JP2018081729A - Data reading device, and data reading method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a data storage medium that has durability against a change in storage environment, and enables duplicates to be easily fabricated even after information is recorded and stored.SOLUTION: A data storage medium 1 is provided with an irregularity structure formed in a storage area SA set on a first surface 21 of a quartz glass base material 2. The storage area SA includes: a plurality of unit storage areas UA juxtaposed in at least one direction; and a data non-storage area NA located between adjacent unit storage areas UA. The irregularity structure includes: a unit data pattern UP; an address pattern AP; and a boundary pattern BP, in which the unit data pattern UP is formed in the plurality of unit storage areas UA in parallel order, and the address pattern AP is formed in the data non-storage area NA, corresponding to each unit storage area UA having each unit data pattern UP formed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a data storage medium.

  Paper as a medium for recording various information has been used for a long time, and even now, a lot of information is recorded on paper. On the other hand, with the development of industry, film (microfilm, etc.) for recording image information such as moving images and still images, and a record board for recording sound information have been used. In recent years, magnetic media have been used as media for recording digital data. Recording media, optical recording media, semiconductor recording media, and the like are used.

  Some of the information recorded on the medium as described above is required to be stored for an extremely long time exceeding 100 years. Each of the above media has a durability that does not hinder use depending on the application. For example, media such as paper, film, and record board are sufficiently durable on a time scale of several years. It can be said that it is a medium having a property. However, on time scales exceeding 100 years, aging degradation cannot be avoided, stored information may be lost, and water or heat may cause damage. For example, if microfilm is made of cellulose acetate as a raw material, it will decompose due to the temperature and humidity of the storage environment, and acetic acid will be generated on the surface, causing a vinegar syndrome that makes it impossible to read data. Is said to be less than 30 years. Although it is said that the lifespan of polyester is about 500 years, it cannot be achieved unless it is stored in an environment defined by standards such as ISO and JIS, and the storage environment is a risk of information loss. It will remain one of the factors.

  In addition, although magnetic recording media, optical recording media, semiconductor recording media, etc. have durability that does not hinder the use of general electronic equipment, they are considered to be durable on a time scale such as several decades. Since it has not been designed, it is not suitable for storing information permanently or semi-permanently. For example, in an EEPROM typified by a flash memory as a semiconductor recording medium, data is recorded and stored by holding charges in the floating gate, but the holding time of the charges in the floating gate depends on the storage environment. In addition, the repeated writing of data may damage the insulating layer and prevent the charge from being retained. A ROM is known as a long-lived semiconductor recording medium. However, it is very expensive to produce a ROM (replica) as a backup from a ROM in which information is recorded and stored.

  Further, the above medium has a problem that it lacks fire resistance and heat resistance. For example, if a fire occurs at the storage location of the above-mentioned medium where information is recorded and stored, the data will be lost due to the heat, so it is practical to store information permanently or semi-permanently on existing media. Is impossible.

  On the other hand, as a method capable of permanently and semipermanently storing information, a method of recording and storing information on a durable medium such as quartz glass has been proposed (see Patent Documents 1 and 2). Specifically, a method of recording data three-dimensionally as a difference in light transmittance in a minute cell in a cylindrical medium, and reading out information using computer tomography technology while rotating the medium (Refer to Patent Document 1), a method of measuring the difference in transmittance by irradiating electromagnetic waves to a cylindrical medium while changing the irradiation angle, and reading out information using a computer tomography technique (Patent Document) 2) has been proposed.

Japanese Patent No. 4991487 Japanese Patent No. 5286246

  As disclosed in the above Patent Documents 1 and 2, if a method of recording and storing information three-dimensionally in a cylindrical quartz glass is used as a medium, information can be stored permanently or semi-permanently. Can be recorded and saved. When reading information recorded and stored in this way, it is necessary to extract information from cells that are three-dimensionally distributed in the medium, so it is necessary to use computer tomography technology to perform Fourier transform processing, etc. There is. However, after a very long time scale of several hundred years, the recorded and stored information cannot be read if the same computer tomography technology as that used when recording and storing the information does not exist. There is.

  In addition, in order to reduce the risk that information will be lost due to damage to the medium on which the information is recorded / stored, the information is recorded / stored when making a copy as a backup of the medium. It is necessary to prepare a separate quartz glass, and to record and store information newly. For this reason, when there is no original information to be recorded / stored, it is impossible to produce a duplicate, and the work of producing the duplicate is cumbersome and expensive. There is also.

