M. Varsamou, A. Pantazi and Th. Antonakopoulos:

Modeling a MEMS probe-based storage device

The 4th International Conference on Micro-Nanoelectronics, Nanotechnologies and MEMs, Athens, Greece, December 12-15, 2010.

Abstract: Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) techniques use nanometer-sharp tips for imaging the surface of materials down to the nanometer scale. Such tips are exploited for creating storage devices capable of storing information with much higher density than conventional devices. To achieve high data read/write rates, micro electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) with arrays of probes operating simultaneously are used. Each probe performs read/write/erase operations on a dedicated area of a polymer medium, named a storage field, while the storage medium is placed on the x/y plane and is moved underneath the probes by means of a micro-scanner. This work presents a very accurate simulator of such a device and verifies its accuracy using experimental data of a prototype platform. Although it is based on the thermo-mechanical recording mechanism, where tips are used to store information by means of thermo-mechanical formation of indentations in thin polymer films, it can be easily modified to simulate any probe-storage technology. The simulator incorporates all system functionalities, i.e. the micro-scanner motion and the displacement sensing capabilities, the control algorithms that are responsible for moving the micro-scanner, the read-back signals of the multiple storage fields and the complete data mapping, detection and coding scheme. It also includes the various noise sources that affect the read-back signal and provides statistics regarding the error rates that are observed both on channel and on user level. The simulator is a flexible tool that can be adjusted to any number of probes and can be used to determine the system’s reliability under various noise conditions, evaluate new micro-scanner technologies and control architectures, as well as other parameters that affect the device functionality and performance.

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