JPH04157643A - Information recording carrier and information processing using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent deterioration of characteristics, damage, adherence of dusts to a plurality of information processing probes and a recording medium by sealing the probes, the medium and driving means for relatively moving the plurality of proves integrally with respect to the medium in a vessel. CONSTITUTION:In an information recording carrier 20, at least one probe electrode 22 is contained together with a recording medium 23 in a sealed vessel 24 to be detachable to a processor body 21 in a direction of an arrow. Here, a plurality of information processing probes, the medium 23 and driving means 25, 27, 28 for relatively moving the plurality of probes integrally to the medium 23 are sealed in the vessel. Accordingly, the carrier 20 holds the probes, the medium 23 and the means 25, 27, 28 in a sealed state. Thus, deteriorations of characteristics, damage, adherence of dusts to the probe electrode and the medium 23 can be prevented, reliability of recording/reproducing of the processor 21 is improved, and the operability of carrying the carrier 20 is simultaneously improved.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an information record carrier and an information processing device using the same.

[Prior Art] In recent years, a scanning tunneling microscope (hereinafter referred to as STM) that can directly observe the electronic structure on and near the surface of a material has been developed [G.
caPhysica Acta, 55.726f198
2) ], it has become possible to observe real space images with high resolution regardless of whether it is single crystal or amorphous, and it also has the advantage of being able to perform measurements with low power without causing almost any damage to the sample material due to the electric current. It operates not only in ultra-high vacuum, but also in the atmosphere and in solutions, and can be used with a variety of materials, so it is expected to have a wide range of applications.

STM utilizes the phenomenon that a tunnel current is generated when a voltage is applied between a metal probe and a conductive sample and the sample is brought close to a distance of about 1 nm. Recently, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 63-161552, Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 63-161553
As disclosed in the above publication, many proposals have been made to apply this STM principle to configure information processing apparatuses mainly for ultra-high density recording and reproduction. In other words, information is recorded by applying physical deformation to a recording medium (corresponding to a sample) using a probe electrode corresponding to an STM probe, or by changing the electronic state of the medium surface, and recording bits are created by a tunnel current flowing between the two. It is said that by using this method of reproducing information, it is possible to record and reproduce large-scale information at a high density on the order of molecules or atoms.

Among the above recording methods, to give physical deformation,
In addition to pressing a sharp probe electrode against a recording medium to make a recess, it has recently been reported that holes can be formed on a recording medium such as graphite by applying a pulse voltage. That is, by bringing the probe electrode close to the recording medium surface and applying a voltage between the two with a pulse width of 3 to 8 cm and 1 to 100 us, a hole with a diameter of about 40 degrees or less can be formed.
It can be fully used as a recording bit. On the other hand, in order to perform recording by changing the electronic state, a cumulative film of appropriate organic molecules is created on the base electrode by the Langmuir-Prodgett method (hereinafter referred to as LB method), and then the film is placed between the base electrode and the probe electrode. A method of applying a voltage to change the electrical resistance characteristics of this minute portion is known, and is attracting attention because it is easy to erase and rewrite.

FIG. 7 shows the configuration of a conventional information recording carrier that performs recording by changing the electronic state and an information processing apparatus using the same. A recording medium 4 having a switching memory effect is placed thereon, and a probe electrode 6 attached to a three-dimensional drive mechanism 5 is provided facing the recording medium 4. By driving the coarse movement mechanism 1, the probe electrode 6 and the recording medium 4 are roughly aligned. During recording, the three-dimensional drive mechanism 5 is driven by the xY scan drive circuit 9 to scan the probe electrode 6 on the recording medium 4, and the voltage application device 1 is activated at the recording position.
0, when a pulse voltage is applied between the probe electrode 6 and the base electrode 3, regions with locally different electrical resistances are created on the recording medium 4, and recording is performed.

During reproduction, the probe electrode 6 is scanned over the surface of the recording medium 4 while applying a constant voltage that causes a tunnel current to flow between the probe electrode 6 and the recording medium 4 . The tunnel current obtained at that time is amplified and detected by the current amplifier 11, and the servo circuit 12
The probe electrode 6 is moved vertically by driving the three-dimensional drive mechanism 5, and the amount of vertical movement corresponds to recorded information. Note that all these controls are performed by the microcomputer 7.