  In view of such problems, the present invention is a data storage medium that is durable against changes in storage environment and can easily produce a copy as a backup even after information is recorded and stored. And a manufacturing method thereof, a data storage medium, a data reading device, and a data reading method.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides a data storage medium in which data is stored, a base material made of quartz having a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface, and a first surface of the base material. An uneven structure formed in a storage area set on one surface, and the storage area is located between a plurality of unit storage areas arranged in parallel in at least one direction and the adjacent unit storage areas. A plurality of unit data patterns each including a unit bit string of a plurality of unit data obtained by dividing the data into a plurality of unit data patterns, and a storage region. Each of the plurality of unit data areas, and an address pattern indicating position information of each of the plurality of unit storage areas, and a boundary pattern indicating a boundary between the adjacent unit storage areas, , Formed in each of the plurality of unit storage areas in parallel order of the plurality of unit storage areas, and the address pattern of the plurality of unit storage areas in which each of the plurality of unit data patterns is formed. Corresponding to each, a data storage medium is provided which is formed in the data non-storage area.

  According to the above invention, since it is composed of a base material made of quartz, it can exhibit durability against changes in the storage environment, and can stably store data even on an ultra-long time scale. be able to. Further, since the stored data is expressed by the concavo-convex structure formed on the first surface of the base material, it is stored by the imprint lithography process using the data storage medium according to the invention. Even if the data (digital data) itself does not exist, a replica as a backup can be easily created. Furthermore, in the data storage medium according to the invention, for example, the image data of the unit storage area is acquired and the data is read by combining the unit data read for each unit storage area. By forming an address pattern indicating the position information, it is possible to easily determine which image data of a plurality of unit storage areas in the storage area is acquired when the image data is acquired. it can.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it is durable with respect to the change of a storage environment, and even after information is recorded and preserve | saved, the data storage medium which can produce the replica as a backup easily, its manufacturing method, data A storage medium, a data reading device, and a data reading method can be provided.

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of a data storage medium according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of the unit storage area according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a storage area in one embodiment of the present invention. 4 is a partially enlarged cut end view of the data storage medium according to the embodiment of the present invention, which is a cut end view taken along the line II in FIG. FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a pattern representing numbers of row numbers and column numbers of an address pattern in one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a plan view showing the configuration of the boundary pattern in one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a plan view showing an example of the arrangement of boundary patterns in one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a partial plan view showing an example of arrangement of unit data patterns, address patterns, and boundary patterns in one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating a process of generating drawing data according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing steps of a method for manufacturing a data storage medium according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a process flow diagram illustrating a process of manufacturing a replica of a data storage medium according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 12 is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of the data reading device in one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a flowchart schematically showing a data reading method in one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 14 is a partially enlarged perspective view schematically showing the configuration of the data storage medium in one embodiment of the present invention.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[Data storage medium]
FIG. 1 is a plan view illustrating a schematic configuration of a data storage medium according to the present embodiment, FIG. 2 is a plan view illustrating a schematic configuration of a unit storage area according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 3 illustrates the present embodiment. FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged cut end view of the data storage medium according to the present embodiment, which is a cut end view taken along the line II in FIG.

  The data storage medium 1 according to the present embodiment has a first surface 21 and a second surface 22 opposite to the first surface 21, and a base material 2 made of substantially rectangular quartz glass, and a second surface of the base material 2. And the concavo-convex structures 3 to 5 formed in the storage area SA set on the one surface 21.

  In the storage area SA, a plurality of unit storage areas UA are arranged in parallel in a matrix arrangement of M rows × N columns (one of M and N is an integer of 2 or more and the other is an integer of 1 or more). Has been. As shown in FIG. 3, in the present embodiment, an example in which 24 unit storage areas UA are arranged in parallel in a matrix arrangement of 4 rows (M = 4) × 6 columns (N = 6) will be described. However, it is not limited to this aspect.

  The storage area SA includes a plurality of unit storage areas UA and a saddle-shaped data non-storage area NA located between adjacent unit storage areas UA. Each unit storage area UA is an area where the unit data pattern UP (uneven structure 3) is formed, and the data non-storage area NA includes an address pattern AP (uneven structure 4) and a boundary pattern BP (uneven structure 5). It is a region that is formed.

