WO1997004449A1 - Nanometer scale data storage device and associated positioning system - Google Patents

Nanometer scale data storage device and associated positioning system Download PDF

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Publication number
WO1997004449A1
WO1997004449A1 PCT/US1996/012255 US9612255W WO9704449A1 WO 1997004449 A1 WO1997004449 A1 WO 1997004449A1 US 9612255 W US9612255 W US 9612255W WO 9704449 A1 WO9704449 A1 WO 9704449A1
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
tip
storage medium
read
write
support structure
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/US1996/012255
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Victor B. Kley
Original Assignee
General Nano Technology
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by General Nano Technology filed Critical General Nano Technology
Priority to US09/000,170 priority Critical patent/US6252226B1/en
Priority to AU66376/96A priority patent/AU6637696A/en
Publication of WO1997004449A1 publication Critical patent/WO1997004449A1/en
Priority to US09/919,780 priority patent/US6861648B2/en
Priority to US10/616,453 priority patent/US7045780B2/en
Priority to US11/411,985 priority patent/US7485856B2/en
Priority to US11/894,592 priority patent/US20080202221A1/en
Priority to US11/841,698 priority patent/US8499621B2/en
Priority to US12/779,879 priority patent/US20110126328A1/en
Priority to US14/446,365 priority patent/US20150168445A1/en

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    • G03F1/00—Originals for photomechanical production of textured or patterned surfaces, e.g., masks, photo-masks, reticles; Mask blanks or pellicles therefor; Containers specially adapted therefor; Preparation thereof
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    • G01B7/00—Measuring arrangements characterised by the use of electric or magnetic techniques
    • G01B7/30—Measuring arrangements characterised by the use of electric or magnetic techniques for measuring angles or tapers; for testing the alignment of axes
    • G01B7/31—Measuring arrangements characterised by the use of electric or magnetic techniques for measuring angles or tapers; for testing the alignment of axes for testing the alignment of axes
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    • H—ELECTRICITY
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Definitions