In this way, in order to utilize tunnel current, it is necessary to place the probe electrode 6 and the recording medium 4 close to each other by about 1 nm, and the probe electrode 6 and the recording medium 4 must be processed with high precision.
Manufacturing technology is required.

[Problem to be Solved by the Invention 1] However, in conventional information recording carriers and information processing devices using the same, the surfaces of the recording medium 4 and the probe electrodes 6 are exposed to the atmosphere, and moisture etc. in the atmosphere are exposed to the atmosphere. This causes severe deterioration of characteristics over time, and dust in the atmosphere adheres to the surface of the probe electrode 6 and the recording medium 4, causing damage, which increases the risk of a decrease in the SZN ratio and recording/playback errors. be.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an information recording carrier that prevents property deterioration, damage, dust adhesion, etc. of probes and recording media, and has high reliability in recording and reproduction, and an information processing apparatus using the same.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, in the information recording carrier according to the present invention, a plurality of probes for information processing, a recording medium, and the plurality of probes are integrated into the recording medium. The device is characterized in that a driving means for moving the medium relative to the medium is sealed inside the container.

Further, in the information processing device according to the present invention related to the above-mentioned specific invention, a plurality of probes, a recording medium, and a driving means for integrally moving the plurality of probes relative to the recording medium are arranged in a container. The device is characterized in that a sealed information recording carrier can be freely attached to the recording medium, and information is processed between the recording media via the probe.

Effect 1 The information recording carrier having the above-mentioned configuration and the information processing apparatus using the same have the probe, the recording medium, and the driving means sealed in the container, so that there is no possibility of deterioration of the characteristics of the probe or the recording medium. Damage and dust adhesion are prevented, and recording and playback reliability is improved.

[Examples] The present invention will be explained in detail based on the examples shown in Sections 1 to 6.

The first section is a sectional view of an information recording carrier according to the present invention and a main body of a processing apparatus using the same, and an information recording carrier 20 is inserted into a main body 21 of the processing apparatus.

In the information recording carrier 20, at least one probe electrode 22 is housed in a sealed container 24 together with a recording medium 23, and is configured to be detachable from the processing device main body 21 in the direction of the arrow in the first section. .

As shown in FIG. 2, this information recording carrier 20 includes an X-direction drive mechanism 25, a clamp unit 26, and an X-direction drive mechanism 27 placed on a lower sealing plate 24a that constitutes a part of a sealed container 24. , these three constitute the XY drive mechanism 28. The X-direction drive mechanism 25 consists of a fixed part 25a fixed to the lower sealing plate 24a and a movable part 25c connected to the fixed part 25a via four parallel hinge springs 25b. Part 2
By the expansion and contraction piezoelectric element 25d provided between 5c,
The movable portion 25c is movable in the longitudinal direction of the closed container 24, that is, in the X-axis direction.

The clamp unit 26 is the fixed part 2 of the X direction drive mechanism 25.
A fixed part 26a fixed to the movable part 25c and a fixed part 26b fixed to the movable part 25c are respectively formed integrally with a pair of arms 26d via elastic hinges 26c. Both arms 2 are located near the hinge 26c.
Piezoelectric elements 26e for clamping are connected to each other so as to be in contact with 6d.
is provided. Two clampers 26f are provided on each arm 26d, and a lever with a leverage ratio of 4 is constructed with the elastic hinge 26c as a fulcrum, both ends of the piezoelectric clamping element 26e as a force point, and the clamper 26f as a point of action. Therefore, the distance between the clampers 26f can be efficiently changed and used to release the clamped state.
7b, the movable part 27c is attached, and the frame body 27a
and the movable part 27c.
d, the movable part 27c moves in the lateral direction of the closed container 24,
That is, it is movable in the Y-axis direction.

The clamper 26f of the clamp unit 26 is inserted into the frame 27a, clamps the X-direction drive mechanism 27, and applies a voltage to the clamping piezoelectric element 26e to extend it, shortening the distance between the pair of clampers 26f. Then, the movable part 2 of the Y-direction drive machine side 27
On top of 7c is a base plate 2 made of, for example, quartz glass whose surface has been polished.
9, 5 nm of Cr and 30 nm of Au were deposited by vacuum evaporation method.
A base electrode 30 deposited with a nm thickness is formed, and a recording medium 23 is provided thereon.
It curves so that it moves together in the Y-axis direction.