  The size of the unit storage area UA can be set as appropriate according to the size of the shootable area in the imaging unit 111 described later. Further, the size of the data non-storage area NA is not particularly limited as long as it is at least the size capable of forming the address pattern AP. However, by reducing the size of the data non-storage area NA as much as possible, the storage area SA The proportion of the unit storage area UA can be increased, and the data recording capacity can be increased.

  The unit data pattern UP formed in each unit storage area UA is a recess (hole) that represents the data content (unit bit string) of the unit data obtained by dividing the data recorded and stored in the data storage medium 1 into a plurality of units. 31 and convex portions (portions where no holes exist) 32. In the present embodiment, “1” in the unit bit string of the unit data is defined as the concave portion 31, and “0” is defined as the convex portion 32. For example, in FIG. 2, unit data represented by a unit bit string (unit bit matrix) “1010011101...” From the upper left is recorded and stored in the unit storage area UA of the data storage medium 1. In the unit bit string, “1” may be defined as the convex portion 32, and “0” may be defined as the concave portion 31.

  The type of data recorded / stored in the data storage medium 1 is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include text data, image data such as moving images and still images, audio data, and the like.

  The address pattern AP includes a concave portion 41 and a convex portion 42 that represent position information of each unit storage area UA in the storage area SA. In the present embodiment, the address pattern AP representing the position information of each unit storage area UA in the storage area SA is the p-th row (p is an integer between 1 and M) indicating the parallel position of each unit storage area UA. ) And q-th column (q is an integer of 1 or more and N or less). And the convex portion 42). In FIG. 2, it is expressed by an address pattern AP that the unit storage area UA is an area located at the 04th row and the 02nd column.

  Note that the address pattern AP in the present embodiment may be configured by the concavo-convex structure 4 (concave portion 41 and convex portion 42) representing a bit string obtained by binarizing the row number and the column number, like the unit data pattern UP. Good.

  The boundary pattern BP is a pattern that indicates a boundary between one unit storage area UA and another unit storage area UA that is adjacent in the row direction and the column direction via the data non-storage area NA. Each unit storage area UA is formed so as to be located outside the four corners. Since the boundary pattern BP is formed, each unit storage area UA can be easily recognized by the imaging unit 111 as described later, and is recorded and stored as a plurality of unit data patterns UP. Data can be read accurately.

  In the present embodiment, the boundary pattern BP is substantially cross-shaped, and the length of one pattern BP1 of the four patterns BP1 to BP4 extending outward from the intersection L (the extension of the pattern from the intersection) (Length in the direction) is shorter than the lengths of the other three patterns BP2 to BP4 (see FIG. 6A). The boundary pattern BP having such a shape is formed so as to be rotated by 90 ° in parallel order of the plurality of unit storage areas UA in the storage area SA (in the order from the upper left to the horizontal direction in FIG. 3). (See FIG. 7). As will be described later, when data recorded / saved in the data storage medium 1 according to the present embodiment is read, the image data of each unit storage area UA is compared with the data storage medium 1 relative to the imaging unit 111. Get while moving to. Therefore, each time the image pickup unit 111 moves, the image pickup unit 111 is aligned and image data is acquired. However, the boundary pattern BP is rotated by 90 ° in order of the unit storage areas UA in parallel. Image data can be acquired in the parallel order of the unit storage areas UA while scanning the imaging unit 111.

  The boundary pattern BP may be substantially L-shaped (having two orthogonal patterns extending in two directions from the reference point Cp) as another aspect (plan view shape) (see FIG. 6 (b)), which is substantially cross-shaped, and the length of the four patterns extending outward from the reference point Cp (the length in the extending direction of the pattern from the intersection) is substantially the same. It is also possible (see FIG. 6C).

  It is preferable that the concavo-convex structures 3 and 4 constituting the unit data pattern UP and the address pattern AP have substantially the same size and pitch. Since these are substantially the same size and the same pitch, while preventing the occurrence of a replication error (transfer error of the concavo-convex structure 3, 4) when producing a replica 1 ′ of the data storage medium 1 described later, This is advantageous from the viewpoint of processing image data acquired when data is read from the data storage medium 1.

  In the present embodiment, the recesses 31 and 41 constituting the unit data pattern UP and the address pattern AP have a hole shape that is substantially rectangular in plan view. The dimensions of the recesses 31 and 41 may be dimensions that allow the recesses 31 and 41 to be optically recognized by a general image sensor, but in order to increase the data capacity that can be recorded and stored in the data storage medium 1. The dimension of the concave portion 31 of the unit data pattern UP can be set to, for example, 400 nm or less, preferably about 100 to 250 nm.

