摘要 |
<p>Provided is a method of reading information contained in an information medium by utilizing a scanning, tunneling microscope in conjunction with a substrate layer which fluoresces when high energy electrons pass into contact therewith. The method comprises providing an information medium comprised of an information layer which contains a track of information bits and the fluorescing substrate layer. A tip of a scanning tunneling microscope is then passed over the information layer, with the resulting fluorescence being measured. By utilizing the unique resolution available from the scanning tunneling microscope and the fluorescence of the substrate layer in order to read the information recorded, a surprisingly accurate and efficient method is achieved for reading highly densified information.</p> |