  • the present invention relates generally to data storage devices and their associated positioning systems
  • it relates to data storage devices to store and recover data by producing optical, electrical, or mechanical changes in storage media at nanometer level (i e , scale) increments (i e , intervals) with microfabricated structures which are positionable at nanometer level increments with the positioning system of the data storage devices
  • UVPROMs UV erasable programmable read only memories
  • UVPROMs are well known to those skilled in the art These types of memories comprise distinct charge storage cells or sites and include a separate read/wnte line to each of the charge storage cells
  • UVPROMs In order to write data to the UVPROM, it is first bulk erased by exposing simultaneously all of the charge storage cells to UV light or radiation to leak off any charges stored by them Then, data is written to selected charge storage cells by injecting charges in them with the corresponding read/wnte lines These charges may then be detected with the read/write lines so as to read data from the charge storage cells
  • UVPROMs include separate read/wnte lines to the charge storage cells, the charge storage cells are not able to be spaced apart at nanometer level increments so that the overall size of the UVPROM could be reduced
  • a UVPROM type structure with charge storage cells at nanometer level increments could be used if a mechanism were developed that could (1) selectively and individually write data to each charge storage cell by
  • U S Patent No 5,317,533 describes a data storage device utilizing scanning tunneling microscope (STM) probes to read and write data to a storage medium by producing and measunng tunneling currents between the STM probes and the storage medium
  • STM scanning tunneling microscope
  • U S Patent 5,289,408 describes a similar data storage device with a piezoelectric positioning apparatus for positioning STM probes over the storage medium to read and write data to the storage medium
  • This positioning apparatus is bulky and impractical to use as a part of a data storage device in a computing system
  • the storage capacity of this data storage device is also limited by
  • a data storage system that includes a positioning system for positioning the write/read mechanism and the storage medium of the data storage device with respect to each other in first and second predefined directions
  • the positioning system comprises a positioning apparatus comprising microfabricated first and second positioning assemblies
  • the first positioning assembly includes a stationary support structure, a moveable support structure, a positionable support structure, a stationary support structure clamp, and a movable support structure clamp
  • the movable support structure is movably coupled to the stationary support structure and is moveable within a range of movement in a first predefined direction with respect to the stationary support structure
  • the positioning system further comprises a controller to position the positionable support structure in the first predefined direction within a range of positioning that is larger than the range of movement of the moveable support structure It does so by controlling (A) the stationary support structure clamp in clamping and unclamping the positionable structure to and from the support structure, (B) the moveable structure clamp in clamping and unclamping the positionable support structure to and from the moveable support structure,
  • the second positioning assembly comprises a stationary support structure and a moveable support structure
  • the movable support structure is movably coupled to the stationary support structure and is moveable within a range of movement in a second predefined direction with respect to the stationary support structure
  • the controller controls the positioning of the moveable structure in the second direction within the range of movement of the moveable structure
  • the second positioning assembly may be constructed and controlled in the same way as the first positioning assembly
  • one of the w ⁇ te/read mechanism and the storage medium is carried by the positionable support structure so that it is positioned with the first positioning assembly
  • the other one of the w ⁇ te/read mechanism and the storage medium is positioned with the second positioning assembly
  • the positionable support structure carries the second positioning assembly and one of the write/read mechanism and the storage medium is positioned with the second positioning assembly while the other is held stationary in one embodiment
  • the storage medium is deformable and the write/read mechanism comprises one or more write probes and one or more read probes
  • the w ⁇ te probes each include a write
  • the data storage device comprises a storage medium alterable by light, one or more light emitting write probes each capable of emitting light, and one or more read probes each capable of detecting alterations of the storage medium caused by light
  • the controller is used in this embodiment to (A) during a write mode control the positioning apparatus in positioning the write probes over the storage medium so that the light emitting write tips are over the storage medium, (B) dunng the w ⁇ te mode, control each light emitting write probe to emit a predetermined amount of light so as to cause a predetermined amount of alteration of the storage medium so as to write data thereto, (C) during read modes, control the positioning apparatus in positioning the read probes over the storage medium so that each read probe detects a predetermined amount of alteration of the storage medium caused during the write mode, and (D) during the read mode, measure each detected predetermined amount of alteration of the storage medium so that the data written to the storage medium during the write mode is read therefrom
  • the data storage device comprises an electrically alterable storage medium, a t ⁇ angular ndge support structure, one or more conductive triangular ridges on the base structure, and an acoustic wave generator on one ofthe tnangular ⁇ dge support structure and the storage medium to produce surface acoustic waves thereon that propagate in a direction parallel to the axial length of the tnangular ⁇ dges
  • the controller in this embodiment is used to (A) dunng a write mode, control the positioning apparatus in positioning the triangular ridge support structure over the storage medium so that each t ⁇ angular ridge is over a corresponding region of the storage medium to be written, (B) dunng the wnte mode, control the acoustic wave generator to produce an acoustic wave, (C) during the write mode, apply at a predetermined time across each tnangular ⁇ dge and the storage medium a voltage pulse having a predetermined voltage and duration while the acoustic wave
  • the positioning system is used in a biochemical instrument
  • the biochemical instrument comprises a probe that includes a porous tip and a tip positioning apparatus to position the tip with respect to a sample material
  • the positioning apparatus is used to position the probe and sample material with respect to each other
  • the controller is used to (A) control the positioning apparatus in positioning the probe over the sample, and (B) control the tip positioning apparatus in lowenng the tip into the sample matenal to produce a biochemical interaction between the porous tip and the sample material
  • Figure 1 shows a positioning system in accordance with the present invention
  • Figure 2 shows another embodiment of the positioning system of Figure 1
  • Figure 3 shows yet another embodiment of the positioning system of Figure 1
  • Figure 4 shows a cross sectional side view of the positioning system of Figure 1 along the
  • Figure 5 shows a cross sectional side view ofthe positioning system of Figure 1 along the
  • Figure 6 shows a cross sectional side view ofthe positioning system of Figure 1 along the
  • Figure 7 shows a cross sectional side view ofthe positioning system of Figure 1 along the line 7-7
  • Figure 8 shows the positionable support structure of the positioning system of Figure 1
  • Figure 9 shows a data storage device in accordance with the invention which includes the positioning system of Figure 1
  • Figure 10 shows a w ⁇ te probe capable of being used in the data storage device of Figure 9
  • Figure 11 shows another embodiment of the tip positioning apparatus of the probes of Figures 10, 12
  • Figure 12 shows a read probe capable of being used in the data storage device of Figure
  • Figure 13 shows a side cross sectional view of a storage medium capable of being used in the data storage device of Figure 9
  • Figure 14 shows top cross sectional view of the storage medium of Figure 13
  • Figure 15 shows another storage medium capable of being used in the data storage device of Figure 9
  • Figure 16 shows a side cross sectional view of the storage medium of Figure 15
  • Figure 17 shows another w ⁇ te probe capable of being used in the data storage device of Figure 9
  • Figure 18 shows still another w ⁇ te probe capable of being used in the data storage device of Figure 9
  • Figure 19 shows another embodiment of the read/write mechanism of Figure 9
  • Figure 20 provides another view of the read/write mechanism of Figure 19
  • Figure 21 shows another embodiment of the read/write mechanism of Figure 19
  • Figure 22 shows a top view of the read/write mechanism of Figure 21
  • Figure 23 shows a scanning probe miscroscope assembly in accordance with the present invention
  • Figure 24 shows another embodiment of the scanning probe miscroscope assembly DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION
  • the present invention p ⁇ ma ⁇ ly concerns various types of data storage systems These data storage systems are related by their positioning systems, storage mediums, and/or read/wnte mechanisms
  • Positioning System Refemng to Figure 1 there is shown a positioning system 100 for positioning objects at nanometer level or scale increments
  • the positioning system may be used as the positioning system in the data storage devices described herein or as the positioning system in measuring systems (such as atomic force microscopes (AFMs), scanning tunneling microscopes (STMs), optical microscopes, and near-field microscopes), microfab ⁇ cation systems, or other instruments that require precise positioning
  • measuring systems such as atomic force microscopes (AFMs), scanning tunneling microscopes (STMs), optical microscopes, and near-field microscopes
  • microfab ⁇ cation systems or other instruments that require precise positioning
  • Positioning system 100 includes a programmed controller 102 and a microfabricated XY translator or positioning apparatus compnsing an X translator assembly 104 to move an object in the X direction and a Y translator assembly 106 to move an object in the Y direction
  • the X and Y translator assemblies are mounted together with mounting pedestals or bumps 108 and 110
  • the assembled X and Y translator assemblies are sealed airtight in a vacuum or are evacuated as a final assembly step Operation in a vacuum substantially improves the operational speed of all mechanical elements of the positioning system and also inhibits the formation of oxides on these elements
  • the positioning system may be assembled in and filled with an inert gas, such as argon, at or near atmospheric pressure
  • X translator assembly 104 may be formed of a semiconductive material, such as silicon, and comprises a stationary support structure and a moveable support structure movably coupled to the stationary support structure
  • the stationary support structure comprises a stationary support structure base 112 and a pair of stationary support structure rails or bars 114
  • the stationary support structure base and rails are integrally connected together
  • the moveable support structure comprises a moveable support structure base 118 and a pair of moveable support structure rails 120
  • the moveable support structure base and rails are integrally connected together
  • mounting pedestals 108 and 110 are integrally connected to stationary support structure base 112
  • Spring connectors 124 are integrally connected to mounting pedestals 108 and are integrally connected to one end of moveable support structure base 118 and physically suspend this end over the stationary support structure base
  • the spring connectors act as springs
  • the moveable support structure is physically movably coupled to the stationary support structure by mounting pedestals 108 and spring connectors 124
  • X translator assembly 104 also includes an electrostatic comb drive or actuator comprising a stationary comb structure 128 and a moveable comb structure 130
  • the stationary comb structure is integrally connected to stationary support structure base 112
  • the moveable comb structure is integrally connected to moveable support structure base 118
  • the electrostatic comb drive is of the type and operates in the manner described in "Electrostatic Comb Drive for Resonant Sensor and Actuator Applications", University of California at Berkeley Doctoral Dissertation, by William Chi-Keung Tang November 21, 1990, which is hereby explicitly incorporated by reference Specifically, the comb fingers of moveable comb structure 130 are aligned between the comb fingers of stationary comb structure 128 And, referring to Figures 1 and 4, the stationary and moveable comb structures are made to be conductive so that when a differential voltage is applied across them, their comb fingers interact electrostatically with each other and the moveable comb structure is electrostatically suspended over stationary support structure base 112 and moves with respect to the stationary comb structure in the X direction Thus, since one end of moveable support structure base 118 is integrally connected to the moveable comb structure, the moveable support structure is electrostatically movably coupled to the stationary support structure and is moveable in the X direction
  • positioning system 100 includes controller 102
  • the controller is electrically coupled to stationary and moveable comb structures 128 and 130 and provides a differential voltage across them
  • the controller can control movement of or drive the moveable support structure back and forth in the X direction over the stationary support structure with the electrostatic comb drive
  • the moveable support structure moves toward the mounting pedestals 108 and forces spnng connectors 124 to be deflected to a position different then their normal undeflected position
  • the spring connectors return to their normal undeflected position and force the moveable support structure back to or to be retracted to its original position
  • controller 112 can control movement of the moveable support structure in nanometer level increments (e g , 10 nanometer increments) In other words, the controller can control positioning of the moveable support structure at the nanometer level
  • the moveable support structure has only a limited range of movement in the X direction at the micrometer level (e g , 35 to 45 micrometers)
  • a second electrostatic comb drive replaces mounting pedestals 108 and spring connectors 124 to electrostatically move and suspend one end of the moveable support structure base 118
  • the second electrostatic comb drive is used similarly to and in conjunction with the earlier described electrostatic comb drive to electrostatically movably couple the moveable support structure to the stationary support structure
  • the electrostatic comb dnve of X translator assembly 104 is replaced by a heater drive comprising a thermally expandable and contractible structure 132 and heater elements 134 on the thermally expandable and contractible structure
  • One end of the thermally expandable and contractible structure is integrally connected to stationary support structure base 112
  • the other end of the thermally expandable and contractible structure is integrally connected to moveable support structure base 118 and suspends over the stationary support structure base the end of the moveable support structure base coupled to it
  • the heater elements are used to selectively heat the thermally expandable and contractible structure so that it thermally expands and contracts and moves back and forth in the
  • controller 102 is electrically coupled to heater elements 134 and thermally expandable and contractible structure 132 to provide a current that flows through the heater elements
  • controller can control positioning of the moveable support structure in nanometer level increments in the X direction in a similar manner to that described earlier for the embodiment of Figure 1
  • a piezoelect ⁇ c dnve formed by a piezoelectric structure 136 and electrodes 138 fixed to the piezoelectric structure is used to control movement of the moveable support structure of X translator assembly 104
  • the piezoelectric structure may comprise silicon dioxide such that one end of the piezoelectric structure is integrally connected to moveable support structure base 118 and suspends over stationary support structure base 112 the end of the moveable support structure base coupled to it
  • the other end of the piezoelectric structure is integrally connected to a stationary suspension structure 139 which is itself integrally connected to the stationary support structure base and suspends the piezoelectric structure over the stationary support structure base
  • the electrodes are used to selectively apply a voltage to the piezoelectric structure to expand and contract it so that it moves back and forth in the X direction
  • the moveable support structure is physically movably coupled to
  • controller 102 is electrically coupled to electrodes 138 so that it can provide a voltage across the electrodes which is applied to piezoelectric structure 136 by the electrodes
  • the controller can control positioning of the moveable support structure in nanometer level increments back in the X direction over the stationary support structure in a similar manner to that described eariier for the embodiment of Figure 1 It does so by controlling the level of voltage applied to the piezoelectric structure
  • stationary support stmcture includes stationary support structure rails 114 and the moveable support structure includes moveable support structure rails 120, as alluded to earlier
  • each of the stationary support stmcture rails have ends integrally connected to stationary support stmcture base 112 and have rail portions that are spaced from the stationary support stmcture base
  • the moveable support stmcture rails each have ends integrally connected to moveable support structure base 118 and have rail portions that are spaced
  • X translator assembly 104 further inciudes a positionable support structure 140 which carries an object to be moved in the X direction
  • the X translator assembly also includes a moveable support stmcture rail clamp and a stationary support stmcture rail clamp to help position the positionable support structure and the object it car ⁇ es at the nanometer level in the X direction over a range of positioning that is greater than the range of movement of the moveable support structure
  • the moveable support stmcture rail clamp comprises clamping bar extensions or fingers 142, clamping bars 144, push arms 146, and heater elements 160
  • the stationary support stmcture rail clamp compnses clamping bar extensions 148, clamping bars 150, push arms 152, and heater elements 162
  • clamping bar extensions 142 are integrally connected to positionable support stmcture 140 and extend over moveable support stmcture rails 120 and bend down toward moveable support structure base 118
  • clamping bar extensions 148 are integrally connected to the positionable support stmcture and extend over stationary support stmcture rails 114 and bend down toward stationary support stmcture base 112
  • clamping bar extensions 142 and 148 The curved shape of clamping bar extensions 142 and 148 is due to several factors
  • the underside of positionable support structure 140 includes conductive interconnects or lines 154, 156, and 158 These interconnects may comprise tungsten and are patterned on and throughout the positionable support stmcture including on the undersides of the clamping bar extensions The tensile force of the interconnects on the undersides of the clamping bar extensions helps produce their curved shape
  • the clamping bar extensions are doped with phosphorous which also helps in producing their curved shape
  • clamping bars 144 and 150 respectively bend in toward moveable and stationary support structure rails 120 and 114 because they are respectively integrally connected to curve shaped clamping bar extensions 142 and 148 Furtheimore, when push arms 146 and 152 are in their natural positions, clamping bars 144 and 150 respectively bend in an engage moveable and stationary support stmcture rails 120 and 114 This is due to the fact that, in their natural position, push arms 146 and 152 do not extend out far enough in the Y direction to respectively engage clamping bars 144 and 150 As a result, under these conditions, positionable support stmcture 140 is clamped and coupled to the moveable and stationary support structure rails
  • Moveable and stationary support stmcture rails 120 and 114 are made to be conductive Refemng to Figure 8, therefore, when the moveable support structure clamp clamps positionable support stmcture 140 to the moveable support stmcture rails, the moveable support structure rails are respectively electrically coupled to interconnects 154 and 156 Similarly, when the positionable support stmcture is clamped to the stationary support stmcture rails by the stationary support stmcture clamp, the stationary support stmcture rails are respectively electrically coupled to interconnects 156 and 158 Furthermore, positionable support structure 140 and push arms 146 and 152 are made to be conductive or semiconductive and are electrically coupled to interconnect 156 And, interconnect 154 is electrically coupled to heater elements 160 located on stationary support stmcture rail clamping push arms 148 Moreover, interconnect 158 is electncally coupled to heater elements 162 located on moveable support structure rail clamping push arms 142
  • push arms 152 remain in their normal positions when positionable support structure 140 is clamped to moveable support structure rails 120 and no or a suitably small differential voltage is applied across them This is due to the fact that heater elements 162 are not activated in this case since no current flows through interconnect 158, heater elements 162, and interconnect 156 However, when a suitably large differential voltage is applied across the moveable support structure rails, current does flow through interconnect 158, heater elements 162, and interconnect 156 Since heater elements 162 are located on the moveable support stmcture clamping rail push arms at the notches of these push arms, they heat these push arms so that they bend out at their notches and extend out in the Y direction away from positionable support stmcture 140 As a result, they engage stationary support stmcture rail clamping bars 150 and push these clamping bars away from the stationary support stmcture rails so that these clamping bars are disengaged from the stationary support stmcture rails
  • the positionable support structure is
  • controller 102 is electrically coupled to the moveable and stationary support structure rails 120 and 140 to provide appropriate differential voltages across the moveable support structure rails and across the stationary support structure rails so as to produce the clamping and unclamping functions of the moveable and stationary support structure rail clamps just described
  • the controller can control the clamping and unclamping of the positionable support stmcture to and from the moveable and stationary support structure rails
  • Controller 112 the electrostatic comb, heater, and piezoelectric drives described earlier, the moveable support structure, the stationary support stmcture, and the moveable and stationary support stmcture rail clamps just described work cooperatively together to provide a means to position positionable support stmcture 140 and the object it carries at the nanometer level in the X direction over a range of positioning that is greater then the range of movement of the moveable support structure
  • the controller initially applies a suitably large differential voltage across moveable support structure rails 120 to unclamp the positionable support structure from stationary support stmcture rails 114 and no or a suitably small differential voltage across stationary support stmcture rails 120 to keep the positionable support stmcture clamped to the moveable support stmcture rails Then, the controller applies a suitable differential voltage across stationary and moveable comb stmctures 128 and 130 to move the moveable support structure in the X direction Since the positionable support structure is clampe
  • controller 112 applies no or a suitably small differential voltage across moveable support stmcture rails 120 to clamp positionable support structure 140 to the stationary support stmcture rails and a suitably large differential voltage across stationary support structure rails to unclamp the positionable support structure from the moveable support structure rails
  • controller then applies a suitable differential voltage across stationary and moveable comb stmctures 128 and 130 to reposition or retract the moveable support structure in the X direction so that it can again move the maximum distance in the X direction
  • the process just descnbed is then repeated until the positionable support stmcture and the object it carries have been positioned at the desired point in the X direction
  • the positionable support stmcture and the object it carries can be positioned anywhere along the length of the rail portions of the stationary support stmcture rails Since the rail portions of the stationary support
  • the electrostatic comb drive may be replaced by a heater drive or a piezoelectric drive
  • These heater and piezoelectric drives would operate and be constructed similarly to the heater drive and piezoelectric drives of Figures 2 and 3 and be controlled by controller 102 in the same way as was described earlier
  • Y translator assembly 106 could be mounted to or integrally connected to positionable support structure 140 of X translator assembly 104 In this case, in positioning two objects relative to each other, one of the objects would be kept stationary and the other object would be carried by moveable support structure 166 of the Y translator assembly Furthermore, in still another alternative embodiment, Y translator assembly 106 would be replaced by another Y translator assembly that is constructed similar to X translator assembly 104
  • a data storage device 200 that mcludes the XY translator apparatus and controller 102 of positioning system 100 described earlier In addition, it includes a storage medium 202 and a read/write mechanism comprising one or more write probes 204 and one or more read probes 206 Controller 102 is used in the data storage device not only to control the XY translator apparatus in positioning the read and write probes and the storage medium with respect to each other in the X and Y directions, but also in controlling mechanical w ⁇ ti ⁇ g of data to and elect ⁇ cal reading of data from the storage medium by the write and read probes
  • Storage medium 202 is earned by positionable support structure 140 of X translator assembly 104 W ⁇ te and read probes 204 and 206 are earned by moveable support stmcture 166 of Y translator assembly 106
  • the storage medium may be carried by the moveable support structure of the Y translator assembly and the write and read probes may be carried by the positionable support structure of the X translator assembly
  • the storage medium and the write and read probes may be positioned with respect to each other with any of the alternative embodiments described earlier for positioning device 100 or with a standard piezoelectric XY translator apparatus
  • write probes 204 can be arranged in three rows of eleven, as shown in Figure 9 As shown in Figure 10, each w ⁇ te probe includes a tapered w ⁇ te tip 210 and a Z translator or w ⁇ te tip positioning apparatus for positioning the write tip with respect to the storage medium in the Z direction
  • the Z translator apparatus comprises a cantilever 208 and a cantilever mover
  • the cantilever mover is a capacitor formed by moveable support structure 166, an insulating layer or pad 212, and a conductive layer or pad 214
  • the cantilever is integrally connected to the moveable support structure and the write tip is integrally connected to and on the cantilever
  • Each write probe 204 has a core material 216 that comprises a conductive or semiconductive material, such as silicon
  • the core mate ⁇ al of each write tip 210 is preferably coated with a highly obdurate coating 218, such as diamond, silicon carbide, or carbon nitride, which is capable of deforming storage medium 202 and is more obdurate than conductive silicon, tungsten, aluminum, or gold used in conventional STM tips This is to reduce frictional wear from long term use in deforming the storage medium
  • the obdurate coating may have a thickness in the range of approximately 5 Angstroms to 1 micrometer
  • obdurate coating 218 comprises diamond
  • write probes 204 are first placed in a vacuum chamber containing carbon A mask is placed over each probe so that only tip 210 is exposed At a pressure of approximately 1x10 7 to 1x10 11 , the carbon is heated to a temperature of approximately 2100 to 3000 °C The carbon condenses on the surface of core material 216 to form seed sights
  • the seed sights may be formed by pushing or rubbing each write tip 210 on a surface containing fine grain diamond (such as a lap or polycrystalline diamond coated surface) Refemng to Figure 11 , w ⁇ te probes 204 are then placed in a methane hydrogen atmosphere for chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of diamond on the surface of the core mate ⁇ al
  • CVD chemical vapor deposition
  • a polycrystalline diamond coating 212 is grown on the core mate ⁇ al with the diamond crystals being grown normal to the surface of the core material Growth of diamond crystals is further descnbed in Deposition.
  • a bias voltage may be applied to the core matenal This voltage should be sufficient to create an elect ⁇ cal field at the sha ⁇ end of the write tip large enough so that the diamond crystals grown at the sharp end of the write tip are symmetrically aligned but small enough so that the diamond crystals grown below the sharp end of the write tip are not symmetrically aligned
  • the advantage of this is to obtain a consistent orientation and tip behavior at the sharp end without sacrificing the durability and stability of the diamond coating below the sharp end
  • the obdurate coating 218 comprises silicon carbide
  • the coating may be grown in the manner described in Deposition. Characterization, and Device Development in Diamond. Silicon Carbide, and Gallium Nitride Thin Films lust referenced
  • the obdurate coating 218 comprises carbon nitride
  • the same seeding processes as was just described for diamond growth may be used
  • write probes 204 are placed in an atmosphere of monatomic nitrogen
  • the monatomic nitrogen is obtained by passing nitrogen gas through a hollow tungsten heater consisting of a hollow tungsten stmcture through which an elect ⁇ c current is passed
  • the tungsten heater is maintained at a temperature of 2100 to 3000 °C
  • the tungsten heater also includes a quantity of carbon sufficient to combine chemically to form a carbon nitride layer on the carbon seed sites at the cool surface (800 °C) of core material 216
  • the process begins without introducing nitrogen gas After a few atoms of carbon are deposited, the nitrogen gas is introduced into the tungsten electrode and deposition and growth of the polycrystalline carbon nitride coating is initiated
  • each write probe 204 includes a Z translator apparatus comprising cantilever 208 and a capacitor formed by moveable support structure 166, insulating layer 212, and conductive layer 214
  • the moveable support structure is made to be conductive or semiconductive
  • the insulating layer may compnse silicon dioxide and the conductive layer may comprise tungsten Controller 102 is electrically coupled to the moveable support stmcture and the conductive layer
  • the controller can control enough energy storage by the capacitor of the Z translator apparatus so as to electrostatically move cantilever 208 from its normal undeflected position to a deflected position and raise write tip 210 in the Z direction away from storage medium 202
  • the controller can control release of energy storage by the capacitor of the Z translator apparatus so as to move cantilever 208 from its deflected position towards its normal undeflected position and Iower write tip 210 in the
  • the Z translator apparatus of each write probe 204 may comprise, in addition to cantilever 208, a heater element 220 as the cantilever mover instead of the capacitor of the positioning apparatus of Figure 10.
  • the heater element is located on the cantilever at the notch formed between the cantilever and moveable support structure 166.
  • Controller 102 is electrically coupled to the moveable support stmcture and the heater element. By applying a suitably large voltage across them, the controller can produce a current through the heater element to thermally expand the cantilever at the notch so as to move it from its normal undeflected position to a deflected position and Iower write tip 210 in the Z direction toward storage medium 202.
  • the controller by applying no or a suitably small voltage across moveable support stmcture and the heater element, the controller produces no current through the heater element and the cantilever thermally contracts at the notch and returns from its deflected position to its normal undeflected position so as to raise write tip in the Z direction away from the storage medium.
  • the Z translator apparatus of each write probe 204 may be a conventional piezoelectric translator.
  • write tip 210 of each write probe is connected to the piezoelectric translator and controller 102 is coupled to the piezoelectric translator to expand and contract it so as to Iower or raise the write tip in the Z direction.
  • storage medium 202 comprises a deformable conductive material which is capable of being deformed by the obdurate coatings of write tips 210. This material may comprise gold, silicon, carbon, aluminum, silver, or tin.
  • controller 102 in a write mode, first controls the XY translator apparatus in positioning the write probes over an area or region of storage medium 202 to be written. Since controller 102 is separately electrically coupled to the Z translator apparatus of each write probe 204 in the manner described earlier, it can selectively or individually control the lowering of each write tip 210 in the Z direction to write individual data bits or data values to storage medium 202 during the write mode. Specifically, during the write mode, each write tip may be selectively and individually lowered a selected predetermined amount into the storage medium in the manner just described to cause a selected predetermined amount of deformation or indentation in the storage medium which represents digital or analog data.
  • a data bit of value "1" and a data bit of value "0" are represented by two different predetermined amounts of deformation ofthe storage medium.
  • a data bit of value "0” may be represented by no deformation and a data bit of value "1 " may be represented by a specific amount of deformation.
  • a range of discrete predetermined amounts of deformation would represent a range of digital data values and a continuous range of predetermined amounts of deformation would represent a range of analog data values.
  • the range of predetermined amounts of deformation may range from no deformation representing a minimum data value to a maximum amount of deformation representing a maximum data value.
  • a pattern of tracks at regularly spaced intervals are foimed on the storage medium.
  • These tracks may be created using conventional photolithography during the microfabrication process. Altematively, they may be a series of deformations created in the storage medium with write tips 210 in the manner described earlier. These tracks may be read out as data bits or data values along with the actual data bits or data values written to storage medium in the manner described next.
  • read probes 206 may be arranged in three rows of eleven. And, referring to Figure 12, each read probe includes a tapered read tip 222 and a Z translator or read tip positioning apparatus for positioning the read tip in the Z direction.
  • the Z translator apparatus is constmcted and operates like the Z translator apparatus of each write probe and therefore comprises a cantilever 208 and a capacitor formed by moveable support structure 166, an insulating layer 212, and a conductive layer 214.
  • the cantilever is integrally connected to the moveable support stmcture and the read tip is integrally connected to and on the cantilever.
  • the Z translator apparatus of each read probe 206 may comprise one ofthe apparatuses discussed eariier as altemative embodiments to the Z translator apparatus of each write probe 204.
  • each read tip may be selectively and individually lowered toward or raised away from the storage medium in the Z direction in a similar manner to that described earlier for each write tip 210.
  • each read probe 206 has a core material 216 that comprises a conductive or semiconductive material, such as silicon.
  • the core material of each read tip 222 is coated with an insulating coating 226, such as silicon dioxide, except at the sha ⁇ end of the read tip.
  • the insulating coating and the core material at the sharp end of the tip are coated with a conductive coating 228, such as aluminum, gold, tungsten, or some other conductive material.
  • controller 102 is electrically coupled to the conductive coating of the read tip.
  • controller 102 in a read mode, first controls the XY translator apparatus in positioning the read probes over an area or region of storage medium 202 to be read. Since controller 102 is separately electrically coupled to the Z translator apparatus of each read probe 206, it can selectively and individually control the lowering of each read tip 222 in the Z direction close to the storage medium for reading data from the storage medium during the read mode. Moreover, since the controller is electrically coupled to storage medium 202 and separately coupled to conductive coating 228 of each read tip, it can selectively and individually produce and measure a tunneling current between the conductive coating of each read tip and the storage medium during the read mode. From the measured tunneling current, the controller determines the amount of deformation of the storage medium below the read tip so as to read a data bit or data value from the storage medium which was written during a previous write mode.
