which information can be stored in form of perturbations,
- a local probe array facing said medium such that its probe scan said medium,
- means for obtaining signals from each of said probes when scanning over said perturbations, and
- means for writing perturbations onto said medium,
- said device being characterized in that it further comprises
- means for distinguishing between information to be erased from a first section of said medium and information in this section which is not to be erased,
- means for selectively copying said information which is not to be erased into a memory, preferably another section of said medium, and means for erasing the whole first section.
The storage device of any of the preceding claims, wherein said medium comprises a semiconducting substrate covered by a thin oxide layer which is coated by a dielectric layer and wherein perturbations are created by locally applying a bias by mean of a probe such that charges are trapped in said medium.
Method for erasing information stored in a storage device comprising
- a storage medium in which said information is stored in form of perturbations,
- a local probe array facing said medium such that its probes scan said medium,
- means for obtaining signals from each of said probes when scanning over said perturbations, and
- means for writing perturbations onto said medium, characterized by the following steps:
- distinguishing between information to be erased from a first section of said medium and information in this section which is not to be eased,
- selectively copying said information which is not to be erased into a memory, preferably another section of said medium, and
- erasing the whole first section.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.