  As shown in FIG. 8, both the unit data pattern UP and the address pattern AP are formed so as to overlap the intersection point PI of the virtual grid Gr set in the storage area SA, and the boundary pattern BP is a virtual pattern. It is formed so as to overlap the grid lines of the grid Gr. More specifically, the reference point Cp of the boundary pattern BP is the virtual grid so that the reference points Cp of the unit data pattern UP (concave part 31) and the address pattern AP (concave part 41) overlap the intersection point PI of the virtual grid Gr. The unit data pattern UP, the address pattern AP, and the boundary pattern BP are formed so as to be positioned approximately in the middle of the adjacent intersection point PI (intersection point PI adjacent in the vertical direction in FIG. 8) that overlaps the grid line of Gr. Yes. Here, the reference point Cp of the unit data pattern UP and the address pattern AP is a center point in plan view of the concavo-convex structures 3 and 4 (concave portions 31 and 41) constituting the unit data pattern UP and the address pattern AP, and the boundary pattern The reference point Cp of BP is an intersection L having a substantially cross shape. It is sufficient that at least the reference point Cp of the unit data pattern UP overlaps the intersection PI of the virtual grid Gr, and the reference point Cp of the address pattern AP and the boundary pattern BP is at the intersection PI of the virtual grid Gr. They may overlap, overlap the grid lines of the virtual grid Gr, but may not overlap the intersection point PI, or may not overlap any of the intersection point PI and the grid line of the virtual grid Gr.

  In the data storage medium 1 according to the present embodiment having the above-described configuration, the data content of the recorded / stored data is the concavo-convex structure 3 (the concave portion 31 and the concave portion 3) formed in each unit storage area UA of the storage area SA. It is represented by a convex part 32). The data storage medium 1 can be manufactured by processing a base material made of quartz and has extremely excellent heat resistance and water resistance. Therefore, even if the storage environment changes, the recorded / stored data is not lost, and the data can be stored for a very long time (in units of several hundred years or more).

  Further, the data storage medium 1 according to the present embodiment can record and store data by the concavo-convex structure 3 (the concave portion 31 and the convex portion 32) formed on the first surface 21 of the base material 2, and will be described later. As described above, by performing the imprint lithography process using the data storage medium 1, a copy (backup) of the data storage medium 1 on which the data is recorded / stored is not included in the data (digital data). However, it can be easily manufactured.

  Furthermore, since the data recorded / stored in the data storage medium 1 according to the present embodiment is expressed by a concavo-convex structure that can be optically recognized using a general imaging device, in the very long-term future However, data can be easily restored simply by imaging the concavo-convex structure 3 (the concave portion 31 and the convex portion 32) using the imaging element present at that time and converting it into a bit string.

  Furthermore, in the data storage medium 1 according to the present embodiment, the address pattern AP indicating the position in the storage area SA of each unit storage area UA where data is recorded and stored as the concavo-convex structure 3 is formed. Even when a part of data recorded / stored in the data storage medium 1 (a single data pattern UP formed in some unit storage areas UA of the plurality of unit storage areas UA) is read out. Based on the address pattern AP, the target data (a part of the data) can be easily read out. Further, even if a part of the concavo-convex structure 3 (concave part 31) formed in the unit storage area UA is damaged, the unit storage area UA in which a part of the concavo-convex structure 3 is damaged Since it can be specified by the address pattern AP, if a copy (backup) of the data storage medium 1 is prepared in advance, the data recorded and stored in the unit storage area UA can be easily read from the copy. In addition, by combining with data read from the other unit storage area UA of the data storage medium 1, it is possible to restore the data recorded and stored in the data storage medium 1.

[Method of manufacturing data storage medium]
The data storage medium 1 having the above-described configuration can be manufactured as follows. FIG. 9 is a flowchart schematically showing a process of designing drawing data as a pre-stage for producing the data storage medium 1 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 10 shows the production of the data storage medium 1 according to the present embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the process to perform with a cutting | disconnection end elevation.

[Drawing data design process]
First, based on the data D recorded / stored in the data storage medium 1, the drawing data for forming the concavo-convex structures 3 and 4 (unit data pattern UP and address pattern AP) in the storage area SA of the data storage medium 1 is designed. To do.

