Thermo-mechanical probe storage at Mbps single-probe data rates andTbit in−2 densities

Abstract

Future applications for parallel probes, including probe-based data storageand probe lithography, demand that probe technologies achieve patterningrates in the megahertz per probe range at feature sizes below 30 nm,i.e. ∼1 Tbit in−2. If thermo-mechanical indentation of polymers is employed, some uncertainty remains as towhether the physics governing the indentation kinetics at these short timescales permitsthe fast indentation processes required. We demonstrate the feasibility of using polymermedia for thermo-mechanical probe storage or lithography, at sliding speeds of15 mm s−1 and sub-microsecond indentation times, which fall into this previously untapped regime.