  • each row of write and read probes 204 and 206 are spaced about 30 micrometers apart and the write and read probes in each row are also spaced about 30 micrometers apart. This is done to match the ranges of movement of the moveable support stmctures of X and Y translator assemblies 104 and 106 so as to maximize the amount of data that can be written to and read from storage medium 202 at nanometer level positioning increments over these ranges of movement.
  • the deformable material of the storage medium 202 is capable of being heated to or near its melting point. As a result, in the area where the storage medium is being heated, it will be restored to its normal state and any deformations there representing data bits or data values will be removed.
  • controller 102 controls the XY translator apparatus in positioning the read probes over an area or region of storage medium 202 to be erased.
  • controller 102 is separately electrically coupled to the Z translator apparatus of each read probe 206 and can selectively and individually control the lowering of each read tip 222 in the Z direction close to the storage medium for erasing of data from the storage medium during the erase mode.
  • the controller is electrically coupled to core material 216 of each read probe 206 in that moveable support structure 166 and read probe 206 are integrally connected and comprise a conductive or semiconductive material.
  • the controller Since the controller is separately electrically coupled to the conductive coating of each read tip, as discussed earlier, and is coupled to the core material 216 of each read tip, it can selectively and individually apply a voltage across the conductive coating and core material of each read tip during the erase mode. At the sharp end of each read tip 222, the conductive coating is in contact with the core material and a current is produced between them when the applied voltage across them reaches the forward bias point of the junction diode they form. Since the read tip has been lowered close to the storage medium during the erase mode, the heat generated by this flow of current radiates down toward storage medium 202 to heat the area of the storage medium below the read tip.
  • each read probe 206 would not have its own Z translator apparatus. Instead, each read probe would be conneded to a large single Z translator apparatus which would be controlled by controller 102 to Iower read tips 222 simultaneously together to perform in bulk the read and erase functions described earlier.
  • the storage medium comprises a layer of a deformable material 229, as described earlier, and a heater structure comprising a first insulating layer 230, one or more patterned conductive heater elements 232 over the first insulating layer, and a second insulating layer 234 over the first insulating layer and heater elements and below the deformable material.
  • Figure 14 shows the patterned layout of heater elements 232.
  • Controller 102 is separately electrically coupled across each heater element to selectively and individually apply across the heater element a voltage to heat the area (i.e., region) of storage medium 202 above the heater element. In doing so, controller 102 can selectively remove deformations in particular areas ofthe storage medium in a similar manner to that just described and therefore selectively erase data bits or data values written to these areas.
  • conductive coating 228 comprises an obdurate material, such as diamond, silicon carbide, or silicon nitride, made to be conductive using conventional doping techniques. For example, these materials may be doped with boron to make them conductive.
  • probes 206 could then be used not only to read data from storage medium 202 in the manner described earlier, but also write data to storage medium 202 in the manner described for write probes 204 of Figure 10. Thus, only one kind of probe could be used in this embodiment to perform reading and writing of data to and from the storage medium.
  • the core material of read tips 222 would be conductive so that these tips would not require conductive coating 228 and insulating coating 226.
  • the core material may comprise doped silicon, tungsten, aluminum, gold, or some other conductive material.
  • storage medium 202 comprises optically alterable charge storage cells, regions, or areas of the type used in UV erasable programmable read only memories (UVPROMs). However, in this case, these charge storage cells do not have individual read/write lines.
  • the storage medium comprises a silicon substrate 236 in which are formed electrically isolated, spaced apart, and conductively doped wells 238 capable of storing a charge. Controller 102 is electrically coupled to the substrate so that it is electrically coupled to each doped well that forms the charge storage cells.
  • each write probe 204 of the read/write mechanism is constmcted to optically write data to the charge storage cells of storage medium 202 while read probes 206 are constmcted to electrically read the data optically written to the charge storage cells. Otherwise, the data storage device in this embodiment is constmcted and operates the same as the one of the mechanical write/electrical read embodiment discussed earlier.
  • Figure 17 shows the construction of each write probe 204 of this embodiment. Like the write probes of the embodiment of Figure 10, each write probe has a conductive or semiconductive core material 216, such as silicon. The core material of each write tip 242 is coated with an emissive coating 244 at a thickness of approximately 10 to 200 nanometers.
  • This emissive coating may comprise gallium nitride, gallium arsenide, or silicon carbide all suitably doped to be emissive.
  • blue (e.g., 423 nanometer wavelength) and/or ultraviolet (UV) light (e.g., 372 nanometer wavelength) is emitted by emissive coating 240 as described in Deposition. Characterization, and Device Development in Diamond. Silicon Carbide, and Gallium Nitride Thin Films referenced earlier.
  • UV light e.g., 372 nanometer wavelength
  • the light propagates through the write tip until it is emitted at its sharp end at the aperture which has a diameter substantially smaller than the wavelength of the light. This type of probe is even further described in the copending U.S. Patent Application No. 08/281,883 referenced earlier.
  • each write probe 204 is comprised of a silicon core material 216.
  • the silicon core material at the sha ⁇ end of each write tip 248 is porous. This is accomplished by immersing the write probe in a dilute solution of Hydrofluoric acid or a dilute solution Hydrofluoric and Nitric acid and operating the silicon write probe as an anode. In addition, a gold or platinum cathode is also immersed in the solution. A current is then produced between the anode and cathode which is sufficient to porously etch the sha ⁇ end of the write tip (and other sha ⁇ edges of the write probe) but leave the remainder of the write probe unetched.
  • each write tip is coated with an insulating coating 250, such as silicon dioxide, except at the sharp end of the read tip.
  • the insulating coating and the porous core material at the sharp end of the tip are coated with a conductive coating 252, such as aluminum, gold, tungsten, indium tin oxid, or some other conductive material.
  • a conductive coating 252 such as aluminum, gold, tungsten, indium tin oxid, or some other conductive material.
  • about 5 to 10 nanometers of the conductive coating at the sharp end may be made sufficiently thin so that it is transparent to light or about 5 to 10 nanometers of the conductive coating can removed or rubbed off from the sha ⁇ end of the write tip.
  • Controller 102 is electrically coupled to core material 216 of each write probe 248 in that moveable support stmcture 166 and write probe 248 are integrally connected and comprise silicon. Moreover, the controller is separately electrically coupled to conductive coating 252 of each write tip 248. Thus, the controller can selectively and individually apply a voltage across the conductive coating and core material of each read tip. Since at the sha ⁇ end of each write tip the conductive coating is in contact with the porous core material, a current can is produced between them when the voltage is applied which causes the porous core material at the sharp end to emit light through the aperture of the write tip.
  • write tip 248 may be uncoated.
  • controller 102 may be electrically coupled across core material 216 of each write tip and substrate 230 of storage medium 202. By selectively and individually applying a voltage across them, a current will be produced between the charge storage cell close to the write tip and the write tip which causes the porous core material at the sharp end of the write tip to emit light.
  • controller 102 in a write mode, first controls the XY translator apparatus in positioning write probes 204 over charge storage cells to be written. As discussed earlier, controller 102 is separately electrically coupled to the Z translator apparatus of each write probe 204 and can selectively control the lowering of each write tip 242 in the Z direction to write data to a charge cell during the write mode. Moreover, as shown in Figures 17 and 18, controller 102 is separately electrically coupled to each write probe to make it emit light.
  • the controller can selectively and individually control each write tip to write a data bit or data value to a charge storage cell by emitting a seleded predetermined amount of light close to a charge cell in the manner just described to cause a selected predetermined amount of charge in the charge storage cell to be optically leaked off, altered, or changed so that the charge storage cell stores a selected predetermined amount of charge representing the data bit or data value.
  • a data bit of value "1" and a data bit of value "0" are represented by two different predetermined amounts of charge in a charge cell.
  • a data bit of value "0” may be represented by a specific charge amount that has been optically changed and a data bit of value "1” may be represented by a specific charge amount that has not been optically changed.
  • a range of predetermined charge amounts represent a range of digital data values.
  • the range of predetermined charge amounts may range from no charge representing a minimum data value to a maximum amount of charge representing a maximum data value. Since there are 33 write probes, up to 33 data bits or data values can be written to up to 33 charge storage cells during a write mode in the manner just described.
  • read probes 206 in this embodiment may be constmcted in the same way as those of the mechanical write/electrical read embodiment described earlier.
  • controller 102 controls the XY translator apparatus in positioning the read probes over charge storage cells to be read.
  • controller 102 is separately electrically coupled to the Z translator apparatus of each read probe 206 and can individually and selectively control the lowering of each read tip 222 in the Z direction to detect with the conductive coating of the read tip a charge in a charge storage cell of storage medium 202.
  • the controller since the controller is also separately coupled to conductive coating 228 of each read tip, it can individually and selectively measure the amount of the detected charge so as to read a data bit or data value from the charge storage cell which was written during a previous write mode.
  • the read tip is used to detect the predetermined amount of alteration of the charge storage cell caused during a write mode and the controller measures the detected amount to read the data bit or data value written during the write mode. Since there are 33 read probes, up to 33 data bits or data values at a time during a read mode can be read in this manner from up to 33 charge storage cells.
  • the charge storage cells are of the type found in UVPROMs.
  • read/write lines are eliminated such that the charge storage cells may be made much smaller and spaced much closer than in conventional UVPROMs.
  • the size of the charge storage cells may be on the nanometer level and the charge storage cells may be spaced apart at nanometer level increments. This is so that data can be written to and read from storage medium 202 at nanometer level increments of positioning using X and Y translator assemblies 104 and 106 of Figures 1 and 9 in the manner described earlier.
  • UVPROMs typically standard energy from common UV sources used to erase UVPROMs is on the order of 10 "9 watts per micrometer.
  • light emitting tips 242 and 248 described herein will easily produce UV energy at a near-field intensity of 10 7 to 10 B times more intense which results in write times on the order of 1 to 10 microseconds.
  • controller 102 controls the XY translator apparatus in positioning read probes 206 over charge storage cells to be erased. Since controller 102 is separately electrically coupled to the Z translator apparatus of each read probe 206, it can individually and selectively control the lowering of each read tip 222 in the Z direction close to storage medium 202 for erasing of data from a charge storage cell during the erase mode. Moreover, referring to Figures 12 and 16, as discussed earlier, the controller is separately electrically coupled to conductive coating 228 of each read tip and is electrically coupled to substrate 236 of the storage medium. Thus, it can individually and selectively apply a selected predetermined voltage across the conductive coating of each tip and the charge storage cell under the tip during the erase mode.
  • the storage medium also includes an insulating layer 254 around doped wells 238. Over the insulating layer are one or more patterned conductors 256 around one or more corresponding areas or regions of the doped wells. Controller 102 is separately electrically coupled across each conductor and the silicon substrate to selectively and individually apply across them a predetermined voltage. This produces a selected predetermined amount of tunneling current between the conductor and the charge storage cells in the corresponding selected region and injects a selected predetermined amount of charge into these charge storage cells. As a result, any data bits or data values written to these charge storage cells during a previous write mode are erased in a similar manner to that just described. In alternative embodiments, the storage medium may compnse other types of matenals or structures which can be optically altered at discrete increments, regions, or intervals by light emissions from the types of write probes 204 discussed next.
  • each write and read probe 204 and 206 would not have its own Z translator apparatus Instead, each wnte probe would be connected to a large single Z translator apparatus which would be controlled by controller 102 to Iower write tips 242 or 248 simultaneously together to perform in bulk the write function described earlier Moreover, each read probe would also be connected to a large single Z translator apparatus which would be controlled by controller 102 to Iower read tips 222 simultaneously together to perform in bulk the read and erase functions described eariier
  • the biochemical instrument includes one or more probes 204 each having a tip 248 with a porous sharp end, as described earlier, but without insulating and conductive coatings 250 and 252 Specifically, by controlling the etch current and etch time of the process described above, the pore width and depth of a region of several angstroms in length at the sha ⁇ end of the tip can be controlled As a result, binding cites of a specific size for selected molecules can be made in the tip at the sharp end so that controller 102 could control the lowering and raising of the tip, in the manner descnbed earlier, into and from a biochemical substance to biochemically interact with
  • a tip of this embodiment which holds specific types of molecules in its binding cites could be lowered into and out of an assay for viruses or other bioactive chemicals or biostmctures to deposit them into or remove them from the assay
  • a tip that holds in its binding cites the molecules of a catalytic chemical may be lowered into a substance to produce a catalytic reaction in the substance
  • the tip may be lowered into and raised from a biochemical substance, such as a cell, to attract and pick up specific molecules at the binding cites of the tip
  • the binding sites may hold the molecules of a chemically active material so that when the tip is lowered into an unknown sample of organic or inorganic material, the binding energy or attractive force between the molecules of the chemically active and sample materials can be measured by the deflection of cantilever 208 to charactenze the sample material
  • the deflection of the cantilever would be determined by the controller by measuring changes in the energy storage of the capacitor descnbed earlier (formed by the moveable
  • storage medium 202 comprises charge storage cells, regions, or areas similar to the UVPROM type charge storage cells of the optical write/electrical read embodiment described eariier and of the type used in electronically erasable programmable read only memories (EEPROMs).
  • EEPROMs electronically erasable programmable read only memories
  • data storage device uses only probes 206 of the type described in the mechanical write/electrical read embodiment. These probes are used to electrically read and erase data from the charge storage cells in a similar manner to that discussed eariier. Moreover, they are also used to electrically write data to the charge storage cells which is done in a similar fashion to the way in which data is erased from the charge storage cells. However, in this case, a predetermined amount of charge of opposite polarity to the charge injected during an erase mode is injected into a charge storage cell to change the charge stored by the charge storage cell and write to it a data bit or data value. In other words, In other words, the charge storage ceil is eledrically altered by a predetermined amount to write data to it. Otherwise, this write operation is the same as the erase operation discussed earlier and is further described in U.S. Patent Nos. 5,289,408 and 5,317,533.
  • the size of the EEPROM type charge storage cells may be at the nanometer level and they may be spaced apart at nanometer level increments since they do not require address lines and read/write lines.
  • data can be written to and read from storage medium 202 at nanometer level increments of positioning using X and Y translator assemblies 104 and 106 of Figures 1 and 9 in the manner described earlier.
  • the storage medium may comprise other types of materials or structures which can be electrically altered at discrete increments, regions, or intervals by tunneling currents from the types of probes 206 discussed next.
  • These types of materials or stmctures may include magnetic materials or the types of materials and stmctures as described in U.S. Patent Nos. 5,289,408 and 5,317,533 referred to earlier.
  • storage medium 202 also comprises the EEPROM type charge storage cells described earlier for the electrical write/read embodiment. Furthermore, referring to Figures 19 and 20, in this embodiment, the write and read probes 204 and 206 described earlier are replaced by a write/read mechanism that operates similarly to the probes 206 of the electrical write/read embodiment but is acoustically aided.
  • the acoustically aided electrical write/read mechanism comprises a ridge support stmdure 254, one or more parallel triangular ridges 256 integrally connected to the base support stmcture, and an acoustic wave generator on the ridge support stmcture comprising two interleaved piezoelectric transducers or actuators 258
  • the storage medium and acoustically aided electrical w ⁇ te/read mechanism can be positioned with respect to each other in the ways descnbed earlier
  • T ⁇ angular ndges 256 extend down from the flat Iower surface of ⁇ dge support stmcture 254
  • the triangular ndges are constmcted similarly to tips 222 of Figure 12 in that each has a conductive or semiconductive core mate ⁇ al, such as silicon, integrally connected to the ⁇ dge support stmcture, an insulating coating over the core mate ⁇ al except at the sha ⁇ end of the ⁇ dge, and a conductive coating over the insulating coating and the core mate ⁇ al at the sharp end
  • controller 102 is also separately electncally coupled to the conductive coating of each of the triangular ndges
  • piezoelectric transducers 258 of the acoustic wave generator are positioned on the fiat upper surface of ⁇ dge support stmcture 254 so as to generate surface acoustic waves 255 that propagate on the upper surface in the X direction and parallel to the axial length of the t ⁇ angular ndges in the Y direction Controller 102 is electrically coupled to the piezoelectric transducers to generate a surface acoustic wave dunng each w ⁇ te, read, and erase mode
  • controller 102 first controls the XY translator apparatus in positioning t ⁇ angular ndges 258 over corresponding charge storage cells to be written Then, the controller controls the acoustic wave generator in generating an acoustic wave that propagates on the surface of the ndge support stmcture parallel to the axial lengths of the t ⁇ angular ndges To w ⁇ te a data bit or data value to a particular charge storage cell under each triangular ndge, controller 102 selectively and individually applies a w ⁇ te voltage pulse of a selected predetermined voltage across the conductive coating of the t ⁇ angular ndge and the substrate of storage medium 202 at a seleded predetermined time and for a selected predetermined time interval or duration dunng the propagation of the acoustic wave
  • the predetermined time corresponds to the location of the charge storage cell because at this predetermined time the portion of the ndge support structure over the charge storage cell is displaced by the propagating surface
  • the speed of a surface acoustic wave in ⁇ dge support stmcture 254 may be about 1000 meters/sec (typical for semiconductive materials)
  • the storage medium includes 1000 charge storage cells under a t ⁇ angular ⁇ dge over a 1 millimeter distance along the propagation direction of an acoustic wave
  • the acoustic wave would traverse each charge storage cell in 1 nanosecond
  • a wnte voltage pulse would be applied across the conductive coating of the triangular ⁇ dge and the substrate of the storage medium for a 1 nanosecond time interval 500 nanoseconds after the wave front of the acoustic wave first begins propagating over the t ⁇ angular ndge Since there are 8 t ⁇ angular ndges in the embodiment of Figures 19 and 20, up to 8 data bits or data values can be written at a time during a write
  • controller 102 controls positioning of triangular ndges 258 over corresponding charge storage cells to be read and controls the acoustic wave generator in generating an acoustic wave Controller 102 then measures the amount of the charge detected by the conductive coating of each t ⁇ angular ridge at a selected predetermined time and for a selected predetermined time interval dunng the propagation of the acoustic wave
  • the predetermined time corresponds to the location of the charge storage cell so that at this predetermined time the triangular ndge is displaced down toward the charge storage cell in the manner descnbed earlier and the conductive coating of the t ⁇ angular ndge detects the charge of the charge storage cell
  • a data bit or data value is read from the charge storage cell in a similar manner to that described earlier in the optical w ⁇ te/elect ⁇ cai read and elect ⁇ cal w ⁇ te/read embodiments
  • the t ⁇ angular ndge is used to detect
  • bulk erasing may also be performed in the same manner as described earlier in the optical w ⁇ te/elect ⁇ cal read and electncal write/read embodiments
  • the acoustic wave generator may be positioned instead on the upper surface of storage medium 202 As in the embodiment where it is positioned on ndge support structure 254, it would be positioned so that the acoustic waves it generates propagate in a diredion parallel to the axial length of triangular ridges 256. As a result, the charge storage cells would be displaced rather than the triangular ridges in positioning the triangular ridges close to the charge storage cells to write, read, and erase data in the ways described eariier.
  • the core material of triangular ridges 256 would be conductive so that these tips would not require a conductive coating and an insulating coating.
  • the core material may comprise doped silicon, tungsten, aluminum, gold, or some other conductive material.
  • the storage medium could comprise an electronically alterable material or stmcture of the type also described in the electrical write/read embodiment.
  • triangular ridges 256 could be spaced about 30 micrometers apart. Referring to Figure 9, this is done to match the range of movement of the moveable support stmdure of Y translator assembly 106 so as to maximize the amount of data that can be written to and read from storage medium 202 at nanometer level positioning increments over this range of movement.
  • a Y translator apparatus that comprises a stationary support stmcture 260, a pair of thermally expandable and contractible stmctures 262, and heater elements 264 is used to position the triangular ridges over charge storage cells in the Y direction (i.e., orthogonal to the direction of propagation of the surface acoustic waves generated by the acoustic wave generator).
  • storage medium 202 is fixedly coupled to stationary support stmcture 260 and ridge support stmcture 254 has vertical end portions that rest on but are not directly connected to the stationary support stmcture. Each of the end portions is integrally connected to a corresponding thermally expandable and contractible stmcture 262.
  • the thermally expandable and contractible structures are both integrally connected to the stationary support stmcture.
  • Heater elements 264 are located at the elbows of the thermally expandable and contractible stmctures and are used to selectively heat the thermally expandable and contractible stmctures so that they thermally expand and contract and move back and forth in the Y direction.
  • thermally expandable and contractible stmctures movably couple the stationary support structure to the ridge support stmcture in a way similar to that described earlier in which thermally expandable and contractible structure 132 movably couples the stationary support stmcture and the moveable support structure of the X translator assembly 104 of Figure 2.
  • controller 102 is electrically coupled to heater elements 264 and thermally expandable and contractible structures 262 to provide a current that flows through the heater elements.
  • the controller can control positioning of ridge support structure 254 in nanometer level increments in the Y direction in a similar manner to that described earlier for the embodiment of Figure 1.
  • ndge support stmcture 254 could be fixedly coupled to stationary support stmdure 260
  • storage medium 202 would be movably coupled to the stationary support stmcture 260 by thermally expandable and contractible stmctures like those just discussed and positioning of the storage medium in the Y direction would be accomplished similarly to that just discussed
  • piezoelect ⁇ c transducers like those discussed for X translator assembly 104 of Figure 3, could be used in place of the thermally expandable and contractible stmctures and heater elements in the embodiments just discussed Their movement would be accomplished in a similar way to that discussed for the X translator assembly of Figure 3
  • Tips with Conductive Highly Obdurate Coatings for use in AFM, STM, and Hardness Testing are Tips with Conductive Highly Obdurate Coatings for use in AFM, STM, and Hardness Testing
  • FIG. 23 there is shown a conceptual diagram of one embodiment of a scanning probe microscope assembly 300 using probes 302 with tips 222 having a conductive highly obdurate coating 228 of the type descnbed earlier
  • a probe 302 is used to scan the surface of an object 304 in variety of measurement modes, as will be discussed shortly
  • the surface of the object 304 may be scanned by probe 302 using a conventional piezoelectric XY translator 310 to move the object 304 along the X and Y axes and a conventional piezoelectric Z translator 312 to move the probe 302 along the Z axis
  • a piezoelectric XYZ translator may be used instead to move the object 304 along the X, Y, and Z axes while the probe 302 remains stationary
  • a piezoelectric XYZ translator may be used to move the probe 302 along the X, Y, and Z axes while the object 304 remains stationary
  • the positioning system 100 of Figures 1-8 may be used to move the probe 302 with respect to the object 304 along the X, Y, and Z axes
  • Scanning is controlled by controller or computer 314 based on inputs received from the control terminal 316 Dunng scanning, controller 314 analyzes measurement data and displays measurement information on display monitor 318
  • Scanning probe microscope assembly 300 is configured to perform atomic force microscopy (AFM)
  • AFM mode may occur when the user has selected the AFM mode with the control terminal 316 and also issues with the control terminal 316 a control signal received by the CPU 320 for a scan of the object 304
  • the scanning control routine 322 stored in the memory 324 and run on the CPU 320 then generates scanning control signals outputted by the CPU 320 for controlling the XY and Z translators 310 and 312 to position probe 302 over the surface of the object 304 for AFM measurements
  • the scanning control signals generated by the scanning control routine 322 control the XY and Z translators 310 and 312 so that tip 222 is positioned in close proximity to or in contact with the object 304 depending on what type of feree interaction between the tip 222 and the objed 304 is desired.
  • the cantilever 330 will be deflected due to atomic force interaction between the tip 222 and the object 304.
  • this atomic force interaction may be due to Van der Waals forces, magnetic forces, electrostatic forces, lateral forces, or other related forces.
  • the defledion of the cantilever 330 representing the atomic force interadion between the tip 222 and the object 304 is optically detected by conventional optics 334.
  • the conventional deflection measurement circuit 136 is coupled to the optics 334. It measures the optically deteded deflection and outputs a deflection measurement signal containing data representing the measured deflection. The measured deflection also corresponds to the topography of the object.
  • the optics 334 and the deflection measurement circuit 335 serve as a cantilever deflection measurer.
  • Those skilled in the art will appreciate that other types of systems may be used to measure deflection of the cantilever 330.
  • the deflection measurement signal is provided to the CPU 320.
  • the data contained by the signal is analyzed and processed by the AFM analysis routine 337 to produce AFM image data representing a high magnification (or nanoview) image of the topography of the object 304.
  • the display routines 336 then formats the AFM image data and the CPU 320 provides it to the display monitor 318 for display.
  • the routines 336 and 337 are both stored in the memory 324 and run on the CPU 320.
  • the scanning probe microscope assembly 300 of Figure 23 is configured also to perform scanning tunneling microscopy (STM).
  • the STM mode may occur when the user selects with the control terminal 316 the STM mode and also issues with control terminal 316 a control signal received by the CPU 320 for a scan of the object 304.
  • the scanning control routine 322 generates scanning control signals outputted by the CPU 320 for controlling the XY and Z translators 310 and 312 to position probe 302 over the surface of the object 304 for STM measurements.
  • the scanning control signals generated by the scanning control routine 322 control the XY and Z translators 310 and 312 so that tip 222 is positioned in close proximity to the object 304. Then, scanning control routine 322 generates tunneling control signals provided to the tunneling current measurement circuit 358. In response, the tunneling current measurement circuit 358 generates a voltage signal applied to the tip 222 of probe 302.
  • a tunneling current is produced between the tip 222 and the object 304.
  • the tunneling current in the object 304 is detected and measured by the tunneling current measurement circuit 358.
  • the tunneling current measurement circuit 358 outputs a tunneling current measurement signal containing data representing the measured tunneling current.
  • the measured tunneling current corresponds to the topography of the object.
  • the tunneling current may be kept fixed by changing the position of tip 222 with the Z axis translator 312 The amount of change in position required to keep the tunneling current constant is the measure of topography of the surface
  • the tunneling current signal is provided to the CPU 320
  • the data contained by the signal is analyzed and processed by the STM analysis routine 338 to produce STM image data representing a high magnification (or nanoview) image of the topography of the object 304
  • the display routines 336 then formats the STM image data and the CPU 320 provides it to the display monitor 318 for display
  • the routine 338 is stored in the memory 324 and run on the CPU 320
  • the scanning probe microscope assembly also includes a hardness testing mode which involves STM measurements In this mode, the scanning control routine 322 controls the tunneling current measurement circuit 358 to make a conductivity measurement for object 304 at a particular location of the object 304 in a similar way to that described earlier for STM measurements
  • the data in the conductivity measurement signal representing the conductivity measured by the circuit 358
  • the scanning control routine 322 generates scanning control signals for controlling the Z translator 312 to make the tip 222 directly contact, penetrate, and deform the surface of the object 304 with a known force at the same location While the tip 222 penetrates the surface of the object 304, scanning control routine 322 then controls the making of conductivity measurements of object 304 at the same location
  • the data in the conductivity signal over the period before and during the penetration is recorded, analyzed, and processed by the hardness testing analysis routine 395 to produce data representing information on the hardness of the object 304
  • the measured change in conductivity over the period before and during penetration is a measure of the depth of penetration of tip 222 and in turn a measure of the hardness of the object 304
  • this measure reflects local changes such as crystal dislocations, etc
  • this measure provides subsurface stmctural information
  • the data produced by the routine 395 is formatted by the display routines 336 and provided to the display monitor 318 for display of the hardness information
  • the actual deflection or motion of the tip as measured by the optics 334 and the deflection measurement circuit 336 can be used by the hardness testing routine 395 in conjunction with the known force to provide a measure of the hardness of the surface
  • the data produced by the routine 395 is formatted by the display routines 336 and provided to the display monitor 318 for display of the hardness information
  • the probe 302 includes the tip 248 with porous silicon 216 at the sharp end for producing light as described earlier
  • This tip 248 may be used for the AFM, STM, and hardness testing modes in the manner just described and also for a near-field spectrophotometry mode that will be described next
  • scanning control routine 322 controls the electric field generator 360 to generate an electrical field (voltage) This is applied between the outside conductive layer 252 and the core silicon material 216 of the probe 302 As a result, light is emitted in the manner descnbed earlier at the sha ⁇ end of the tip 248 and optically interacts with the object 304
  • the resulting photoemissive energy (such as fluorescence, Raman, and second harmonic) is detected by the photodetector 394 of the spectrophotmeter 382 after the monochromator 396 of the spectrophotmeter 382 has separated the photoemissive light into its constituent wavelengths
  • the monochromator 396 is preferably configured to separate the photoemissive light into an array of its constituent wavelengths and the photodetector 394 includes an array of photodiodes or photomultipliers for detecting the array of wavelengths
  • Photodetector 394 converts the detected optical energy into a detection signal containing data representing the detected optical energy
  • the data contained by the detection signal is provided to the CPU 320 and analyzed and processed by the near-field spectrophotometry analysis routine 347 to produce data representing information on the composition of the object 304
  • This data is formatted by the display routines 336 and provided to the display monitor 318 for display of the information
  • the conductive layer 252 may be the highly obdurate conductive coating 228 of the type described earlier
  • the 248 may be used in a hardness testing mode
  • the scanning control routine 322 controls the making of a near-field spectrophotomet ⁇ c measurement in the way described earlier at a particular location of the object 304
  • a detection signal is provided to the CPU 320 by the photodetector 394 and the hardness testing analysis routine 395 records in the data base 398 the data of the detection signal representing the optical energy detected by the photodetector 394
  • the scanning control routine 322 generates scanning control signals for controlling the Z translator 312 so that tip 248 directly contacts, penetrates, and deforms the surface of the object 304 with a known force at the same location where the near-field spectrophotometric measurement was just made While the tip 248 penetrates the surface of the object, scanning control routine 322 then controls the making of another near-field spectrophotometric measurement at the same location
  • This data is formatted by the display routines 336 and provided to the display monitor 318 for display of the hardness information.

