Magnetic data storage system
First Claim
1. A magnetic data storage system comprising a storage medium having a surface, the medium being comprised of a shape memory alloy material which transforms from a non-ferromagnetic austenite crystalline phase to a ferromagnetic martensite crystalline phase responsive to a mechanical stress, a scanning tip, and an operating structure for moving the tip against the surface to cause the tip to apply a stress which is sufficient to form an indent in the surface while transforming an area of the medium surrounding the indent into the ferromagnetic martensite crystalline phase with the transformed area representing a data bit.
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Abstract
A magnetic data storage system having a scanning tip array based system and a shape memory thin film-based data storage medium. Prior to storing data, the medium is in its non-ferromagnetic austenitic phase. Indentation stress locally induces martensitic transformation of the medium, which in turn generates a locally ferromagnetized surface. By measuring the magnetic force interaction between the tip and the medium surface, inscribed magnetic information can be read. The shape memory thin film enables the stress-induced local magnetic transition to provide a fast data storage system with high data storage density.
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Citations
12 Claims
- 1. A magnetic data storage system comprising a storage medium having a surface, the medium being comprised of a shape memory alloy material which transforms from a non-ferromagnetic austenite crystalline phase to a ferromagnetic martensite crystalline phase responsive to a mechanical stress, a scanning tip, and an operating structure for moving the tip against the surface to cause the tip to apply a stress which is sufficient to form an indent in the surface while transforming an area of the medium surrounding the indent into the ferromagnetic martensite crystalline phase with the transformed area representing a data bit.
- 8. A method of storing data comprising the steps of providing a storage medium comprised of a shape memory alloy material, the alloy being in a non-ferromagnetic austenite crystalline phase, and applying a stress on a data storing area of the medium sufficient to transform the area of material to a ferromagnetic martensite crystalline phase with the transformed area representing a stored data bit.
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9. A method of storing data comprising the steps of providing a storage medium comprised of a shape memory alloy material, the alloy being in a non-ferromagnetic austenite crystalline phase, and applying a magnetic field on an area of the medium sufficient to transform the material to a ferromagnetic martensite crystalline phase with the transformed area representing a stored data bit.
Specification