Abstract

Alternative approaches to data storage based on proximal probe technologies have recently generated a considerable amount of interest. Their chief attraction is the ability to create marks ("write") and detect them ("read") on an extremely small scale, giving rise to potentially high areal densities. We have previously demonstrated one such technique based on the atomic force microscope (AFM) using topographic readback and thermomechanical writing.¹,² Initially external lasers were used for reading and writing, but advances in micromechanics are allowing for the integration of these capabilities, greatly simplifying the overall implementation. We have also demonstrated an approach based on a near-field optical technique using a flying solid immersion lens (SIL).³,⁴ Though this technique offers a more modest improvement in areal density, it does not suffer from the same data rate limitations inherent in scanning probe techniques.

© 1996 Optical Society of America