Abstract

A data storage system that includes a positioning system for positioning the write/read mechanism and the storage medium (202) of the data storage device (200) with respect to each other in first and second predefined directions. The positioning system (100) comprises a positioning apparatus comprising microfabricated first and second positioning assemblies. The positioning system further comprises a controller (102) to position a positionable support structure (140) of the first positioning assembly (104) in a first predefined direction within a range of positioning that is larger than the range of movement of a moveable support structure (118) of the first positioning assembly by controlling (A) a stationary support structure clamp (150) in clamping and unclamping the positionable support structure to and from the stationary support structure, (B) a moveable support structure clamp (144) in clamping and unclamping the positionable support structure to and from the moveable support structure, and (C) the movement of the moveable support structure.

Description

NANOMETER SCALE DATA STORAGE DEVICE AND ASSOCIATED POSITIONING SYSTEM
FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to data storage devices and their associated positioning systems In particular, it relates to data storage devices to store and recover data by producing optical, electrical, or mechanical changes in storage media at nanometer level (i e , scale) increments (i e , intervals) with microfabricated structures which are positionable at nanometer level increments with the positioning system of the data storage devices
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION UV erasable programmable read only memories (UVPROMs) are well known to those skilled in the art These types of memories comprise distinct charge storage cells or sites and include a separate read/wnte line to each of the charge storage cells In order to write data to the UVPROM, it is first bulk erased by exposing simultaneously all of the charge storage cells to UV light or radiation to leak off any charges stored by them Then, data is written to selected charge storage cells by injecting charges in them with the corresponding read/wnte lines These charges may then be detected with the read/write lines so as to read data from the charge storage cells Since UVPROMs include separate read/wnte lines to the charge storage cells, the charge storage cells are not able to be spaced apart at nanometer level increments so that the overall size of the UVPROM could be reduced However, a UVPROM type structure with charge storage cells at nanometer level increments could be used if a mechanism were developed that could (1) selectively and individually write data to each charge storage cell by leaking off a charge in the charge storage cell with UV light, and (2) electncally read data from each storage cell by detecting or sampling a charge in the charge storage cell without a read line to the charge storage cell
Moreover, recently attempts have been made at providing data storage devices where data can be electncally or mechanically wπtten to and electrically read from a storage medium at nanometer level increments However, these data storage devices all suffer from significant problems For example, U S Patent No 5,317,533, describes a data storage device utilizing scanning tunneling microscope (STM) probes to read and write data to a storage medium by producing and measunng tunneling currents between the STM probes and the storage medium Furtheimore, U S Patent 5,289,408 describes a similar data storage device with a piezoelectric positioning apparatus for positioning STM probes over the storage medium to read and write data to the storage medium This positioning apparatus is bulky and impractical to use as a part of a data storage device in a computing system Moreover, since positioning of the STM probes over the storage medium in the X and Y directions is limited to the range of movement of the X and Y piezoelectric translator elements of the positioning apparatus, the storage capacity of this data storage device is also limited by this range of movement And, to increase this range of movement so that the storage capacity of the data storage device is increased, the size of the X and Y piezoelectnc translator elements must also be increased This unfortunately increases the overall size, read/write times, weight, and power requirements of the data storage device Furthermore, U S Patent No 5,038,322 describes still another data storage device that utilizes STM probes In this storage device, the STM probes are used to deform a deformable storage medium to write data to it which is represented by the deformations Then, by producing and measuring a tunneling current between the STM probes and the storage medium, the deformations can be identified so as to read from the storage medium the data that was written to it However, the STM probes compnse a soft conductive material, such as conductive silicon, tungsten, aluminum, or gold which wears down after prolonged use in deforming the storage medium Thus, the useful life of this type of data storage device is limited
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The foregoing problems are solved by a data storage system that includes a positioning system for positioning the write/read mechanism and the storage medium of the data storage device with respect to each other in first and second predefined directions The positioning system comprises a positioning apparatus comprising microfabricated first and second positioning assemblies The first positioning assembly includes a stationary support structure, a moveable support structure, a positionable support structure, a stationary support structure clamp, and a movable support structure clamp The movable support structure is movably coupled to the stationary support structure and is moveable within a range of movement in a first predefined direction with respect to the stationary support structure The positioning system further comprises a controller to position the positionable support structure in the first predefined direction within a range of positioning that is larger than the range of movement of the moveable support structure It does so by controlling (A) the stationary support structure clamp in clamping and unclamping the positionable structure to and from the support structure, (B) the moveable structure clamp in clamping and unclamping the positionable support structure to and from the moveable support structure, and (C) the movement of the moveable support structure
In one embodiment, the second positioning assembly comprises a stationary support structure and a moveable support structure The movable support structure is movably coupled to the stationary support structure and is moveable within a range of movement in a second predefined direction with respect to the stationary support structure The controller controls the positioning of the moveable structure in the second direction within the range of movement of the moveable structure In another embodiment, the second positioning assembly may be constructed and controlled in the same way as the first positioning assembly In one embodiment, one of the wπte/read mechanism and the storage medium is carried by the positionable support structure so that it is positioned with the first positioning assembly The other one of the wπte/read mechanism and the storage medium is positioned with the second positioning assembly In another embodiment, the positionable support structure carries the second positioning assembly and one of the write/read mechanism and the storage medium is positioned with the second positioning assembly while the other is held stationary in one embodiment, the storage medium is deformable and the write/read mechanism comprises one or more write probes and one or more read probes The wπte probes each include a write tip with a highly obdurate coating capable of deforming the storage medium and a write tip positioning apparatus to Iower the write tip The read probes each include a conductive read tip The controller is used to (A) during a write mode, control the first and second positioning apparatus in positioning the write probes over the storage medium, (B) during the write mode, control each wπte tip positioning apparatus in loweπng the corresponding write tip a predetermined amount into the storage medium so as to cause a predetermined amount of deformation in the storage medium representing data written thereto, (C) during a read mode, control the first and second positioning apparatus in positioning the read probes over the storage medium, and (D) during the read mode, produce and measure a tunneling current between each conductive read tip and the storage medium to identify a predetermined amount of deformation caused in the storage medium during the write mode so that the data written thereto is read therefrom In another embodiment, the data storage device comprises one or more probes each comprising a tip with a conductive highly obdurate coating capable of deforming the storage medium and a tip positioning apparatus to Iower the tip The controller in this embodiment is used to (A) during a write mode, control the probe and storage medium positioning apparatus in positioning the probes over the storage medium, (B) during the write mode, control each tip positioning apparatus in loweπng the corresponding tip a predetermined amount into the storage medium so as to cause a predetermined amount of deformation in the storage medium representing data wπtten thereto, (C) during a read mode, control the probe and storage medium positioning apparatus in positioning the probes over the storage medium, (D) during the read mode, control each tip positioning apparatus in lowering the corresponding tip close to the storage medium, and (E) during the read mode, produce and measure a tunneling current between the conductive obdurate coating of each tip and the storage medium to identify a predetermined amount of deformation caused in the storage medium during the write mode so that the data written thereto is read therefrom
In still another embodiment, the data storage device comprises a storage medium alterable by light, one or more light emitting write probes each capable of emitting light, and one or more read probes each capable of detecting alterations of the storage medium caused by light The controller is used in this embodiment to (A) during a write mode control the positioning apparatus in positioning the write probes over the storage medium so that the light emitting write tips are over the storage medium, (B) dunng the wπte mode, control each light emitting write probe to emit a predetermined amount of light so as to cause a predetermined amount of alteration of the storage medium so as to write data thereto, (C) during read modes, control the positioning apparatus in positioning the read probes over the storage medium so that each read probe detects a predetermined amount of alteration of the storage medium caused during the write mode, and (D) during the read mode, measure each detected predetermined amount of alteration of the storage medium so that the data written to the storage medium during the write mode is read therefrom
In yet another embodiment, the data storage device comprises an electrically alterable storage medium, a tπangular ndge support structure, one or more conductive triangular ridges on the base structure, and an acoustic wave generator on one ofthe tnangular πdge support structure and the storage medium to produce surface acoustic waves thereon that propagate in a direction parallel to the axial length of the tnangular πdges The controller in this embodiment is used to (A) dunng a write mode, control the positioning apparatus in positioning the triangular ridge support structure over the storage medium so that each tπangular ridge is over a corresponding region of the storage medium to be written, (B) dunng the wnte mode, control the acoustic wave generator to produce an acoustic wave, (C) during the write mode, apply at a predetermined time across each tnangular πdge and the storage medium a voltage pulse having a predetermined voltage and duration while the acoustic wave produced during the write mode propagates so that a portion of the triangular ridge above the corresponding region to be written is displaced down theretoward and the corresponding region to be written is electrically altered by a predetermined amount, (D) during a read mode, control the positioning apparatus in positioning the triangular ridge support structure over the storage medium so that each triangular πdge is over a corresponding region of the storage medium to be read, (E) during the read mode, control the acoustic wave generator to produce an acoustic wave, (F) during the read mode, with each tπangular ridge at a predetermined time while the acoustic wave produced during the read mode propagates so that a portion of the triangular ridge above the corresponding region to be read is displaced down theretoward, detect a predetermined amount of electrical alteration of the corresponding region to be read caused dunng the wπte mode, (G) dunng the read mode, measure each detected predetermined amount of electπcal alteration of the corresponding region to be read so that the data wπtten thereto during the write mode is read therefrom
In still yet another embodiment, the positioning system is used in a biochemical instrument The biochemical instrument comprises a probe that includes a porous tip and a tip positioning apparatus to position the tip with respect to a sample material The positioning apparatus is used to position the probe and sample material with respect to each other The controller is used to (A) control the positioning apparatus in positioning the probe over the sample, and (B) control the tip positioning apparatus in lowenng the tip into the sample matenal to produce a biochemical interaction between the porous tip and the sample material BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 shows a positioning system in accordance with the present invention Figure 2 shows another embodiment of the positioning system of Figure 1 Figure 3 shows yet another embodiment of the positioning system of Figure 1 Figure 4 shows a cross sectional side view of the positioning system of Figure 1 along the
Figure 5 shows a cross sectional side view ofthe positioning system of Figure 1 along the
Figure 6 shows a cross sectional side view ofthe positioning system of Figure 1 along the
Figure imgf000007_0001
Figure 7 shows a cross sectional side view ofthe positioning system of Figure 1 along the line 7-7
Figure 8 shows the positionable support structure of the positioning system of Figure 1 Figure 9 shows a data storage device in accordance with the invention which includes the positioning system of Figure 1
Figure 10 shows a wπte probe capable of being used in the data storage device of Figure 9
Figure 11 shows another embodiment of the tip positioning apparatus of the probes of Figures 10, 12 Figure 12 shows a read probe capable of being used in the data storage device of Figure
9
Figure 13 shows a side cross sectional view of a storage medium capable of being used in the data storage device of Figure 9
Figure 14 shows top cross sectional view of the storage medium of Figure 13 Figure 15 shows another storage medium capable of being used in the data storage device of Figure 9
Figure 16 shows a side cross sectional view of the storage medium of Figure 15 Figure 17 shows another wπte probe capable of being used in the data storage device of Figure 9 Figure 18 shows still another wπte probe capable of being used in the data storage device of Figure 9
Figure 19 shows another embodiment of the read/write mechanism of Figure 9 Figure 20 provides another view of the read/write mechanism of Figure 19 Figure 21 shows another embodiment of the read/write mechanism of Figure 19 Figure 22 shows a top view of the read/write mechanism of Figure 21
Figure 23 shows a scanning probe miscroscope assembly in accordance with the present invention
Figure 24 shows another embodiment of the scanning probe miscroscope assembly DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION The present invention pπmaπly concerns various types of data storage systems These data storage systems are related by their positioning systems, storage mediums, and/or read/wnte mechanisms
Positioning System Refemng to Figure 1, there is shown a positioning system 100 for positioning objects at nanometer level or scale increments As will be more evident from the following discussions, the positioning system may be used as the positioning system in the data storage devices described herein or as the positioning system in measuring systems (such as atomic force microscopes (AFMs), scanning tunneling microscopes (STMs), optical microscopes, and near-field microscopes), microfabπcation systems, or other instruments that require precise positioning
Positioning system 100 includes a programmed controller 102 and a microfabricated XY translator or positioning apparatus compnsing an X translator assembly 104 to move an object in the X direction and a Y translator assembly 106 to move an object in the Y direction When assembled, the X and Y translator assemblies are mounted together with mounting pedestals or bumps 108 and 110 The assembled X and Y translator assemblies are sealed airtight in a vacuum or are evacuated as a final assembly step Operation in a vacuum substantially improves the operational speed of all mechanical elements of the positioning system and also inhibits the formation of oxides on these elements Alternatively, the positioning system may be assembled in and filled with an inert gas, such as argon, at or near atmospheric pressure
X translator assembly 104 may be formed of a semiconductive material, such as silicon, and comprises a stationary support structure and a moveable support structure movably coupled to the stationary support structure The stationary support structure comprises a stationary support structure base 112 and a pair of stationary support structure rails or bars 114 The stationary support structure base and rails are integrally connected together The moveable support structure comprises a moveable support structure base 118 and a pair of moveable support structure rails 120 The moveable support structure base and rails are integrally connected together Furthermore, refemng to Figures 1 and 4, mounting pedestals 108 and 110 are integrally connected to stationary support structure base 112 Spring connectors 124 are integrally connected to mounting pedestals 108 and are integrally connected to one end of moveable support structure base 118 and physically suspend this end over the stationary support structure base Moreover, the spring connectors act as springs Thus, the moveable support structure is physically movably coupled to the stationary support structure by mounting pedestals 108 and spring connectors 124
Refemng back to Figure 1 , to move or drive the moveable support structure, X translator assembly 104 also includes an electrostatic comb drive or actuator comprising a stationary comb structure 128 and a moveable comb structure 130 The stationary comb structure is integrally connected to stationary support structure base 112 The moveable comb structure is integrally connected to moveable support structure base 118
The electrostatic comb drive is of the type and operates in the manner described in "Electrostatic Comb Drive for Resonant Sensor and Actuator Applications", University of California at Berkeley Doctoral Dissertation, by William Chi-Keung Tang November 21, 1990, which is hereby explicitly incorporated by reference Specifically, the comb fingers of moveable comb structure 130 are aligned between the comb fingers of stationary comb structure 128 And, referring to Figures 1 and 4, the stationary and moveable comb structures are made to be conductive so that when a differential voltage is applied across them, their comb fingers interact electrostatically with each other and the moveable comb structure is electrostatically suspended over stationary support structure base 112 and moves with respect to the stationary comb structure in the X direction Thus, since one end of moveable support structure base 118 is integrally connected to the moveable comb structure, the moveable support structure is electrostatically movably coupled to the stationary support structure and is moveable in the X direction
Turning again to Figure 1 , in order to control the electrostatic comb dπve described above, positioning system 100 includes controller 102 The controller is electrically coupled to stationary and moveable comb structures 128 and 130 and provides a differential voltage across them By controlling the level of the differential voltage, the controller can control movement of or drive the moveable support structure back and forth in the X direction over the stationary support structure with the electrostatic comb drive For example, when a suitably large differential voltage is applied, the moveable support structure moves toward the mounting pedestals 108 and forces spnng connectors 124 to be deflected to a position different then their normal undeflected position Then, when no or a suitably small differential voltage is applied, the spring connectors return to their normal undeflected position and force the moveable support structure back to or to be retracted to its original position
Moreover, controller 112 can control movement of the moveable support structure in nanometer level increments (e g , 10 nanometer increments) In other words, the controller can control positioning of the moveable support structure at the nanometer level However, as is evident from the foregoing, the moveable support structure has only a limited range of movement in the X direction at the micrometer level (e g , 35 to 45 micrometers)
In an alternative embodiment, a second electrostatic comb drive replaces mounting pedestals 108 and spring connectors 124 to electrostatically move and suspend one end of the moveable support structure base 118 Thus, in this case, the second electrostatic comb drive is used similarly to and in conjunction with the earlier described electrostatic comb drive to electrostatically movably couple the moveable support structure to the stationary support structure In another embodiment, as shown in Figure 2, the electrostatic comb dnve of X translator assembly 104 is replaced by a heater drive comprising a thermally expandable and contractible structure 132 and heater elements 134 on the thermally expandable and contractible structure One end of the thermally expandable and contractible structure is integrally connected to stationary support structure base 112 The other end of the thermally expandable and contractible structure is integrally connected to moveable support structure base 118 and suspends over the stationary support structure base the end of the moveable support structure base coupled to it The heater elements are used to selectively heat the thermally expandable and contractible structure so that it thermally expands and contracts and moves back and forth in the X direction Thus, since one end of the moveable support structure base is integrally connected to the thermally expandable and contractible structure, the moveable support structure is physically movably coupled to the stationary support structure by the thermally expandable and contractible structure and is moveable back and forth in the X direction
Furthermore, in this embodiment, to control the heater dπve just descnbed, controller 102 is electrically coupled to heater elements 134 and thermally expandable and contractible structure 132 to provide a current that flows through the heater elements By controlling the amount of current that flows through the heater elements, the controller can control positioning of the moveable support structure in nanometer level increments in the X direction in a similar manner to that described earlier for the embodiment of Figure 1
In another embodiment shown in Figure 3, a piezoelectπc dnve formed by a piezoelectric structure 136 and electrodes 138 fixed to the piezoelectric structure (with the electrode on the underside of the piezoelectric structure not being shown) is used to control movement of the moveable support structure of X translator assembly 104 The piezoelectric structure may comprise silicon dioxide such that one end of the piezoelectric structure is integrally connected to moveable support structure base 118 and suspends over stationary support structure base 112 the end of the moveable support structure base coupled to it The other end of the piezoelectric structure is integrally connected to a stationary suspension structure 139 which is itself integrally connected to the stationary support structure base and suspends the piezoelectric structure over the stationary support structure base The electrodes are used to selectively apply a voltage to the piezoelectric structure to expand and contract it so that it moves back and forth in the X direction Thus, since one end of the moveable support structure base is connected to the piezoelectric structure, the moveable support structure is physically movably coupled to the stationary support structure by the piezoelectric structure and is moveable in the X direction
To control the piezoelectric drive just described, controller 102 is electrically coupled to electrodes 138 so that it can provide a voltage across the electrodes which is applied to piezoelectric structure 136 by the electrodes The controller can control positioning of the moveable support structure in nanometer level increments back in the X direction over the stationary support structure in a similar manner to that described eariier for the embodiment of Figure 1 It does so by controlling the level of voltage applied to the piezoelectric structure Furthermore, turning again to Figure 1Jhe stationary support stmcture includes stationary support structure rails 114 and the moveable support structure includes moveable support structure rails 120, as alluded to earlier As shown in Figure 5, each of the stationary support stmcture rails have ends integrally connected to stationary support stmcture base 112 and have rail portions that are spaced from the stationary support stmcture base In addition, referring to Figure 4, the moveable support stmcture rails each have ends integrally connected to moveable support structure base 118 and have rail portions that are spaced from the moveable support structure base
Referring back to Figure 1 , X translator assembly 104 further inciudes a positionable support structure 140 which carries an object to be moved in the X direction The X translator assembly also includes a moveable support stmcture rail clamp and a stationary support stmcture rail clamp to help position the positionable support structure and the object it carπes at the nanometer level in the X direction over a range of positioning that is greater than the range of movement of the moveable support structure As shown in Figures 6-8, the moveable support stmcture rail clamp comprises clamping bar extensions or fingers 142, clamping bars 144, push arms 146, and heater elements 160 The stationary support stmcture rail clamp compnses clamping bar extensions 148, clamping bars 150, push arms 152, and heater elements 162
Referπng to Figures 6 and 7, clamping bar extensions 142 are integrally connected to positionable support stmcture 140 and extend over moveable support stmcture rails 120 and bend down toward moveable support structure base 118 Similarly, clamping bar extensions 148 are integrally connected to the positionable support stmcture and extend over stationary support stmcture rails 114 and bend down toward stationary support stmcture base 112
The curved shape of clamping bar extensions 142 and 148 is due to several factors First, referring to Figure 8, the underside of positionable support structure 140 includes conductive interconnects or lines 154, 156, and 158 These interconnects may comprise tungsten and are patterned on and throughout the positionable support stmcture including on the undersides of the clamping bar extensions The tensile force of the interconnects on the undersides of the clamping bar extensions helps produce their curved shape Second, referring back to Figures 6 and 7, dunng fabπcation, the clamping bar extensions are doped with phosphorous which also helps in producing their curved shape
Still referπng to Figures 6 and 7, clamping bars 144 and 150 respectively bend in toward moveable and stationary support structure rails 120 and 114 because they are respectively integrally connected to curve shaped clamping bar extensions 142 and 148 Furtheimore, when push arms 146 and 152 are in their natural positions, clamping bars 144 and 150 respectively bend in an engage moveable and stationary support stmcture rails 120 and 114 This is due to the fact that, in their natural position, push arms 146 and 152 do not extend out far enough in the Y direction to respectively engage clamping bars 144 and 150 As a result, under these conditions, positionable support stmcture 140 is clamped and coupled to the moveable and stationary support structure rails
Moveable and stationary support stmcture rails 120 and 114 are made to be conductive Refemng to Figure 8, therefore, when the moveable support structure clamp clamps positionable support stmcture 140 to the moveable support stmcture rails, the moveable support structure rails are respectively electrically coupled to interconnects 154 and 156 Similarly, when the positionable support stmcture is clamped to the stationary support stmcture rails by the stationary support stmcture clamp, the stationary support stmcture rails are respectively electrically coupled to interconnects 156 and 158 Furthermore, positionable support structure 140 and push arms 146 and 152 are made to be conductive or semiconductive and are electrically coupled to interconnect 156 And, interconnect 154 is electrically coupled to heater elements 160 located on stationary support stmcture rail clamping push arms 148 Moreover, interconnect 158 is electncally coupled to heater elements 162 located on moveable support structure rail clamping push arms 142
Therefore, when positionable support structure 140 is clamped to stationary support stmcture rails 114, and no or a suitably small differential voltage is applied across them, no current flows through interconnect 154, heater elements 160, and interconnect 156 As a result, push arms 146 remain in their normal positions because heater elements 160 are not activated However, when a suitably large differential voltage is applied across the stationary support stmcture rails, current does flow through interconnect 154, heater elements 160, and interconnect 156 Since heater elements 160 are located on push arms 142 at locations opposite the notches of the push arms, they heat the push arms so that they bend in at their notches and extend out in the Y direction away from positionable support stmcture 140 As a result, the push arms engage moveable support stmcture rail clamping bars 144 and push these clamping bars away from the moveable support structure rails so that the clamping bars are disengaged from the moveable support structure rails Thus, the positionable support structure is undamped and uncoupled from (i e , released from being clamped to) the moveable support stmcture rails
Similarly, push arms 152 remain in their normal positions when positionable support structure 140 is clamped to moveable support structure rails 120 and no or a suitably small differential voltage is applied across them This is due to the fact that heater elements 162 are not activated in this case since no current flows through interconnect 158, heater elements 162, and interconnect 156 However, when a suitably large differential voltage is applied across the moveable support structure rails, current does flow through interconnect 158, heater elements 162, and interconnect 156 Since heater elements 162 are located on the moveable support stmcture clamping rail push arms at the notches of these push arms, they heat these push arms so that they bend out at their notches and extend out in the Y direction away from positionable support stmcture 140 As a result, they engage stationary support stmcture rail clamping bars 150 and push these clamping bars away from the stationary support stmcture rails so that these clamping bars are disengaged from the stationary support stmcture rails Thus, the positionable support structure is undamped and uncoupled from the stationary support structure rails
Referring back to Figure 1, controller 102 is electrically coupled to the moveable and stationary support structure rails 120 and 140 to provide appropriate differential voltages across the moveable support structure rails and across the stationary support structure rails so as to produce the clamping and unclamping functions of the moveable and stationary support structure rail clamps just described In other words, by controlling the level of the differential voltage, the controller can control the clamping and unclamping of the positionable support stmcture to and from the moveable and stationary support structure rails