On the other hand, the probe electrode 1'i22 made of tungsten is
As shown in FIG. 3, the probe unit 3 is attached to the end of a bimorph beam 33 that is cantilevered on a base 32 made of a silicon wafer, and this base 32 is attached to the probe electrode 22 as shown in FIG. with the recording medium 23 facing downward.
It is attached to the lower surface of the probe unit 31 at a position facing the probe unit 31. Then, as shown in FIG. 2, the probe unit 31! -1 It is fixed by engaging with the space 24c of the sealing frame 24b which is the surrounding frame of the hermetically sealed container 24, and the above members are all contained in the hermetically sealed container 24 by the lower sealing plate 24a, the sealing frame 24b, and the upper sealing plate 24c. It is sealed with clean paraffin oil inside.

FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of the sealed container 24, which is the information recording carrier 20. The sealed frame 24b is provided with a guide groove 24d and an electrode 24e, which are used when the device is installed in the processing device main body 21. As shown in Figure 1, when the information recording carrier 20 is attached to the processing device main body 21 (the two electrodes 24f are connected to the electrode connection part 34 of the processing device main body 21 and are used for signal and electric wire connection) 24e is basically a probe electrode 22, a bimorph beam 33, an XY
The drive mechanism 28 is connected to the base electrode 30, but if necessary, at least a part of the drive circuit described later may be connected to the drive circuit 35.
It can also be built into the information recording carrier 20 as a storage medium.

By connecting the information recording carrier 20 and the information processing device main body 21, a drive circuit as shown in FIG. 6 is completed in the processing device main body 21. That is, an XY scanning circuit 40 for scanning and driving the XY driver side 28 in the XY direction, and a voltage application circuit 41 for applying a voltage between the probe electrode 22 and the base electrode 30.
, a current amplifier 42 that amplifies the tunnel current generated between the probe electrode 22 and the recording medium 23, and a bimorph beam 3 so that the current detected using the current amplifier 42 is constant.
A servo circuit 43 that adjusts the voltage applied to the device 3, and a microcomputer 44 that controls the entire device and analyzes data are provided.

Note that the coarse movement mechanism, coarse movement drive circuit, and other probe electrodes 22
, the bimorph beam 33 and its auxiliary circuits are not shown.

In this embodiment, the recording medium 23 is, for example, squarylium-bis-6-octyl azulene (
The cross-sectional structure of the bimorph beam 33 is, for example, an upper electrode (Au)/
Insulating film (Si3N4) / Piezo layer (Z, , O) / Insulating film (Si3N4) / Middle electrode (Au) / Insulating film (Si-N,
)/piezo layer (Z, O)/insulating film (Si3N4)/lower electrode (Au), dimensions are 750um x 150u
It is possible to create a material with a thickness of approximately 7.5 um. When the two piezo layers of this bimorph beam 33 are polarized in the same direction, the upper electrode has a positive (negative) polarization with respect to the middle electrode.
By applying a voltage of the same polarity, such as positive (negative), to the lower electrode, the tip of the bimorph beam 33, that is, the probe electrode 22, is displaced in two axial directions. For example, at an applied voltage of ±15 cm, the amount of displacement is approximately It is about 5um. Note that a wiring from the probe electrode 22 and a driving voltage circuit for each bimorph beam 33 can be formed on the base 32 and the bimorph beam 33. is manufactured using a known method called micromechanics or micromachining.
Petersen, Proc. IEEE 70.420
(1982) and T. R. Albr-echt et al.
al, 4th International
conference on STM/STS f
sTM'89j PI-29, 310-2].

During recording, 3.
If a rectangular pulse voltage with a pulse width of 50 ns or the like is applied, the characteristics of the recording medium 23 change to create a portion of low electrical resistance, and recording can be performed. During reproduction, while applying a DC voltage of, for example, 200 mV to the probe electrode 22, a tunnel current is amplified and detected by the current amplifier 42, and each bimorph beam 33 is The applied voltage is controlled by the microcomputer 44 to move the probe electrode 22 in the direction perpendicular to the recording medium 23 and in the Z-axis direction. Since the amount of feedback drive of the bimorph beam 33 at this time corresponds to the recorded information on the recording medium 23, the probe electrode 22 is moved in the horizontal plane by the XY drive mechanism 28 driven by the XY scanning circuit 40, and the information is can be played. Also, erase is 5■, pulse width is 1
This can be done by applying a triangular wave pulse voltage of US. Note that if there are multiple probe electrodes 22,
The selection is made by the microcomputer 44.

