Thursday, October 26, 2006

US Patent 7126136 - Nanoparticle Optical Storage Medium

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7126136.pdf

DVDs and CDs are examples of optical storage media that operate based on reflection or non-reflection of light depending on the location of pits on the surface of the CD/DVD. This patent proposes a similar system except it uses nanoparticles instead of pits for a higher resolution memory. Claim 1 reads:

1. An imaging plate for use in a digital imaging system to store energy patterns, comprising: a substrate; and a nanoparticle thin film supported by the substrate, the nanoparticle thin film formed of nanoparticles which cooperate to store energy that is indicative of latent images when the nanoparticles are exposed to such energy.