Controller 112, the electrostatic comb, heater, and piezoelectric drives described earlier, the moveable support structure, the stationary support stmcture, and the moveable and stationary support stmcture rail clamps just described work cooperatively together to provide a means to position positionable support stmcture 140 and the object it carries at the nanometer level in the X direction over a range of positioning that is greater then the range of movement of the moveable support structure To do this, the controller initially applies a suitably large differential voltage across moveable support structure rails 120 to unclamp the positionable support structure from stationary support stmcture rails 114 and no or a suitably small differential voltage across stationary support stmcture rails 120 to keep the positionable support stmcture clamped to the moveable support stmcture rails Then, the controller applies a suitable differential voltage across stationary and moveable comb stmctures 128 and 130 to move the moveable support structure in the X direction Since the positionable support structure is clamped to the moveable support stmcture rails, the positionable support structure and the object it carries are both carried by the moveable support stmcture As alluded to earlier, this may be done in nanometer level increments for positioning of the positionable support stmcture and the object it cames at the nanometer level
Then, when the maximum distance (i e , range of movement) of the moveable comb structure in the X direction has been reached, controller 112 applies no or a suitably small differential voltage across moveable support stmcture rails 120 to clamp positionable support structure 140 to the stationary support stmcture rails and a suitably large differential voltage across stationary support structure rails to unclamp the positionable support structure from the moveable support structure rails The controller then applies a suitable differential voltage across stationary and moveable comb stmctures 128 and 130 to reposition or retract the moveable support structure in the X direction so that it can again move the maximum distance in the X direction The process just descnbed is then repeated until the positionable support stmcture and the object it carries have been positioned at the desired point in the X direction Thus, the positionable support stmcture and the object it carries can be positioned anywhere along the length of the rail portions of the stationary support stmcture rails Since the rail portions of the stationary support stmcture rails may have lengths in the millimeter range, the range of positioning of the positionable support stmcture and the object it carπes will in this case be at the millimeter level or scale and will be greater than the range of movement of the moveable support stmcture Furthermore, as alluded to earlier and shown in Figure 1, positioning system 100 also includes a Y translator assembly 106 The Y translator assembly may be comprised of a semiconductive material, such as silicon, and includes a stationary support structure 164, a moveable support stmcture 166, a pair of pedestals 168, and a pair of spring connectors 170 These components respectively correspond to stationary support stmcture base 112, moveable support stmcture base 118, pedestals 108, and spring connectors 124 of X translator assembly 104 and are constmcted and operate similarly Additionally, Y translator assembly 106 also includes an electrostatic comb drive compnsing a stationary comb stmcture 172 and a moveable comb stmcture 174 The stationary and moveable comb stmctures respectively correspond to stationary comb stmcture 128 and moveable comb structure 130 of X translator assembly 104 and are constructed and operate similarly Controller 102 is coupled to the electrostatic comb drive of the Y translator assembly in the same manner as it is coupled to the electrostatic comb dπve of the X translator assembly As a result, it can control positioning of moveable support stmcture 166 and the object it cames in the Y direction in a similar manner as was descnbed earlier for the moveable support structure of the X direction movement assembly of Figure 1
In alternative embodiments, the electrostatic comb drive may be replaced by a heater drive or a piezoelectric drive These heater and piezoelectric drives would operate and be constructed similarly to the heater drive and piezoelectric drives of Figures 2 and 3 and be controlled by controller 102 in the same way as was described earlier
In another alternative embodiment, Y translator assembly 106 could be mounted to or integrally connected to positionable support structure 140 of X translator assembly 104 In this case, in positioning two objects relative to each other, one of the objects would be kept stationary and the other object would be carried by moveable support structure 166 of the Y translator assembly Furthermore, in still another alternative embodiment, Y translator assembly 106 would be replaced by another Y translator assembly that is constructed similar to X translator assembly 104
Mechanical Wπte/Electncal Read Embodiment Referring to Figure 9, there is shown a data storage device 200 that mcludes the XY translator apparatus and controller 102 of positioning system 100 described earlier In addition, it includes a storage medium 202 and a read/write mechanism comprising one or more write probes 204 and one or more read probes 206 Controller 102 is used in the data storage device not only to control the XY translator apparatus in positioning the read and write probes and the storage medium with respect to each other in the X and Y directions, but also in controlling mechanical wπtiπg of data to and electπcal reading of data from the storage medium by the write and read probes
Storage medium 202 is earned by positionable support structure 140 of X translator assembly 104 Wπte and read probes 204 and 206 are earned by moveable support stmcture 166 of Y translator assembly 106 Alternatively, the storage medium may be carried by the moveable support structure of the Y translator assembly and the write and read probes may be carried by the positionable support structure of the X translator assembly Moreover, the storage medium and the write and read probes may be positioned with respect to each other with any of the alternative embodiments described earlier for positioning device 100 or with a standard piezoelectric XY translator apparatus
To wπte up to 33 data bits or data values at a time to storage medium 202 during a write mode or cycle, write probes 204 can be arranged in three rows of eleven, as shown in Figure 9 As shown in Figure 10, each wπte probe includes a tapered wπte tip 210 and a Z translator or wπte tip positioning apparatus for positioning the write tip with respect to the storage medium in the Z direction
The Z translator apparatus comprises a cantilever 208 and a cantilever mover The cantilever mover is a capacitor formed by moveable support structure 166, an insulating layer or pad 212, and a conductive layer or pad 214 The cantilever is integrally connected to the moveable support structure and the write tip is integrally connected to and on the cantilever Each write probe 204 has a core material 216 that comprises a conductive or semiconductive material, such as silicon The core mateπal of each write tip 210 is preferably coated with a highly obdurate coating 218, such as diamond, silicon carbide, or carbon nitride, which is capable of deforming storage medium 202 and is more obdurate than conductive silicon, tungsten, aluminum, or gold used in conventional STM tips This is to reduce frictional wear from long term use in deforming the storage medium The obdurate coating may have a thickness in the range of approximately 5 Angstroms to 1 micrometer
In the case where obdurate coating 218 comprises diamond, write probes 204 are first placed in a vacuum chamber containing carbon A mask is placed over each probe so that only tip 210 is exposed At a pressure of approximately 1x107 to 1x1011, the carbon is heated to a temperature of approximately 2100 to 3000 °C The carbon condenses on the surface of core material 216 to form seed sights Alternatively, the seed sights may be formed by pushing or rubbing each write tip 210 on a surface containing fine grain diamond (such as a lap or polycrystalline diamond coated surface) Refemng to Figure 11 , wπte probes 204 are then placed in a methane hydrogen atmosphere for chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of diamond on the surface of the core mateπal As a result of the seed sights, a polycrystalline diamond coating 212 is grown on the core mateπal with the diamond crystals being grown normal to the surface of the core material Growth of diamond crystals is further descnbed in Deposition. Characteπzation. and Device Development in Diamond. Silicon Carbide, and Gallium Nitride Thin Films, by Robert F Davis, Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology, volume A 11(4) (July/August 1993), which is hereby explicitly incorporated by reference
Moreover, during the deposition process, a bias voltage may be applied to the core matenal This voltage should be sufficient to create an electπcal field at the shaφ end of the write tip large enough so that the diamond crystals grown at the sharp end of the write tip are symmetrically aligned but small enough so that the diamond crystals grown below the sharp end of the write tip are not symmetrically aligned The advantage of this is to obtain a consistent orientation and tip behavior at the sharp end without sacrificing the durability and stability of the diamond coating below the sharp end Moreover, in the case where the obdurate coating 218 comprises silicon carbide, the coating may be grown in the manner described in Deposition. Characterization, and Device Development in Diamond. Silicon Carbide, and Gallium Nitride Thin Films lust referenced
And, when the obdurate coating 218 comprises carbon nitride, the same seeding processes as was just described for diamond growth may be used Then, write probes 204 are placed in an atmosphere of monatomic nitrogen The monatomic nitrogen is obtained by passing nitrogen gas through a hollow tungsten heater consisting of a hollow tungsten stmcture through which an electπc current is passed The tungsten heater is maintained at a temperature of 2100 to 3000 °C In one embodiment, the tungsten heater also includes a quantity of carbon sufficient to combine chemically to form a carbon nitride layer on the carbon seed sites at the cool surface (800 °C) of core material 216 In another embodiment, the process begins without introducing nitrogen gas After a few atoms of carbon are deposited, the nitrogen gas is introduced into the tungsten electrode and deposition and growth of the polycrystalline carbon nitride coating is initiated
The types of probes just described are even further described in copending U S Patent Application No 08/281,883, entitled "Scanning probe Microscope Assembly and Method for making Spectrophotometric, Near-Field and Scanning Probe Measurements", by Victor B Kley, which is hereby explicitly incorporated by reference
As alluded to earlier, each write probe 204 includes a Z translator apparatus comprising cantilever 208 and a capacitor formed by moveable support structure 166, insulating layer 212, and conductive layer 214 The moveable support structure is made to be conductive or semiconductive In addition, the insulating layer may compnse silicon dioxide and the conductive layer may comprise tungsten Controller 102 is electrically coupled to the moveable support stmcture and the conductive layer By applying a suitably large voltage across them, the controller can control enough energy storage by the capacitor of the Z translator apparatus so as to electrostatically move cantilever 208 from its normal undeflected position to a deflected position and raise write tip 210 in the Z direction away from storage medium 202 By applying no or a suitably small voltage across the moveable support structure and the conductive layer, the controller can control release of energy storage by the capacitor of the Z translator apparatus so as to move cantilever 208 from its deflected position towards its normal undeflected position and Iower write tip 210 in the Z direction toward the storage medium.
Refemng to Figure 11 Jn an alternative embodiment, the Z translator apparatus of each write probe 204 may comprise, in addition to cantilever 208, a heater element 220 as the cantilever mover instead of the capacitor of the positioning apparatus of Figure 10. The heater element is located on the cantilever at the notch formed between the cantilever and moveable support structure 166. Controller 102 is electrically coupled to the moveable support stmcture and the heater element. By applying a suitably large voltage across them, the controller can produce a current through the heater element to thermally expand the cantilever at the notch so as to move it from its normal undeflected position to a deflected position and Iower write tip 210 in the Z direction toward storage medium 202. And, by applying no or a suitably small voltage across moveable support stmcture and the heater element, the controller produces no current through the heater element and the cantilever thermally contracts at the notch and returns from its deflected position to its normal undeflected position so as to raise write tip in the Z direction away from the storage medium.
Additionally, in still another embodiment, the Z translator apparatus of each write probe 204 may be a conventional piezoelectric translator. In this case, write tip 210 of each write probe is connected to the piezoelectric translator and controller 102 is coupled to the piezoelectric translator to expand and contract it so as to Iower or raise the write tip in the Z direction. Referring back to Figure 9, storage medium 202 comprises a deformable conductive material which is capable of being deformed by the obdurate coatings of write tips 210. This material may comprise gold, silicon, carbon, aluminum, silver, or tin.
Furthermore, still referring to Figure 9, in a write mode, controller 102 first controls the XY translator apparatus in positioning the write probes over an area or region of storage medium 202 to be written. Since controller 102 is separately electrically coupled to the Z translator apparatus of each write probe 204 in the manner described earlier, it can selectively or individually control the lowering of each write tip 210 in the Z direction to write individual data bits or data values to storage medium 202 during the write mode. Specifically, during the write mode, each write tip may be selectively and individually lowered a selected predetermined amount into the storage medium in the manner just described to cause a selected predetermined amount of deformation or indentation in the storage medium which represents digital or analog data. In an embodiment for writing binary bits of digital data with each write tip, a data bit of value "1" and a data bit of value "0" are represented by two different predetermined amounts of deformation ofthe storage medium. Thus, for example, a data bit of value "0" may be represented by no deformation and a data bit of value "1 " may be represented by a specific amount of deformation. However, in an embodiment for writing a larger range of digital data values or analog data values with each write tip, a range of discrete predetermined amounts of deformation would represent a range of digital data values and a continuous range of predetermined amounts of deformation would represent a range of analog data values. Thus, for example, in either case the range of predetermined amounts of deformation may range from no deformation representing a minimum data value to a maximum amount of deformation representing a maximum data value.
The write operation just described is similarly described in U.S. Patent No. 5,038,322 referred to earlier and hereby explicitly incoφorated by reference. Moreover, since in the embodiment of Figure 9 there are 33 write probes 204, up to 33 data bits or data values at a time may be written to storage medium 202 during a write mode in this manner.
In order that the data written to storage medium 202 may be properly read, a pattern of tracks at regularly spaced intervals are foimed on the storage medium. These tracks may be created using conventional photolithography during the microfabrication process. Altematively, they may be a series of deformations created in the storage medium with write tips 210 in the manner described earlier. These tracks may be read out as data bits or data values along with the actual data bits or data values written to storage medium in the manner described next.
Referring to Figure 9, to read up to 33 data bits or data values at a time from storage medium 202 during a read mode, read probes 206 may be arranged in three rows of eleven. And, referring to Figure 12, each read probe includes a tapered read tip 222 and a Z translator or read tip positioning apparatus for positioning the read tip in the Z direction.
The Z translator apparatus is constmcted and operates like the Z translator apparatus of each write probe and therefore comprises a cantilever 208 and a capacitor formed by moveable support structure 166, an insulating layer 212, and a conductive layer 214. The cantilever is integrally connected to the moveable support stmcture and the read tip is integrally connected to and on the cantilever. Altematively, the Z translator apparatus of each read probe 206 may comprise one ofthe apparatuses discussed eariier as altemative embodiments to the Z translator apparatus of each write probe 204. Thus, each read tip may be selectively and individually lowered toward or raised away from the storage medium in the Z direction in a similar manner to that described earlier for each write tip 210.
Referring to Figure 12, like each write probe 204, each read probe 206 has a core material 216 that comprises a conductive or semiconductive material, such as silicon. The core material of each read tip 222 is coated with an insulating coating 226, such as silicon dioxide, except at the shaφ end of the read tip. The insulating coating and the core material at the sharp end of the tip are coated with a conductive coating 228, such as aluminum, gold, tungsten, or some other conductive material. To operate each read tip as an STM tip, controller 102 is electrically coupled to the conductive coating of the read tip.
Referring to Figure 9, in a read mode, controller 102 first controls the XY translator apparatus in positioning the read probes over an area or region of storage medium 202 to be read. Since controller 102 is separately electrically coupled to the Z translator apparatus of each read probe 206, it can selectively and individually control the lowering of each read tip 222 in the Z direction close to the storage medium for reading data from the storage medium during the read mode. Moreover, since the controller is electrically coupled to storage medium 202 and separately coupled to conductive coating 228 of each read tip, it can selectively and individually produce and measure a tunneling current between the conductive coating of each read tip and the storage medium during the read mode. From the measured tunneling current, the controller determines the amount of deformation of the storage medium below the read tip so as to read a data bit or data value from the storage medium which was written during a previous write mode.
Furthermore, the read operation just described is similarly described in U.S. Patent No. 5,038,322 referred to earlier and in U.S. Patent Nos. 5,289,408 and 5,317,533 also referred to earlier and hereby explicitly incoφorated by reference. Furthermore, since there are 33 read probes 206 in the embodiment of Figure 9, up to 33 data bits or data values at a time may be read from storage medium 202 during a read mode in this manner.
In the embodiment of Figure 9, each row of write and read probes 204 and 206 are spaced about 30 micrometers apart and the write and read probes in each row are also spaced about 30 micrometers apart. This is done to match the ranges of movement of the moveable support stmctures of X and Y translator assemblies 104 and 106 so as to maximize the amount of data that can be written to and read from storage medium 202 at nanometer level positioning increments over these ranges of movement.
Additionally, to enable data bits or data values written to storage medium to be erased, the deformable material of the storage medium 202 is capable of being heated to or near its melting point. As a result, in the area where the storage medium is being heated, it will be restored to its normal state and any deformations there representing data bits or data values will be removed.
In an erase mode, controller 102 controls the XY translator apparatus in positioning the read probes over an area or region of storage medium 202 to be erased. As indicated earlier, controller 102 is separately electrically coupled to the Z translator apparatus of each read probe 206 and can selectively and individually control the lowering of each read tip 222 in the Z direction close to the storage medium for erasing of data from the storage medium during the erase mode. Additionally, referring to Figure 12, to also enable the erasing of data written to the storage medium, the controller is electrically coupled to core material 216 of each read probe 206 in that moveable support structure 166 and read probe 206 are integrally connected and comprise a conductive or semiconductive material.
Since the controller is separately electrically coupled to the conductive coating of each read tip, as discussed earlier, and is coupled to the core material 216 of each read tip, it can selectively and individually apply a voltage across the conductive coating and core material of each read tip during the erase mode. At the sharp end of each read tip 222, the conductive coating is in contact with the core material and a current is produced between them when the applied voltage across them reaches the forward bias point of the junction diode they form. Since the read tip has been lowered close to the storage medium during the erase mode, the heat generated by this flow of current radiates down toward storage medium 202 to heat the area of the storage medium below the read tip. This restores the storage medium in this area to its natural state and removes any deformation there so that a data bit or data value written to the storage medium during a previous write mode and represented by the deformation can be selectively and individually erased by the controller. Since there are 33 read probes 206 in the embodiment of Figure 9, up to 33 data bits or data values at a time may be erased from storage medium 202 during an erase mode in the manner just described.
In an altemative embodiment, each read probe 206 would not have its own Z translator apparatus. Instead, each read probe would be conneded to a large single Z translator apparatus which would be controlled by controller 102 to Iower read tips 222 simultaneously together to perform in bulk the read and erase functions described earlier.
Turning to Figure 13, data bits or data values written to storage medium 202 may be erased in another way. In this embodiment, the storage medium comprises a layer of a deformable material 229, as described earlier, and a heater structure comprising a first insulating layer 230, one or more patterned conductive heater elements 232 over the first insulating layer, and a second insulating layer 234 over the first insulating layer and heater elements and below the deformable material.
Figure 14 shows the patterned layout of heater elements 232. Controller 102 is separately electrically coupled across each heater element to selectively and individually apply across the heater element a voltage to heat the area (i.e., region) of storage medium 202 above the heater element. In doing so, controller 102 can selectively remove deformations in particular areas ofthe storage medium in a similar manner to that just described and therefore selectively erase data bits or data values written to these areas. Turning again to Figure 12, in an alternative embodiment, conductive coating 228 comprises an obdurate material, such as diamond, silicon carbide, or silicon nitride, made to be conductive using conventional doping techniques. For example, these materials may be doped with boron to make them conductive. In this embodiment, probes 206 could then be used not only to read data from storage medium 202 in the manner described earlier, but also write data to storage medium 202 in the manner described for write probes 204 of Figure 10. Thus, only one kind of probe could be used in this embodiment to perform reading and writing of data to and from the storage medium.
Still referring to Figure 12, in still another embodiment, the core material of read tips 222 would be conductive so that these tips would not require conductive coating 228 and insulating coating 226. In this case, the core material may comprise doped silicon, tungsten, aluminum, gold, or some other conductive material.
Optical Write/Electrical Read Embodiment Referring to Figures 15 and 16, in another embodiment of data storage device 200, storage medium 202 comprises optically alterable charge storage cells, regions, or areas of the type used in UV erasable programmable read only memories (UVPROMs). However, in this case, these charge storage cells do not have individual read/write lines. To provide the charge storage cells, the storage medium comprises a silicon substrate 236 in which are formed electrically isolated, spaced apart, and conductively doped wells 238 capable of storing a charge. Controller 102 is electrically coupled to the substrate so that it is electrically coupled to each doped well that forms the charge storage cells.
Moreover, referring to Figure 9, write probes 204 of the read/write mechanism are constmcted to optically write data to the charge storage cells of storage medium 202 while read probes 206 are constmcted to electrically read the data optically written to the charge storage cells. Otherwise, the data storage device in this embodiment is constmcted and operates the same as the one of the mechanical write/electrical read embodiment discussed earlier. Figure 17 shows the construction of each write probe 204 of this embodiment. Like the write probes of the embodiment of Figure 10, each write probe has a conductive or semiconductive core material 216, such as silicon. The core material of each write tip 242 is coated with an emissive coating 244 at a thickness of approximately 10 to 200 nanometers. This emissive coating may comprise gallium nitride, gallium arsenide, or silicon carbide all suitably doped to be emissive. A conductive coating 246, such as aluminum, gold, tungsten, indium tin oxide, or some other conductive material, is over the emissive coating and has a thickness of approximately 20 to 200 nanometers. About 5 to 10 nanometers of the conductive coating at the shaφ end may be made sufficiently thin so that it is transparent to blue and/or UV light or about 5 to 10 nanometers of the conductive coating can removed or rubbed off from the sharp end of the write tip. This forms an aperture at the sharp end of the tip with a diameter in the range of approximately 5 to 100 nanometers. With a voltage of about 4 volts applied across the conductive coating and core material, blue (e.g., 423 nanometer wavelength) and/or ultraviolet (UV) light (e.g., 372 nanometer wavelength) is emitted by emissive coating 240 as described in Deposition. Characterization, and Device Development in Diamond. Silicon Carbide, and Gallium Nitride Thin Films referenced earlier. The light propagates through the write tip until it is emitted at its sharp end at the aperture which has a diameter substantially smaller than the wavelength of the light. This type of probe is even further described in the copending U.S. Patent Application No. 08/281,883 referenced earlier.
In an alternative embodiment shown in Figure 18, each write probe 204 is comprised of a silicon core material 216. The silicon core material at the shaφ end of each write tip 248 is porous. This is accomplished by immersing the write probe in a dilute solution of Hydrofluoric acid or a dilute solution Hydrofluoric and Nitric acid and operating the silicon write probe as an anode. In addition, a gold or platinum cathode is also immersed in the solution. A current is then produced between the anode and cathode which is sufficient to porously etch the shaφ end of the write tip (and other shaφ edges of the write probe) but leave the remainder of the write probe unetched. The silicon core material of each write tip is coated with an insulating coating 250, such as silicon dioxide, except at the sharp end of the read tip. The insulating coating and the porous core material at the sharp end of the tip are coated with a conductive coating 252, such as aluminum, gold, tungsten, indium tin oxid, or some other conductive material. To form an aperture at the sharp end of the tip, about 5 to 10 nanometers of the conductive coating at the sharp end may be made sufficiently thin so that it is transparent to light or about 5 to 10 nanometers of the conductive coating can removed or rubbed off from the shaφ end of the write tip. Controller 102 is electrically coupled to core material 216 of each write probe 248 in that moveable support stmcture 166 and write probe 248 are integrally connected and comprise silicon. Moreover, the controller is separately electrically coupled to conductive coating 252 of each write tip 248. Thus, the controller can selectively and individually apply a voltage across the conductive coating and core material of each read tip. Since at the shaφ end of each write tip the conductive coating is in contact with the porous core material, a current can is produced between them when the voltage is applied which causes the porous core material at the sharp end to emit light through the aperture of the write tip.
Altematively, write tip 248 may be uncoated. In this embodiment, controller 102 may be electrically coupled across core material 216 of each write tip and substrate 230 of storage medium 202. By selectively and individually applying a voltage across them, a current will be produced between the charge storage cell close to the write tip and the write tip which causes the porous core material at the sharp end of the write tip to emit light.
Light emission by porous silicon is further described in An Improved Fabrication Technique for Porous Silicon. Review of Scientific Instruments, v64, m2 507-509 (1993), Photoluminescence Properties of Porous Silicon Prepared bv Electrochemical Etching of Si Epitaxial Laver. Act. Physics Polonica A, v89, n4, 713-716 (1993), Effects of Electrochemical Treatments on the Photoluminescence from Porous Silicon. Journal of the Electrochemical Society, v139, n9, L86-L88 (1992), Influence of the Formation Conditions on the Microstructure of Porous Silicon Lavers studied bv Spectroscopic Ellipsometrv. Thin Solid Films, v255, n1-2; 5-8 (1995), and Formation Mechanism of Porous Si Lavers Obtained bv Anodization of Mono- Crvstalline N-tvpe Si in HF Solution and Photovoltaic Response in Electrochemically Prepared Porous Si. Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, v26, n4, 277-283. which are hereby explicitly incorporated by reference.
Furthermore, referring to Figure 9, in a write mode, controller 102 first controls the XY translator apparatus in positioning write probes 204 over charge storage cells to be written. As discussed earlier, controller 102 is separately electrically coupled to the Z translator apparatus of each write probe 204 and can selectively control the lowering of each write tip 242 in the Z direction to write data to a charge cell during the write mode. Moreover, as shown in Figures 17 and 18, controller 102 is separately electrically coupled to each write probe to make it emit light. Thus, during a write mode, the controller can selectively and individually control each write tip to write a data bit or data value to a charge storage cell by emitting a seleded predetermined amount of light close to a charge cell in the manner just described to cause a selected predetermined amount of charge in the charge storage cell to be optically leaked off, altered, or changed so that the charge storage cell stores a selected predetermined amount of charge representing the data bit or data value.
Specifically, in an embodiment for writing binary bits of digital data with each write tip, a data bit of value "1" and a data bit of value "0" are represented by two different predetermined amounts of charge in a charge cell. Thus, for example, a data bit of value "0" may be represented by a specific charge amount that has been optically changed and a data bit of value "1" may be represented by a specific charge amount that has not been optically changed. However, in an embodiment for writing a larger range of digital data values with each write tip, a range of predetermined charge amounts represent a range of digital data values. Thus, for example, the range of predetermined charge amounts may range from no charge representing a minimum data value to a maximum amount of charge representing a maximum data value. Since there are 33 write probes, up to 33 data bits or data values can be written to up to 33 charge storage cells during a write mode in the manner just described.
