Micromachined heaters with 1-/spl mu/s thermal time constants for AFM thermomechanical data storage

Single-crystal silicon cantilevers with integrated resistive heaters have been demonstrated for use in high-density AFM thermomechanical data storage. The newest heaters exhibit thermal time constants of 1 /spl mu/s and support writing at 100 kbit/s, ten times faster than before. Electrical and thermal measurements on the heaters agree with finite element analysis results. A thermodynamic model based on the cantilever's geometry and material properties was shown to predict device behavior accurately. Cantilevers with different geometrical configurations were also tested in order to determine the optimal design.