In this way, since the probe electrode 22, the recording medium 23, and the XY driver 11128 are housed in the airtight container 24, the probe electrode 22 and the recording medium 23 are shielded from the atmosphere. Even when the recording medium 23 is replaced, its sealing state does not change, and by unitizing the parts with high deterioration prevention, dustproof effect, and high precision into the information recording carrier 20, other parts such as the processing device main body 21 can be sealed. Productivity is improved, and since high-precision parts are replaceable, maintenance is easy in case of damage due to accidents, etc., and the information recording carrier 20 is easy to carry. Furthermore, if a mechanism is provided in which the X-direction drive mechanism 25 and the X-direction drive mechanism 27 are automatically brought into a clamped state by, for example, a clamp unit when the information recording carrier 20 is detached from the processing device main body 21, Movement of the X-direction drive mechanism 27 is prevented, which is convenient when carrying the information recording carrier 20. Note that the inside of the sealed container 24 must be in an atmosphere that prevents deterioration of the characteristics of the probe electrode 22 and the recording medium 23 over time, so in addition to sealing in paraffin oil O as in this embodiment, a high vacuum state or Cleaned gas or dry nitrogen gas may be filled.

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, in the information recording carrier according to the present invention and the information processing apparatus using the same, since the information recording carrier holds the probe, the recording medium, and the driving means in a sealed state, the probe It is possible to prevent characteristic deterioration, damage, dust adhesion, etc. of the electrodes and recording medium, improving the reliability of recording and reproduction of the information processing device, and at the same time improving the operability of carrying the information recording medium.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Sections 1 to 6 of the drawings show embodiments of an information recording carrier according to the present invention and an information processing device using the same, and FIG. 1 is a sectional view of the information recording carrier inserted into the main body of the processing device, and FIG. The figure is an exploded perspective view of the sealed container, Figure 3 is an enlarged perspective view of how to attach the probe electrode, Figure 4 is an enlarged sectional view of the information recording carrier,
FIG. 5 is an external perspective view of the information recording carrier, FIG. 6 is a circuit diagram showing the information recording carrier inserted into the main body of the processing apparatus, and FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the configuration of a conventional example. 20 is an information recording carrier, 21 is a processing device main body, 22 is a probe electrode, 23 is a recording medium, 24 is an airtight container, 25
is the X-direction section III machine side, 26 is the clamp unit, 27
28 is a Y-direction drive mechanism, 28 is an XY drive mechanism, 33 is a bimorph beam, 4o is an XY scanning circuit, 41 is a voltage application circuit, 4
2 is a current amplifier, 43 is a servo circuit, and 44 is a microcomputer. Patent applicant Canon Co., Ltd. Attorney ± 8163 Betsu i1. ,4
'Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 5 Figure 44 Figure 6 Or

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of probes for information processing, a recording medium, and a driving means for integrally moving the plurality of probes relative to the recording medium are sealed in a container. Information record carrier. 2. The information recording carrier according to claim 1, wherein the driving means is an inchworm mechanism. 3. The interior of the container has an atmosphere that prevents changes in characteristics over time of at least one of the probe and the recording medium.
The information record carrier described in . 4. The information recording carrier according to claim 1, wherein the atmosphere is a high vacuum state. 5. The information recording carrier according to claim 1, wherein the atmosphere contains a cleaning gas. 6. The information recording carrier according to claim 1, wherein the atmosphere is filled with dry nitrogen gas. 7. The information recording carrier according to claim 1, wherein the atmosphere contains paraffin oil. 8. A plurality of probes, a recording medium, and a driving means for integrally moving the plurality of probes relative to the recording medium can be freely installed in a sealed information recording carrier in a container, and the information recording carrier can be mounted via the probes. An information processing device that processes information between the recording media. 9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the driving means is an inchworm mechanism. 10. The information processing device according to claim 9, wherein the inchworm mechanism is configured to be in a clamped state when the information recording carrier is removed from the information processing device.