Referring to figure 12, read probes 206 in this embodiment may be constmcted in the same way as those of the mechanical write/electrical read embodiment described earlier. Thus, in a read mode, controller 102 controls the XY translator apparatus in positioning the read probes over charge storage cells to be read. And, as described earlier, controller 102 is separately electrically coupled to the Z translator apparatus of each read probe 206 and can individually and selectively control the lowering of each read tip 222 in the Z direction to detect with the conductive coating of the read tip a charge in a charge storage cell of storage medium 202. Moreover, since the controller is also separately coupled to conductive coating 228 of each read tip, it can individually and selectively measure the amount of the detected charge so as to read a data bit or data value from the charge storage cell which was written during a previous write mode. In other words, the read tip is used to detect the predetermined amount of alteration of the charge storage cell caused during a write mode and the controller measures the detected amount to read the data bit or data value written during the write mode. Since there are 33 read probes, up to 33 data bits or data values at a time during a read mode can be read in this manner from up to 33 charge storage cells.
Furthermore, referring to Figures 15 and 16, as indicated previously the charge storage cells are of the type found in UVPROMs. However, read/write lines are eliminated such that the charge storage cells may be made much smaller and spaced much closer than in conventional UVPROMs. As a result, in this embodiment, the size of the charge storage cells may be on the nanometer level and the charge storage cells may be spaced apart at nanometer level increments. This is so that data can be written to and read from storage medium 202 at nanometer level increments of positioning using X and Y translator assemblies 104 and 106 of Figures 1 and 9 in the manner described earlier.
Additionally, the typical standard energy from common UV sources used to erase UVPROMs is on the order of 10"9 watts per micrometer. However, light emitting tips 242 and 248 described herein will easily produce UV energy at a near-field intensity of 107 to 10B times more intense which results in write times on the order of 1 to 10 microseconds.
Furthermore, during an erase mode, controller 102 controls the XY translator apparatus in positioning read probes 206 over charge storage cells to be erased. Since controller 102 is separately electrically coupled to the Z translator apparatus of each read probe 206, it can individually and selectively control the lowering of each read tip 222 in the Z direction close to storage medium 202 for erasing of data from a charge storage cell during the erase mode. Moreover, referring to Figures 12 and 16, as discussed earlier, the controller is separately electrically coupled to conductive coating 228 of each read tip and is electrically coupled to substrate 236 of the storage medium. Thus, it can individually and selectively apply a selected predetermined voltage across the conductive coating of each tip and the charge storage cell under the tip during the erase mode. Since the read tip is lowered close to the charge storage cell during the erase mode, this results in a selected predetermined amount of tunneling current being produced between the conductive coating and the charge storage cell so that a selected predetermined amount of charge is injected or transferred into the charge storage cell. Thus, the charge in the charge storage cell is restored to this predetermined amount so that it can be changed in a subsequent write mode when again writing a data bit or data value to the charge storage cell. Since there are 33 read probes 204, up to 33 data bits or data values may be erased at a time during an erase mode from up to 33 charge storage cells in the manner just described. Refemng to Figures 15 and 16, data bits or data values written to the charge storage cells of storage medium 202 may also be eased in another way. Specifically, the storage medium also includes an insulating layer 254 around doped wells 238. Over the insulating layer are one or more patterned conductors 256 around one or more corresponding areas or regions of the doped wells. Controller 102 is separately electrically coupled across each conductor and the silicon substrate to selectively and individually apply across them a predetermined voltage. This produces a selected predetermined amount of tunneling current between the conductor and the charge storage cells in the corresponding selected region and injects a selected predetermined amount of charge into these charge storage cells. As a result, any data bits or data values written to these charge storage cells during a previous write mode are erased in a similar manner to that just described. In alternative embodiments, the storage medium may compnse other types of matenals or structures which can be optically altered at discrete increments, regions, or intervals by light emissions from the types of write probes 204 discussed next
In an additional alternative embodiment, each write and read probe 204 and 206 would not have its own Z translator apparatus Instead, each wnte probe would be connected to a large single Z translator apparatus which would be controlled by controller 102 to Iower write tips 242 or 248 simultaneously together to perform in bulk the write function described earlier Moreover, each read probe would also be connected to a large single Z translator apparatus which would be controlled by controller 102 to Iower read tips 222 simultaneously together to perform in bulk the read and erase functions described eariier
Referring to Figures 9 and 18, in still another alternative embodiment, instead of being used as a data storage device, device 200 could be used as a biochemical instrument In this case, the biochemical instrument includes one or more probes 204 each having a tip 248 with a porous sharp end, as described earlier, but without insulating and conductive coatings 250 and 252 Specifically, by controlling the etch current and etch time of the process described above, the pore width and depth of a region of several angstroms in length at the shaφ end of the tip can be controlled As a result, binding cites of a specific size for selected molecules can be made in the tip at the sharp end so that controller 102 could control the lowering and raising of the tip, in the manner descnbed earlier, into and from a biochemical substance to biochemically interact with
For example, a tip of this embodiment which holds specific types of molecules in its binding cites could be lowered into and out of an assay for viruses or other bioactive chemicals or biostmctures to deposit them into or remove them from the assay Similarly, a tip that holds in its binding cites the molecules of a catalytic chemical may be lowered into a substance to produce a catalytic reaction in the substance Or, the tip may be lowered into and raised from a biochemical substance, such as a cell, to attract and pick up specific molecules at the binding cites of the tip Additionally, the binding sites may hold the molecules of a chemically active material so that when the tip is lowered into an unknown sample of organic or inorganic material, the binding energy or attractive force between the molecules of the chemically active and sample materials can be measured by the deflection of cantilever 208 to charactenze the sample material In this case, the deflection of the cantilever would be determined by the controller by measuring changes in the energy storage of the capacitor descnbed earlier (formed by the moveable support stmcture 166, insulating layer 212, and conductive layer 214) or with a laser and photodetector assembly like in a conventional AFM and described further in the copending U S Patent Application No 08/281,883 referenced earlier
Electrical Write/Read Embodiment Referring to Figures 15 and 16, in another embodiment of data storage device 200, storage medium 202 comprises charge storage cells, regions, or areas similar to the UVPROM type charge storage cells of the optical write/electrical read embodiment described eariier and of the type used in electronically erasable programmable read only memories (EEPROMs). However, like the UVPROM type charge storage cells, they do not have read/write lines and are constmcted similar to the UVPROM type storage cells.
Referring to Figure 12, in this embodiment, data storage device uses only probes 206 of the type described in the mechanical write/electrical read embodiment. These probes are used to electrically read and erase data from the charge storage cells in a similar manner to that discussed eariier. Moreover, they are also used to electrically write data to the charge storage cells which is done in a similar fashion to the way in which data is erased from the charge storage cells. However, in this case, a predetermined amount of charge of opposite polarity to the charge injected during an erase mode is injected into a charge storage cell to change the charge stored by the charge storage cell and write to it a data bit or data value. In other words, In other words, the charge storage ceil is eledrically altered by a predetermined amount to write data to it. Otherwise, this write operation is the same as the erase operation discussed earlier and is further described in U.S. Patent Nos. 5,289,408 and 5,317,533.
Furthermore, like the UVPROM type storage cells discussed earlier, the size of the EEPROM type charge storage cells may be at the nanometer level and they may be spaced apart at nanometer level increments since they do not require address lines and read/write lines. Thus, in this embodiment as well, data can be written to and read from storage medium 202 at nanometer level increments of positioning using X and Y translator assemblies 104 and 106 of Figures 1 and 9 in the manner described earlier.
In altemative embodiments, the storage medium may comprise other types of materials or structures which can be electrically altered at discrete increments, regions, or intervals by tunneling currents from the types of probes 206 discussed next. These types of materials or stmctures may include magnetic materials or the types of materials and stmctures as described in U.S. Patent Nos. 5,289,408 and 5,317,533 referred to earlier.
Acoustically Aided Electrical Write/Read Embodiment
Referring to Figures 15 and 16, in another embodiment of data storage device 200, storage medium 202 also comprises the EEPROM type charge storage cells described earlier for the electrical write/read embodiment. Furthermore, referring to Figures 19 and 20, in this embodiment, the write and read probes 204 and 206 described earlier are replaced by a write/read mechanism that operates similarly to the probes 206 of the electrical write/read embodiment but is acoustically aided. The acoustically aided electrical write/read mechanism comprises a ridge support stmdure 254, one or more parallel triangular ridges 256 integrally connected to the base support stmcture, and an acoustic wave generator on the ridge support stmcture comprising two interleaved piezoelectric transducers or actuators 258 The storage medium and acoustically aided electrical wπte/read mechanism can be positioned with respect to each other in the ways descnbed earlier
Tπangular ndges 256 extend down from the flat Iower surface of πdge support stmcture 254 The triangular ndges are constmcted similarly to tips 222 of Figure 12 in that each has a conductive or semiconductive core mateπal, such as silicon, integrally connected to the πdge support stmcture, an insulating coating over the core mateπal except at the shaφ end of the πdge, and a conductive coating over the insulating coating and the core mateπal at the sharp end Moreover, controller 102 is also separately electncally coupled to the conductive coating of each of the triangular ndges
Refemng back to Figures 19 and 20, piezoelectric transducers 258 of the acoustic wave generator are positioned on the fiat upper surface of πdge support stmcture 254 so as to generate surface acoustic waves 255 that propagate on the upper surface in the X direction and parallel to the axial length of the tπangular ndges in the Y direction Controller 102 is electrically coupled to the piezoelectric transducers to generate a surface acoustic wave dunng each wπte, read, and erase mode
Dunng a wπte mode, controller 102 first controls the XY translator apparatus in positioning tπangular ndges 258 over corresponding charge storage cells to be written Then, the controller controls the acoustic wave generator in generating an acoustic wave that propagates on the surface of the ndge support stmcture parallel to the axial lengths of the tπangular ndges To wπte a data bit or data value to a particular charge storage cell under each triangular ndge, controller 102 selectively and individually applies a wπte voltage pulse of a selected predetermined voltage across the conductive coating of the tπangular ndge and the substrate of storage medium 202 at a seleded predetermined time and for a selected predetermined time interval or duration dunng the propagation of the acoustic wave The predetermined time corresponds to the location of the charge storage cell because at this predetermined time the portion of the ndge support structure over the charge storage cell is displaced by the propagating surface acoustic wave down toward the charge storage cell so that the portion of the triangular πdge connected to this portion of the ndge support structure is also displaced down toward the charge storage cell As a result, the predetermined voltage of the write voltage pulse over the predetermined time interval produces a selected predetermined amount of tunneling current between the conductive coating of the tnangular πdge and the charge storage cell Thus, a charge of a selected predetermined amount is injected into the charge storage cell so that a data bit or data value is written to it in a similar manner to that descnbed earlier in the electπcal write/read embodiment In other words, the charge storage cell is electrically altered by a predetermined amount
For example, the speed of a surface acoustic wave in πdge support stmcture 254 may be about 1000 meters/sec (typical for semiconductive materials) Thus, if the storage medium includes 1000 charge storage cells under a tπangular πdge over a 1 millimeter distance along the propagation direction of an acoustic wave, then the acoustic wave would traverse each charge storage cell in 1 nanosecond In order to wnte a data bit or data value to the 500th charge storage cell under a particular tnangular πdge, a wnte voltage pulse would be applied across the conductive coating of the triangular πdge and the substrate of the storage medium for a 1 nanosecond time interval 500 nanoseconds after the wave front of the acoustic wave first begins propagating over the tπangular ndge Since there are 8 tπangular ndges in the embodiment of Figures 19 and 20, up to 8 data bits or data values can be written at a time during a write mode to up to 8 charge storage cells in the manner just described
Similarly, in a read mode, controller 102 controls positioning of triangular ndges 258 over corresponding charge storage cells to be read and controls the acoustic wave generator in generating an acoustic wave Controller 102 then measures the amount of the charge detected by the conductive coating of each tπangular ridge at a selected predetermined time and for a selected predetermined time interval dunng the propagation of the acoustic wave As in the write mode, the predetermined time corresponds to the location of the charge storage cell so that at this predetermined time the triangular ndge is displaced down toward the charge storage cell in the manner descnbed earlier and the conductive coating of the tπangular ndge detects the charge of the charge storage cell As a result, a data bit or data value is read from the charge storage cell in a similar manner to that described earlier in the optical wπte/electπcai read and electπcal wπte/read embodiments In other words, the tπangular ndge is used to detect the predetermined amount of electπcal alteration of the charge storage cell during a write mode and the controller measures the detected amount to read the data bit or data value written during the write mode Up to 8 data bits or data values can be read at a time during a read mode from up to 8 charge storage cells in the manner just described since there are 8 triangular ndges in the embodiment of Figures 19 and 20 Additionally, in an erase mode, data bits or data values are erased in a similar fashion to which they are written However, during the erase mode, a predetermined amount of charge of opposite poiaπty to the charge injected dunng an erase mode is injected into a charge storage cell to change the charge stored by the charge storage cell and erase a data bit or data value written during an earlier write mode Controller 102 adjusts the timing and duration of the write and erase voltage pulses dunng wπte and erase modes and the timing and duration of the charge detection during a read mode to corresponding to changes in temperature As a result, the position in the storage medium over which a read or write is done always remains constant regardless of temperature change
Furthermore, bulk erasing may also be performed in the same manner as described earlier in the optical wπte/electπcal read and electncal write/read embodiments
In an alternative embodiment, the acoustic wave generator may be positioned instead on the upper surface of storage medium 202 As in the embodiment where it is positioned on ndge support structure 254, it would be positioned so that the acoustic waves it generates propagate in a diredion parallel to the axial length of triangular ridges 256. As a result, the charge storage cells would be displaced rather than the triangular ridges in positioning the triangular ridges close to the charge storage cells to write, read, and erase data in the ways described eariier.
In other altemative embodiments, the core material of triangular ridges 256 would be conductive so that these tips would not require a conductive coating and an insulating coating.
In this case, the core material may comprise doped silicon, tungsten, aluminum, gold, or some other conductive material. Moreover, the storage medium could comprise an electronically alterable material or stmcture of the type also described in the electrical write/read embodiment.
Similar to the read and write probes 204 and 206 of the eariier discussed embodiments, triangular ridges 256 could be spaced about 30 micrometers apart. Referring to Figure 9, this is done to match the range of movement of the moveable support stmdure of Y translator assembly 106 so as to maximize the amount of data that can be written to and read from storage medium 202 at nanometer level positioning increments over this range of movement.
Finally, positioning of storage medium 202 and the acoustically aided electrical write/read mechanism could be alternatively accomplished as shown in Figures 21 and 22. In this case, a Y translator apparatus that comprises a stationary support stmcture 260, a pair of thermally expandable and contractible stmctures 262, and heater elements 264 is used to position the triangular ridges over charge storage cells in the Y direction (i.e., orthogonal to the direction of propagation of the surface acoustic waves generated by the acoustic wave generator).
In this embodiment, storage medium 202 is fixedly coupled to stationary support stmcture 260 and ridge support stmcture 254 has vertical end portions that rest on but are not directly connected to the stationary support stmcture. Each of the end portions is integrally connected to a corresponding thermally expandable and contractible stmcture 262. The thermally expandable and contractible structures are both integrally connected to the stationary support stmcture. Heater elements 264 are located at the elbows of the thermally expandable and contractible stmctures and are used to selectively heat the thermally expandable and contractible stmctures so that they thermally expand and contract and move back and forth in the Y direction. Thus, the thermally expandable and contractible stmctures movably couple the stationary support structure to the ridge support stmcture in a way similar to that described earlier in which thermally expandable and contractible structure 132 movably couples the stationary support stmcture and the moveable support structure of the X translator assembly 104 of Figure 2.
Furthermore, in this embodiment, to control the heater drive just described, controller 102 is electrically coupled to heater elements 264 and thermally expandable and contractible structures 262 to provide a current that flows through the heater elements. By controlling the amount of current that flows through the heater elements, the controller can control positioning of ridge support structure 254 in nanometer level increments in the Y direction in a similar manner to that described earlier for the embodiment of Figure 1. Alternatively, the vertical end portions of ndge support stmcture 254 could be fixedly coupled to stationary support stmdure 260 In this case, storage medium 202 would be movably coupled to the stationary support stmcture 260 by thermally expandable and contractible stmctures like those just discussed and positioning of the storage medium in the Y direction would be accomplished similarly to that just discussed
Furthermore, in still other embodiments, piezoelectπc transducers, like those discussed for X translator assembly 104 of Figure 3, could be used in place of the thermally expandable and contractible stmctures and heater elements in the embodiments just discussed Their movement would be accomplished in a similar way to that discussed for the X translator assembly of Figure 3
Tips with Conductive Highly Obdurate Coatings for use in AFM, STM, and Hardness Testing
Referπng to Figure 23, there is shown a conceptual diagram of one embodiment of a scanning probe microscope assembly 300 using probes 302 with tips 222 having a conductive highly obdurate coating 228 of the type descnbed earlier
A probe 302 is used to scan the surface of an object 304 in variety of measurement modes, as will be discussed shortly The surface of the object 304 may be scanned by probe 302 using a conventional piezoelectric XY translator 310 to move the object 304 along the X and Y axes and a conventional piezoelectric Z translator 312 to move the probe 302 along the Z axis However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that a piezoelectric XYZ translator may be used instead to move the object 304 along the X, Y, and Z axes while the probe 302 remains stationary As another alternative, a piezoelectric XYZ translator may be used to move the probe 302 along the X, Y, and Z axes while the object 304 remains stationary In yet another alternative, the positioning system 100 of Figures 1-8 may be used to move the probe 302 with respect to the object 304 along the X, Y, and Z axes
Scanning is controlled by controller or computer 314 based on inputs received from the control terminal 316 Dunng scanning, controller 314 analyzes measurement data and displays measurement information on display monitor 318 Scanning probe microscope assembly 300 is configured to perform atomic force microscopy (AFM) As will be explained later, the AFM mode may occur when the user has selected the AFM mode with the control terminal 316 and also issues with the control terminal 316 a control signal received by the CPU 320 for a scan of the object 304 The scanning control routine 322 stored in the memory 324 and run on the CPU 320 then generates scanning control signals outputted by the CPU 320 for controlling the XY and Z translators 310 and 312 to position probe 302 over the surface of the object 304 for AFM measurements
The scanning control signals generated by the scanning control routine 322 control the XY and Z translators 310 and 312 so that tip 222 is positioned in close proximity to or in contact with the object 304 depending on what type of feree interaction between the tip 222 and the objed 304 is desired. As a result, the cantilever 330 will be deflected due to atomic force interaction between the tip 222 and the object 304. As those skilled in the art know, this atomic force interaction may be due to Van der Waals forces, magnetic forces, electrostatic forces, lateral forces, or other related forces.
The defledion of the cantilever 330 representing the atomic force interadion between the tip 222 and the object 304 is optically detected by conventional optics 334. The conventional deflection measurement circuit 136 is coupled to the optics 334. It measures the optically deteded deflection and outputs a deflection measurement signal containing data representing the measured deflection. The measured deflection also corresponds to the topography of the object. Thus, the optics 334 and the deflection measurement circuit 335 serve as a cantilever deflection measurer. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that other types of systems may be used to measure deflection of the cantilever 330.
The deflection measurement signal is provided to the CPU 320. The data contained by the signal is analyzed and processed by the AFM analysis routine 337 to produce AFM image data representing a high magnification (or nanoview) image of the topography of the object 304. The display routines 336 then formats the AFM image data and the CPU 320 provides it to the display monitor 318 for display. The routines 336 and 337 are both stored in the memory 324 and run on the CPU 320. The scanning probe microscope assembly 300 of Figure 23 is configured also to perform scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). Like the AFM mode, the STM mode may occur when the user selects with the control terminal 316 the STM mode and also issues with control terminal 316 a control signal received by the CPU 320 for a scan of the object 304. During this scan, the scanning control routine 322 generates scanning control signals outputted by the CPU 320 for controlling the XY and Z translators 310 and 312 to position probe 302 over the surface of the object 304 for STM measurements.
The scanning control signals generated by the scanning control routine 322 control the XY and Z translators 310 and 312 so that tip 222 is positioned in close proximity to the object 304. Then, scanning control routine 322 generates tunneling control signals provided to the tunneling current measurement circuit 358. In response, the tunneling current measurement circuit 358 generates a voltage signal applied to the tip 222 of probe 302.
Since tip 222 is coated with a conductive layer, as described previously, a tunneling current is produced between the tip 222 and the object 304. The tunneling current in the object 304 is detected and measured by the tunneling current measurement circuit 358. In response, the tunneling current measurement circuit 358 outputs a tunneling current measurement signal containing data representing the measured tunneling current. The measured tunneling current corresponds to the topography of the object. Alternatively, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the tunneling current may be kept fixed by changing the position of tip 222 with the Z axis translator 312 The amount of change in position required to keep the tunneling current constant is the measure of topography of the surface The tunneling current signal is provided to the CPU 320 The data contained by the signal is analyzed and processed by the STM analysis routine 338 to produce STM image data representing a high magnification (or nanoview) image of the topography of the object 304 The display routines 336 then formats the STM image data and the CPU 320 provides it to the display monitor 318 for display The routine 338 is stored in the memory 324 and run on the CPU 320 The scanning probe microscope assembly also includes a hardness testing mode which involves STM measurements In this mode, the scanning control routine 322 controls the tunneling current measurement circuit 358 to make a conductivity measurement for object 304 at a particular location of the object 304 in a similar way to that described earlier for STM measurements The data in the conductivity measurement signal representing the conductivity measured by the circuit 358 is recorded in the data base 398 by the hardness testing analysis routine 395 The routine 395 is stored in the memory 124 and run on the CPU 120
The scanning control routine 322 generates scanning control signals for controlling the Z translator 312 to make the tip 222 directly contact, penetrate, and deform the surface of the object 304 with a known force at the same location While the tip 222 penetrates the surface of the object 304, scanning control routine 322 then controls the making of conductivity measurements of object 304 at the same location
The data in the conductivity signal over the period before and during the penetration is recorded, analyzed, and processed by the hardness testing analysis routine 395 to produce data representing information on the hardness of the object 304 In this case, the measured change in conductivity over the period before and during penetration is a measure of the depth of penetration of tip 222 and in turn a measure of the hardness of the object 304 In bulk materials, this measure reflects local changes such as crystal dislocations, etc In patterned matenals, such as semiconductors, this measure provides subsurface stmctural information The data produced by the routine 395 is formatted by the display routines 336 and provided to the display monitor 318 for display of the hardness information
Additionally, the actual deflection or motion of the tip as measured by the optics 334 and the deflection measurement circuit 336 can be used by the hardness testing routine 395 in conjunction with the known force to provide a measure of the hardness of the surface The data produced by the routine 395 is formatted by the display routines 336 and provided to the display monitor 318 for display of the hardness information
Tips with Light Emitting Porous Silicon for use in Spectrophotometry Refemng to Figure 24, there is shown an alternative embodiment of the scanning probe microscope assembly of Figure 23 In this embodiment, the probe 302 includes the tip 248 with porous silicon 216 at the sharp end for producing light as described earlier This tip 248 may be used for the AFM, STM, and hardness testing modes in the manner just described and also for a near-field spectrophotometry mode that will be described next
In the spectrophotometry mode, scanning control routine 322 controls the electric field generator 360 to generate an electrical field (voltage) This is applied between the outside conductive layer 252 and the core silicon material 216 of the probe 302 As a result, light is emitted in the manner descnbed earlier at the shaφ end of the tip 248 and optically interacts with the object 304
The resulting photoemissive energy (such as fluorescence, Raman, and second harmonic) is detected by the photodetector 394 of the spectrophotmeter 382 after the monochromator 396 of the spectrophotmeter 382 has separated the photoemissive light into its constituent wavelengths The monochromator 396 is preferably configured to separate the photoemissive light into an array of its constituent wavelengths and the photodetector 394 includes an array of photodiodes or photomultipliers for detecting the array of wavelengths
Photodetector 394 converts the detected optical energy into a detection signal containing data representing the detected optical energy The data contained by the detection signal is provided to the CPU 320 and analyzed and processed by the near-field spectrophotometry analysis routine 347 to produce data representing information on the composition of the object 304 This data is formatted by the display routines 336 and provided to the display monitor 318 for display of the information
Moreover, the conductive layer 252 may be the highly obdurate conductive coating 228 of the type described earlier In this case, the 248 may be used in a hardness testing mode Specifically, the scanning control routine 322 controls the making of a near-field spectrophotometπc measurement in the way described earlier at a particular location of the object 304 A detection signal is provided to the CPU 320 by the photodetector 394 and the hardness testing analysis routine 395 records in the data base 398 the data of the detection signal representing the optical energy detected by the photodetector 394 Then, the scanning control routine 322 generates scanning control signals for controlling the Z translator 312 so that tip 248 directly contacts, penetrates, and deforms the surface of the object 304 with a known force at the same location where the near-field spectrophotometric measurement was just made While the tip 248 penetrates the surface of the object, scanning control routine 322 then controls the making of another near-field spectrophotometric measurement at the same location
The data contained in the resulting detection signal provided by the photodetector 394, together with the earlier recorded data, is analyzed and processed by the hardness testing analysis routine 395 to produce data representing information on the hardness of the object 304 This is done by determining the proportionate change in the detected optical energy between the two measurements which provides a measure of the depth of penetration of tip 248. The depth of penetration in turn is a measure of the local binding strength (i.e., hardness) of the object 304. This data is formatted by the display routines 336 and provided to the display monitor 318 for display of the hardness information.
Conclusion
While the present invention has been described with reference to a few specific embodiments, the description is illustrative of the invention and is not to be construed as limiting the invention. Furthermore, various other modifications may occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

