Depth enhancement of ion sensitized data

Details Depth enhancement of ion sensitized data Depth enhancement of ion sensitized data

1996-05-24

2001-05-08

Gordon, Paul P. (Department: 2121)

Data processing: generic control systems or specific application

Specific application, apparatus or process

Product assembly or manufacturing

C700S159000, C700S166000, C700S165000, C250S201400, C250S201500, C428S064100, C428S064400

Reexamination Certificate

active

06230071

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a process of forming data storage media and to articles prepared by such a process such as high density durable data storage media.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The storage of information or data has seen revolutionary changes in the past century, yet the long term storage and interpretation of such data may present an important problem. Rothenberg, Scientific American, pp. 42-47, 1995, describes the problems associated with the longevity of documents.
The storage of information or data storage has commonly involved the use of magnetic or optical recording carriers. Recently, the use of scanning tunnel microscopes (STM's) has been investigated for the writing and reading of storage information by means of topographical changes to flat metal surfaces. Wiesendanger, J. Vac. Sci. Technol. B, v. 12, no. 2, pp. 515-529 (1994), reviews STM and similar scanning probe microscopy in fabrication of nanometer-scale structures and the unresolved problems of the limited temporal stability of such nanometer-scale structures. Other similar references include: Adamchuk et al., Ultramicroscopy v. 45, pp. 1-4 (1992), describing the use of an STM to microprocess nanometer-sized craters of about 50 nanometers (nm) in diameter and 10 nm in depth in gold films on flat silicon substrates; Li et al., Appl. Phys. Lett., v. 54, no. 15, pp. 1424-1426 (1989), describing electroetching nanometer-sized craters about 2 nm in diameter and up to about 1 nm in depth in flat gold substrates with a STM operating in air; Silver et al., Appl. Phys. Lett., v. 51, no. 4, pp. 247-249 (1987), describing the direct writing of submicron metallic features by deposition of a new substance (cadmium from organometallic gas) on a surface with a STM; and, Abraham et al., IBM J. Res. Develop v. 30, no. 5, pp. 492-499 (1986), describing surface modification with a STM via surface diffusion and mention the possibility of high density memory storage. The present data storage systems each suffer from one or more problems including the long term stability or durability of the medium.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/382,345, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,721,687 entitled “Ultrahigh Vacuum Focused Ion Beam Micromill and Articles Therefrom”, by Lamartine et al. describes the use of a focused ion beam in combination with an ultrahigh vacuum to obtain milled articles having a high aspect ratio. While this process could prepare suitable durable data storage media, the process was slow.
It is an object of this invention to provide a rapid process of forming durable data storage media such a process involving the use of an etch enhancement or an etch stop technique.
It is another object of this invention to provide articles of manufacture formed by the present process, such articles including, e.g., durable data storage media, such articles of manufacture containing detectable residual amounts of ions initially used in the preparation process.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
To achieve the foregoing and other objects, and in accordance with the purposes of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, the present invention provides a process of preparing a data storage media within a target substrate including placing a target substrate within an vacuum environment, producing a computer data file adapted for operation of a computer-controlled focused ion beam during exposure of a target substrate, exposing the target substrate to the computer-controlled focused ion beam, the computer-controlled focused ion beam controlled by software utilizing the computer data file whereby said target substrate has defined portions including measurable dosages of implanted ions, and placing said target substrate having defined portions including measurable dosages of implanted ions in an etchant for time sufficient to form a resultant durable data storage medium.
The present invention further provides a durable data storage medium comprising a substrate having etched characters therein, said substrate further characterized by the presence of detectable residual amounts of ions initially used in the preparation process. The storage medium can include etched characters selected from the group consisting of digital characters, alphanumeric characters, glyphical characters and 3-D graphical characters, and halftone and greyscale pictures.


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U. S. Patent Application Ser. No. 08/382,345 by Bruce C. Lamartine et al.

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