Specifically, first, all the bit strings of the data D are divided into X unit bit strings (X is an integer of 2 or more) from the head in a predetermined bit length unit, and unit data including the unit bit string is included. UD _{1 to} UD _X are generated. The bit length of the unit bit string of each unit data UD can be set to be the same as the bit length that can be recorded and stored in the unit storage area UA. When data can be stored in a bit matrix of 8 rows × 16 columns in each unit storage area UA in this embodiment, all the bit strings of data D to be recorded / stored are unit data of unit bit strings of 128 bits from the beginning. Divide into UD.

  Next, the unit bit string of each unit data UD is converted into a unit bit matrix UM of 8 rows × 16 columns, and unit pattern data UPD is generated based on the unit bit matrix UM. In the present embodiment, at this time, a virtual grid Gr is defined in an area corresponding to the unit storage area UA, and the bit “1” of the unit bit matrix UM is overlapped with the intersection point PI of the virtual grid Gr. Only in the corresponding position, the bit figure (square figure) corresponding to the recess 31 is arranged, and the bit figure is not arranged in the position corresponding to the bit “0” (see FIG. 8). This unit pattern data UPD expresses 128-bit information constituting the unit bit matrix UM by the presence or absence of a bit figure at each position constituting the matrix of 8 rows × 16 columns. This unit pattern data UPD is used as drawing data when the unit data pattern UP (uneven structure 3) is formed in the unit storage area UA.

  Subsequently, the address pattern data APD is added to the unit pattern data UPD in the data non-storage area NA. The address pattern data APD is added along the arrangement order of the unit data UD in the data D recorded and stored in the data storage medium 1. This address pattern data APD is used as drawing data when the address pattern AP (uneven structure 4) is formed in the data non-storage area NA.

  In this way, the unit pattern data UPD that is the drawing data of the unit data pattern UP formed in each unit storage area UA, and the address pattern data APD that is the drawing data of the address pattern AP formed in the data non-storage area NA are stored. After the generation, they are arranged in a matrix and drawing data can be generated by adding predetermined boundary pattern data BPD to the data non-storage area NA.

[Data storage medium production process]
Subsequently, a data storage medium substrate 10 made of quartz having a first surface 11 and a second surface 12 opposite to the first surface 11 is prepared, and unit data is provided on the first surface 11 of the substrate 10. Resist patterns R _UP , R _AP , R _BP corresponding to the pattern UP, the address pattern AP, and the boundary pattern _BP are formed (see FIG. 10A).

Such resist patterns R _UP , R _AP , R _BP can be formed using a conventionally known exposure apparatus (electron beam drawing apparatus, laser drawing apparatus, etc.) used in a semiconductor manufacturing process or the like. Using this exposure apparatus, based on the drawing data generated as described above, a pattern latent image is formed on the resist layer formed on the first surface 11 side of the substrate 10 for data storage medium, and developed. By performing the processing, resist patterns R _UP , R _AP , and R _BP can be formed.

The material constituting the resist layer is not particularly limited, and a conventionally known energy beam sensitive resist material (for example, electron beam sensitive resist material) can be used. In the example shown in FIG. 10 (a), since a positive energy ray sensitive resist material is used, the resist layer R on which the pattern latent image is formed is subjected to a development process, thereby forming a concave resist pattern R. _UP , R _AP and R _BP are formed.

After the resist patterns R _UP , R _AP , R _BP are formed in this way, the data storage medium substrate 10 is formed by wet etching or dry etching using the resist patterns R _UP , R _AP , R _BP as a mask. The first surface 11 is etched (see FIG. 10B), and the remaining resist patterns R _UP , R _AP and R _BP are removed. Thereby, the data storage medium 1 according to the present embodiment in which the unit data pattern UP, the address pattern AP, and the boundary pattern BP are formed on the first surface 21 of the substrate 2 can be manufactured. In addition, you may use what the hard mask layer which consists of chromium oxide etc. is formed in the 1st surface 11 side surface of the base material 10 for data storage media. In this case, a hard mask pattern is formed by etching using the resist patterns R _UP , R _AP and R _BP as a mask, and the first surface 11 of the data storage medium substrate 10 is etched using the hard mask pattern as a mask. The data storage medium 1 can be produced by removing the hard mask pattern.

  A method for producing a copy of the data storage medium 1 thus produced will be described. FIG. 11 is a process flow diagram showing a process of producing a replica of the data storage medium 1 according to the present embodiment at a cut end face.