What is claimed is
1 A positioning system for positioning an object in a predefined direction, the positioning system comprising a microfabricated positioning assembly comprising a stationary support structure, a moveable support structure movably coupled to the support structure and moveable within a range of movement in the predefined direction with respect to the support structure, a positionable support stmcture positionable in the predefined direction, a stationary support stmcture clamp to clamp and unclamp the positionable support stmcture to and from the stationary support structure, a moveable support stmcture clamp to clamp and unclamp the positionable support structure to and from the moveable support structure; and a controller to control positioning of the positionable support structure in the predefined direction within a range of positioning that is larger than the range of movement of the moveable support structure by controlling (A) the stationary support structure clamp in clamping and unclamping the positionable support stmcture to and from the stationary support stmcture, (B) the moveable support structure clamp in clamping and unclamping the positionable structure to and from the moveable support stmcture, and (C) the movement of the moveable support structure, the object being disposed on the positionable support stmcture so that the object is positionable in the predefined direction within the range of positioning
2 A positioning system as recited in claim 1 further comprising an electrostatic comb dπve to electrostatically movably couple the moveable stmcture to the stationary support structure, the electrostatic comb drive comprising a stationary comb structure connected to the stationary support structure, and a moveable comb stmcture connected to the moveable support structure, the moveable comb stmcture electrostatically interacting with the stationary comb structure to move in the predefined direction with the moveable support structure, the controller controlling the movement of the moveable structure by controlling the electrostatic interaction of the stationary and moveable comb stmctures
3 A positioning system as recited in claim 1 further comprising a piezoelectric dπve connected between the stationary and moveable support structures to movably couple the moveable support stmcture to the stationary support structure, the piezoelectric drive expanding and contracting in the predefined direction to move the moveable support structure in the predefined direction, the controller controlling the movement of the moveable support stmcture in the predefined direction by controlling the expansion and contraction of the piezoelectric drive
4 A positioning system as recited in claim 1 further comprising a heater drive to movably couple the moveable structure to the support structure, the heater drive comprising a thermally expandable and contractible structure connected between the stationary and moveable support stmctures; and heater elements disposed on the thermally expandable and contractible stmcture to thermally expand and contract the thermally expandable and contractible structure in the predefined direction to move the moveable support stmcture in the predefined direction, the controller controlling the movement of the moveable support structure by controlling the thermal expansion and contraction of the thermally expandable and contractible structure by the heater elements
5 A positioning assembly as recited in claim 1 wherein at least one support structure clamp and the at least one moveable structure clamp are connected to the positionable structure
6 A positioning assembly as recited in claim 5 wherein the support stmcture includes support stmcture rails extending in the predefined direction, the stationary support structure clamp clamps and unclamps the positionable support structure to and from the stationary support stmcture rails, the moveable support structure inciudes rails extending in the predefined direction, and the moveable support structure clamp clamps and unclamps the positionable support structure to and from the moveable support structure rails
7 A data storage device comprising a deformable storage medium, one or more write probes each comprising a write tip compnsing a highly obdurate coating capable of deforming the storage medium, a wπte tip positioning apparatus to position the write tip with respect to the storage medium, one or more read probes each including a conductive read tip, a probe and storage medium positioning apparatus to position the read and write probes with respect to each other, a controller to (A) during a write mode, control the probe and storage medium positioning apparatus in positioning the write probes over the storage medium, (B) during the write mode, control each wπte tip positioning apparatus in loweπng the corresponding write tip a predetermined amount into the storage medium so as to cause a predetermined amount of deformation in the storage medium representing data wπtten thereto, (C) dunng a read mode, control the probe and storage medium positioning apparatus in positioning the read probes over the storage medium, and (D) dunng the read mode, produce and measure a tunneling current between each conductive read tip and the storage medium to identify a predetermined amount of deformation caused in the storage medium below the corresponding read tip during the write mode so that the data written thereto is read therefrom
8 A data storage device as recited in claim 7 further comprising one or more heater elements below the storage medium, the controller controlling during erase modes at least one of the one or more heater elements to heat the storage medium until deformations caused thereabove in the storage medium are removed
9 A data storage device as recited in claim 7 wherein each read tip further comprises a core material with a sharp end, and an insulating coating over the core material but not at the sharp end, a conductive coating over the core material at the sharp end and the insulating coating, the controller (A) dunng an erase mode, controls the probe and storage medium positioning apparatus in positioning the read probes over the storage medium, and (B) during the erase mode, produces a current between the conductive coating and the core material of each read tip to heat the storage medium below the corresponding read tip until a deformation caused in the storage medium below the corresponding read tip during the write mode is removed
10 A data storage device as recited in claim 7 wherein the highly obdurate mateπal compnses diamond
11 A data storage device as recited in claim 7 wherein the highly obdurate mateπal comprises carbon nitride
12 A data storage device comprising a deformable storage medium, a plurality of probes each comprising a tip comprising a conductive highly obdurate coating capable of deforming the storage medium, a tip positioning apparatus to lower the tip; a probe and storage medium positioning apparatus to position the probes over the storage medium; a controller to (A) during a write mode, control the probe and storage medium positioning apparatus in positioning the probes over the storage medium, (B) during the write modes, control each tip positioning apparatus in lowering the corresponding tip a predetermined amount into the storage medium so as to cause a predetermined amount of deformation in the storage medium representing data written thereto, (C) during read modes, control the probe and storage medium positioning apparatus in positioning the probes over the storage medium, (D) during the read modes, control each tip positioning apparatus in lowering the corresponding tip close to the storage medium, and (E) during the read mode, produce and measure a tunneling current between the conductive obdurate coating of each tip and the storage medium to identify a predetermined amount of deformation caused in the storage medium below the corresponding tip during the write mode so that the data written thereto is read therefrom.
13. A data storage device as recited in claim 12 or further comprising: one or more heater elements below the storage medium; the controller controlling during erase modes at least one of the one or more heater elements to heat the storage medium until deformations caused thereabove in the storage medium are removed.
14. A data storage device as recited in claim 12 wherein: each tip further comprises: a core material with a sharp end; and an insulating coating over the core material but not at the sharp end; the conductive highly obdurate coating being over the core material at the sharp end and the insulating coating; the controller (A) during an erase mode, controls the probe and storage medium positioning apparatus in positioning the read probes over the storage medium, and (B) during the erase mode, produces a current between the conductive highly obdurate coating and the core material of each tip to heat the storage medium below the corresponding tip until a deformation caused in the storage medium below the corresponding tip during the write mode is removed.
15. A data storage device as recited in claim 12 wherein the conductive highly obdurate material comprises diamond doped to be conductive.
16. A data storage device as recited in claim 12 wherein the conductive highly obdurate material comprises silicon carbide doped to be conductive.
17 A data storage device as recited in claim 12 wherein the conductive highly obdurate material comprises carbon nitride doped to be conductive
18 A data storage device compnsing a storage medium alterable by light, one or more light emitting write probes capable of emitting light, one or more read probes capable of detecting alterations of the storage medium a positioning apparatus to position the read and write probes over the storage medium, a controller to (A) dunng a wπte mode, control the positioning apparatus in positioning the write probes over the storage medium so that the light emitting write tips are over the storage medium, (B) dunng the wπte mode, control each light emitting wπte probe to emit a predetermined amount of light so as to cause a predetermined amount of alteration of the storage medium and wπte data thereto, (C) dunng a read mode, control the positioning apparatus in positioning the read probes over the storage medium so that each read probe detects a predetermined amount of alteration of the storage medium caused during the write mode, and (D) during the read mode, measure each detected predetermined amount of alteration of the storage medium so that the data written to the storage medium during the write mode is read therefrom
19 A data storage device as recited in claim 18 wherein each light emitting write probe inciudes a write tip comprising a core material with a sharp end, a light emissive coating over the core material, and a conductive coating over the light emissive coating, the controller is coupled to the core material and the conductive coating of each light emitting wπte tip to apply across them dunng the write mode a voltage of predetermined amount so that the sharp end of the corresponding light emitting write tip emits a predetermined amount of light so as to cause a predetermined amount of alteration of the storage medium
20 A data storage device as recited in claim 18 wherein each light emitting write tip comprises a porous material, the controller is coupled to each light emitting write tip to produce dunng the write mode a current of predetermined amount in the porous material of the light emitting write tip so that it emits a predetermined amount of light so as to cause a predetermined amount of alteration of the storage medium
21 A data storage device as recited in claim 20 wherein the porous material comprises porous silicon
22 A data storage device as recited in claim 18 wherein the storage medium comprises charge storage cells each storing a charge alterable by light, one or more conductors around the charge storage cells, each read probe is conductive, the controller (A) dunng the write mode, controlling each write probe to emit a predetermined amount of light so as to cause a predetermined amount of charge in a corresponding one of the charge storage cells to be leaked off so as to write data thereto, (B) dunng the read mode, controlling the positioning apparatus in positioning each read probe over a corresponding one of the charge storage cells to detect the predetermined amount of charge therein leaked off during the write mode, (C) dunng the read mode, measure the detected predetermined amounts of charges leaked off so that data written during the write mode to the corresponding ones of the charge storage cells is read therefrom, and (D) during an erase mode, controlling at least one of the one or more conductors to transfer a predetermined amount of charge to the charge storage cells therein so as to restore the charges therein leaked off during the write mode
23 A data storage device comprising an electncally alterable storage medium, a triangular πdge support structure, one or more triangular ndges on the base stmcture, a positioning apparatus to position the tnangular ndge support stmcture over the storage medium, an acoustic wave generator on one of the triangular πdge support stmcture and the storage medium to produce surface acoustic waves thereon that propagate in a direction parallel to the axial length of the triangular ndges, a controller to (A) dunng a write mode, control the positioning apparatus in positioning the tπangular ndge support stmcture over the storage medium so that each triangular ndge is over a corresponding region of the storage medium to be written, (B) during the write mode, control the acoustic wave generator to produce an acoustic wave, (C) dunng the write mode, apply at a predetermined time across each triangular ndge and the storage medium a voltage pulse having a predetermined voltage and duration while the acoustic wave produced dunng the write mode propagates so that a region of the triangular ndge above the corresponding region to be wπtten is displaced down theretoward and the corresponding region to be wπtten is electncally altered by a predetermined amount, (D) dunng a read mode, control the positioning apparatus in positioning the tπangular πdge support stmcture over the storage medium so that each tπangular πdge is over a corresponding region of the storage medium to be read, (E) during the read mode, control the acoustic wave generator to produce an acoustic wave, (F) dunng the read mode, detect with each tπangular πdge at a predetermined time while the acoustic wave produced during the read mode propagates so that a region of the tπangular πdge above the corresponding region to be read is displaced down theretoward a predetermined amount of eledπcal alteration of the corresponding region to be read, (G) during the read mode, measure each detected predetermined amount of eledπcal alteration of the corresponding region to be read so that the data wπtten to thereto dunng the wπte mode is read therefrom
24 A biochemical instmment for biochemically interacting with a sample material, the biochemical instmment comprising a probe comprising a tip with a sharp end and a core material that extends to the shaφ end of the tip, the core material having pores that form binding cites of a specific size for holding selected molecules, and a positioning apparatus to position the tip with respect to the sample material, and a controller to control the positioning apparatus in positioning the tip so as to pickup the selected molecules from the sample material, deposited the selected molecules in the sample material, or cause an attractive force between the selected molecules and molecules of the sample material
25 A biochemical instrument as recited in claim 24 wherein the probe further compnses the positioning apparatus, the positioning apparatus including a cantilever to which the tip is connected, and a cantilever mover to move the cantilever with respect to the sample material, the controller controlling the cantilever mover in moving the cantilever so as to Iower the tip to the sample mateπal and cause an attractive force between the selected molecules and the molecules of the sample material, the biochemical instmment further compnses means including the controller for measuπng the attractive force by detecting deflection of the cantilever caused by the attractive force
26 A biochemical instmment as recited in claim 25 or a probe as recited in claim 27 wherein the core material comprises silicon that is porously etched at the sharp end of the tip
27 A probe, comprising a tip having a sharp end, a core mateπal that extends to the shaφ end of the tip, the core mateπal at the sharp end of the tip having pores that form binding cites for holding selected molecules of a specific size
28. A probe as recited in claim 27 wherein the probe further comprises a positioning apparatus including a cantilever to which the tip is connected and a cantilever mover to move the cantilever for lowering and raising the tip.
29. A probe as recited in claim 27 wherein the core material comprises silicon that is porously etched at the shaφ end of the tip.
30. A device for interacting with an object, the device comprising: a probe comprising a tip with a shaφ end, a material extending to the sharp end, and an obdurate diamond coating over the core material at least at the sharp end of the tip, the obdurate diamond coating being doped to be conductive; and one or more means to induce and detect one or more interactions between the object and the tip using the conductive obdurate diamond coating.
31. A device as recited in claim 30 wherein the object comprises a deformable material and the device further comprises: means to position the tip so that the tip penetrates and deforms the deformable material; and means to induce and detect a tunneling current between the object and the tip by applying a voltage between the conductive obdurate diamond coating and the object and to determine the amount of deformation of the object from the detected tunneling current.
32. A device as recited in claim 30 wherein the one or more interaction means comprises tunneling current means to induce and detect a tunneling current between the object and the tip by applying a voltage between the object and the conductive obdurate diamond coating.
33. A device as recited in claim 30 wherein: the probe further comprises a cantilever connected to said tip; the one or more non-optical interaction means further comprises atomic force means for inducing atomic force interaction between the tip and the object and for detecting deflection of the cantilever due to the atomic force interaction.
34. A probe, comprising: a tip having a sharp end; a material extending to the sharp end; and an obdurate diamond coating over the material at least at the shaφ end, the obdurate diamond coating being doped to be conductive.
35. A probe as recited in claim 34 further comprising a cantilever connected to the tip.
36. A device for interacting with an object, the device comprising: a probe comprising a tip with a shaφ end, a material extending to the sharp end, and an obdurate diamond coating over the material, the obdurate diamond coating having diamond crystals at the shaφ end that are symmetrically aligned and diamond crystals below the shaφ end that are not; and one or more means to induce and detect one or more interactions between the object and the tip using the conductive obdurate diamond coating.
37. A probe, comprising: a tip having a sharp end; a material extending to the shaφ end; and an obdurate diamond coating over the material at least at the sharp end, the obdurate diamond coating having diamond crystals at the sharp end that are symmetrically aligned and diamond crystals below the sharp end that are not.
38. A scanning probe microscope assembly for examining an object, comprising: a probe comprising a tip having a sharp end and a core material extending to the shaφ end of the tip, the core material being porous at the sharp end of the tip; means for applying a voltage between the conductive coating and the core material so that a current flows through the porous core material at the shaφ end and light is emitted in response by the porous core material at the shaφ end, the emitted light optically interacting with the object; and a photodetedor for detecting light resulting from the emitted light optically interacting with the object.
39. A scanning probe microscope assembly as recited in claim 38 wherein the core material is silicon.
40. A scanning probe microscope assembly as recited in claim 38 further comprising: an insulating material over the core material but not at the sharp end of the tip; a conductive coating over the insulating coating and over at least a portion of the porous core material at the sharp end of the tip such that the current flows through the porous core material at the sharp end of the tip when a voltage is applied across the core material and the conductive coating, the condudive coating not being over a portion of the porous core material at the shaφ end of the tip or having a transparent portion at the shaφ end so as to form an aperture through which the light is emitted.
41. A scanning probe microscope assembly as recited in claim 40 further comprising tunneling current means for inducing and detecting a tunneling current between the tip and the objed by applying a voltage between the conductive coating and the object.
42. A scanning probe microscope assembly as recited in claim 40 wherein: the probe further includes a cantilever connected to the tip; and the scanning probe microscope assembly further comprises atomic force means for inducing atomic force interaction between the tip and the object and for detecting deflection of the cantilever due to the atomic force interaction.
43. A probe, comprising: a tip having a sharp end; a core material extending to the shaφ end of the tip, the core material being porous at the sharp end of the tip so as to emit light at the shaφ end when a current flows therethrough.
44. A probe as recited in claim 38 wherein the core material is silicon.
45. A probe as recited in claim 38 further comprising: an insulating material over the core material but not at the sharp end of the tip; a conductive coating over the insulating coating and over at least a portion of the porous core material at the sharp end of the tip such that the current flows through the porous core material at the sharp end of the tip when a voltage is applied across the core material and the conductive coating, the conductive coating not being over a portion of the porous core material at the shaφ end of the tip or having a transparent portion at the shaφ end so as to form an aperture through which the light is emitted.
46. A probe as recited in claim 43 further comprising a cantilever to which the tip is connected.
PCT/US1996/012255 1994-07-28 1996-07-24 Nanometer scale data storage device and associated positioning system WO1997004449A1 (en)

