SPMs for Storage

Several variations on using scanning probe microscopes for data storage are being pursued, the three main varieties being based on using scanning tunneling microscopes on phase change materials (akin to the way Cd's work), magnetic force microscopes, and atomic force microscopes. This latter approach, which makes indentations in a polymer, has received the most publicity through IBM's Millipede project, which recently demonstrated recording densities of a terabit per square inch. The likeliest target for this particular technology is flash memory, used in mobile devices, because of low energy consumption and the potential of increasing memory to 5 - 10 gigabytes, where flash technology is unlikely to surpass 2 gigabytes.