  First, it has a data storage medium 1 in which a unit data pattern UP, an address pattern AP, and a boundary pattern BP are formed on the first surface 21 of the substrate 2, a first surface 51, and a second surface 52 opposite to the first surface 51. A substrate 5 in which the resin layer 6 is provided on the first surface 51 is prepared (see FIG. 11A).

  The material constituting the substrate 5 is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include a quartz glass substrate, a soda glass substrate, a fluorite substrate, a calcium fluoride substrate, a magnesium fluoride substrate, an acrylic glass substrate, and a borosilicate glass substrate. A glass substrate; a single-layer substrate composed of a polycarbonate substrate, a polypropylene substrate, a polyethylene substrate, other resin substrates such as a polyolefin substrate, or a laminated substrate obtained by laminating two or more arbitrarily selected from the above substrates. It is done.

  The resin layer 6 is a layer in which the inverted pattern of the unit data pattern UP, the address pattern AP, and the boundary pattern BP of the data storage medium 1 is formed in a process described later (see FIG. 11B). As the resin material constituting the resin layer 6, a resin material such as a thermoplastic resin, a thermosetting resin, and an ultraviolet curable resin can be used, and more specifically, an acrylic resin, a styrene resin, an olefin resin, and the like. Resins, polycarbonate resins, polyester resins, epoxy resins, silicone resins, and the like can be used.

  Next, the first surface 21 of the data storage medium 1 is pressed against the resin layer 6 on the substrate 5 to transfer the unit data pattern UP, the address pattern AP, and the boundary pattern BP of the data storage medium 1 to the resin layer 6. Then, an inversion pattern thereof is formed (see FIG. 11B). After the resin layer 6 is cured, the data storage medium 1 and the substrate 5 are peeled from the resin layer 6 to produce the resin mold 7 (see FIG. 11C).

  Subsequently, a replica base material 10 ′ made of quartz having a first surface 11 ′ and a second surface 12 ′ opposite to the first surface 11 ′ is prepared. On the first surface 11 ′ of the replica base material 10 ′. The resist layer 8 is formed, the surface of the resin mold 7 on which the reverse pattern is formed is pressed against the resist layer 8, and the resist layer 8 is cured in this state (see FIG. 11D).

  After the resist layer 8 is cured, the resin mold 7 is peeled from the resist layer 8 to form a resist pattern 9 to which the reverse pattern of the resin mold 7 is transferred (see FIG. 11E). Using the resist pattern 9 as a mask, the first surface 11 ′ of the replica base material 10 ′ is etched. Thereby, a replica 1 'of the data storage medium 1 can be produced (see FIG. 11 (f)). As long as the curing of the resist layer 8 is not affected, a material in which a hard mask layer made of chromium oxide or the like is formed on the first surface 11 ′ side surface of the replica base material 10 ′ is used as necessary. May be. In this case, a resist pattern 9 is formed on the hard mask layer, a hard mask pattern is formed by etching using the resist pattern 9 as a mask, and the first surface 11 of the replica substrate 10 ′ is formed using the hard mask pattern as a mask. After 'is etched, the hard mask pattern is removed, whereby a replica 1' of the data storage medium 1 can be produced.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the data storage medium 1 can be easily manufactured by using a conventionally known lithography technique used in a semiconductor manufacturing process or the like. In addition, a copy as a backup of data recorded / stored in the case where the data storage medium 1 is damaged can be easily made by using a conventionally known imprint technique.

[Data reading device / data reading method]
A data reading apparatus for reading data recorded and stored in the data storage medium 1 having the above-described configuration and a data reading method using the data reading apparatus will be described. FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the data reading device in the present embodiment.

  The data reading device 100 according to the present embodiment includes an image data acquisition unit 110 that acquires image data in the storage area SA of the data storage medium 1, a control unit 121 that performs data processing based on the image data, and the image data acquisition unit. And a control device 120 having a storage unit 122 that stores the image data acquired by 110, various data generated by the control unit 121, various programs, and the like.

  The image data acquisition unit 110 captures an image in a predetermined shooting target area such as a CCD camera as image data, and the unit storage area UA in which the shooting target area is the storage area SA of the data storage medium 1. And a scanning unit 112 that performs a scanning process so as to sequentially move relative to the unit 111. A general-purpose optical microscope or the like can be used as the image data acquisition unit 110.