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US09/000,170 US6252226B1 (en) 1994-07-28 1996-07-24 Nanometer scale data storage device and associated positioning system
AU66376/96A AU6637696A (en) 1995-07-24 1996-07-24 Nanometer scale data storage device and associated positioning system
US09/919,780 US6861648B2 (en) 1994-07-28 2001-07-31 Scanning probe microscopy inspection and modification system
US10/616,453 US7045780B2 (en) 1994-07-28 2003-07-08 Scanning probe microscopy inspection and modification system
US11/411,985 US7485856B2 (en) 1994-07-28 2006-04-25 Scanning probe microscopy inspection and modification system
US11/894,592 US20080202221A1 (en) 1994-07-28 2007-08-20 Methods and apparatus for nanolapping
US11/841,698 US8499621B2 (en) 1994-07-28 2007-08-20 Scanning probe microscopy inspection and modification system
US12/779,879 US20110126328A1 (en) 1994-07-28 2010-05-13 Methods and Apparatus for Nanolapping
US14/446,365 US20150168445A1 (en) 1994-07-28 2014-07-30 Scanning probe microscopy inspection and modification system

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US08/506,516 1995-07-24
US08/506,516 US5751683A (en) 1995-07-24 1995-07-24 Nanometer scale data storage device and associated positioning system

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US08/506,516 Continuation US5751683A (en) 1994-07-28 1995-07-24 Nanometer scale data storage device and associated positioning system
US78662397A Continuation-In-Part 1994-07-28 1997-01-21

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US08/613,982 Continuation-In-Part US5756997A (en) 1994-07-28 1996-03-04 Scanning probe/optical microscope with modular objective/probe and drive/detector units
US78662397A Continuation-In-Part 1994-07-28 1997-01-21
US82795397A Continuation-In-Part 1994-07-28 1997-04-06
PCT/US1998/001528 Continuation-In-Part WO1998034092A2 (en) 1994-07-28 1998-01-21 Object inspection and/or modification system and method
US09/613,982 Continuation-In-Part US6363674B1 (en) 1997-11-25 2000-07-11 Premanufactured structural building panels
US09/852,121 Continuation US6507553B2 (en) 1995-07-24 2001-05-08 Nanometer scale data storage device and associated positioning system

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US6724712B2 (en) 2004-04-20
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US20090324450A1 (en) 2009-12-31
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US20120147722A1 (en) 2012-06-14
US20050190684A1 (en) 2005-09-01

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