  The control unit 121 performs arithmetic processing according to instructions of various programs. Specifically, the control unit 121 determines whether or not the unit data (unit bit string) can be read based on the image data of the unit data pattern UP formed in each unit storage area UA, Reading unit data (unit bit string) based on the image data of the unit data pattern UP, reading position information of the unit storage area UA based on the image data of the address pattern AP formed in the data non-storage area NA, When it is determined that reading of unit data (unit bit string) is impossible, the storage unit 122 generates error data, stores image data acquired by the image data acquisition unit 110, various generated data, and the like. The unit data (unit bit string) that is stored or read out is combined and recorded and stored in the data storage medium 1 Or to restore the data.

  The storage unit 122 stores the image data of the storage area SA (unit storage area UA) acquired by the image data acquisition unit 110, and based on the image data of the unit data pattern UP formed in the unit storage area UA. The read unit data (unit bit string) and the location information of the unit storage area UA read based on the image data of the address pattern AP are stored in association with each other, or the error data and the unit generated by the control unit 121 are stored. The data (unit bit string) is stored in association with the position information of the unit storage area UA that is determined to be unreadable. A general-purpose computer or the like can be used as the control device 120 having the control unit 121 and the storage unit 122.

  A method of reading data recorded / stored in the data storage medium 1 using the data reading device 100 having such a configuration will be described. FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing each step of the data reading method in the present embodiment.

  First, when the data storage medium 1 is set in the image data acquisition unit 110, the image data acquisition unit 110 causes the scanning unit 112 to move the data storage medium 1 relative to the imaging unit 111, and the imaging unit 111. Thus, each unit storage area UA of the storage area SA of the data storage medium 1 is imaged in order, and image data including each unit storage area UA and the corresponding image of the address pattern AP is acquired (S1).

  The scanning unit 112 of the image data acquisition unit 110 recognizes the boundary pattern BP of the data storage medium 1 so that the unit storage area UA and the corresponding address pattern AP are included in the imaging target area. 1 is moved relative to the imaging unit 111. As a result, the image captured by the imaging unit 111 includes at least one unit storage area UA, the corresponding address pattern AP, and the boundary pattern BP.

  Each image data acquired by the image data acquisition unit 110 is stored in the storage unit 122 of the control device 120, and the control unit 121 is formed in the unit storage area UA from each image data stored in the storage unit 122. It is determined whether or not the unit data (unit bit string) can be read based on the unit data pattern UP (S2). Specifically, it is determined from each image data whether or not there is damage or the like in the uneven structure 3 of the unit data pattern UP formed in the unit storage area UA.

  When it is determined that the unit data (unit bit string) can be read based on the unit data pattern UP (S2, Yes), that is, it is determined that there is no damage or the like in the uneven structure 3 of the unit data pattern UP. In this case, the control unit 121 reads out the unit data (unit bit string) from the image data based on the unit data pattern UP, reads out the position information of the unit storage area UA based on the address pattern AP, and the unit data The (unit bit string) and the position information are associated with each other and stored in the storage unit 122 (S3).

  When reading unit data (unit bit string) based on the unit data pattern UP, the control unit 121 defines a virtual grid Gr on the image data including the unit storage area UA and the boundary pattern BP. The virtual grid Gr is defined so as to pass through the reference point Cp of the boundary pattern BP located at four corners. And the control part 121 determines whether the recessed part 31 exists on each intersection PI of the virtual grid Gr in the unit storage area UA. The determination of whether or not the recess 31 is present can be made based on, for example, the light / dark distribution in the image data.

  The control unit 121 associates the bit “1” with the intersection point PI determined to have the recess 31, and associates the bit “0” with the intersection point PI determined to have no recess 31, thereby generating unit data (unit bit string). Is read out.

  When reading the unit data (unit bit string) based on the unit data pattern UP, the control unit 121 recognizes the boundary pattern BP located at the upper left in the image data, and uses the reference point Cp of the boundary pattern BP as an index. Judgment is made on whether or not the concave portion 31 exists in the right direction from the intersection point PI of the virtual grid Gr located in the lower direction and in the unit storage area UA.

  On the other hand, when it is determined that the unit data (unit bit string) cannot be read based on the unit data pattern UP (S2, No), that is, the uneven structure 3 of the unit data pattern UP is damaged. If it is determined that the data is stored, the controller 121 reads out the position information of the unit storage area UA based on the address pattern AP and generates error data indicating that the unit data (unit bit string) cannot be read out. Then, the error data and the position information are associated with each other and stored in the storage unit 122 (S4).

  The control unit 121 associates unit data (unit bit string) and position information and stores them in the storage unit 122 (S3), or associates error data and position information and stores them in the storage unit 122 (S4). Then, it is determined whether or not image data that has not been determined whether or not unit data (unit bit string) can be read is stored in the storage unit 122 (S5), and the image data is stored in the storage unit 122. If yes (S5, Yes), the processes after S2 are repeated.

  On the other hand, when the image data is not stored in the storage unit 122 (S5, No), the control unit 121 determines whether error data is stored in the storage unit 122 (S6), and stores in the storage unit 122. When error data is not stored (S6, No), unit data (unit bit string) stored in the storage unit 122 is combined to generate data (bit string) (S7).

  In generating the data (bit string), the control unit 121 determines the combination order of the unit data (unit bit string) based on the position information stored in association with the unit data (unit bit string). Specifically, the control unit 121 combines the unit data (unit bit string) in ascending order of the row number and the column number with the row number as the position information as the first priority and the column number as the second priority. In this way, data stored in the data storage medium 1 can be restored.

  On the other hand, when the error data is stored in the storage unit 122 (S6, Yes), the control unit 121 indicates that the unit data (unit bit string) cannot be read based on the error data and stores the unit. The position information of the area UA is output (S8). If the unit data (unit bit string) recorded and stored in the unit storage area UA is generated from the copy of the data storage medium 1 based on the output of the position information, the unit data (unit bit string) is Combined with the unit data (unit bit string) stored in the storage unit 122, the data stored in the data storage medium 1 can be accurately restored.

  The embodiment described above is described for facilitating understanding of the present invention, and is not described for limiting the present invention. Therefore, each element disclosed in the above embodiment is intended to include all design changes and equivalents belonging to the technical scope of the present invention.

  In the above embodiment, the data storage medium 1 has a unit data pattern UP and an address pattern on the first surface 11 of the substrate 10 for data storage medium made of quartz, which has the first surface 11 and the second surface 12 opposite to the first surface 11. Although it is produced by simultaneously forming the AP and the boundary pattern BP (see FIG. 10), the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment. For example, as shown in FIG. 14, a plurality of unit storage areas UA and data are provided on a first surface 11 ′ of a base material 10 ′ made of quartz having a first surface 11 ′ and a second surface 12 ′ opposite thereto. A data storage medium in which a storage area SA including a non-storage area NA is set, and an address pattern AP and a boundary pattern BP corresponding to each unit storage area UA are formed in the data non-storage area NA of the storage area SA. The data storage medium 1 may be manufactured by preparing and forming a unit data pattern UP in each unit storage area UA of the data storage medium.

In the above-described embodiment, the mode in which the resist patterns R _UP , R _AP , and R _BP are formed using a positive type energy ray-sensitive resist material has been described as an example (see FIG. 10). However, the resist pattern may be formed using a negative type energy ray sensitive resist material. Thereby, the data storage medium 1 having the unit data pattern UP and the address pattern AP as the convex portions (pillars) and the portions having no convex portions and the boundary pattern BP as the convex portions (pillars) can be manufactured.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Data storage medium 2 ... Base material 21 ... 1st surface 22 ... 2nd surface 3, 4, 5 ... Uneven structure 31, 41 ... Concave part 32, 42 ... Convex part SA ... Storage area UA ... Unit storage area NA ... Data Non-storage area UP ... Unit data pattern AP ... Address pattern BP ... Boundary pattern Gr ... Virtual grid PI ... Intersection

Claims (1)

A data storage medium in which data is stored,
A base material made of quartz having a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface;
A concavo-convex structure formed in a storage region set on the first surface of the base material,
The storage area includes a plurality of unit storage areas arranged in parallel in at least one direction, and a data non-storage area located between the adjacent unit storage areas,
The concavo-convex structure includes a plurality of unit data patterns indicating a unit bit string of a plurality of unit data obtained by dividing the data into a plurality of units by concave and convex portions, and each of the plurality of unit storage regions in the storage region. Including an address pattern indicating the position information and a boundary pattern indicating a boundary between the adjacent unit storage areas,
Each of the plurality of unit data patterns is formed in each of the plurality of unit storage areas in parallel order of the plurality of unit storage areas,
The data storage medium, wherein the address pattern is formed in the data non-storage area corresponding to each of the plurality of unit storage areas in which each of the plurality of unit data patterns is formed.

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