Nano memory device is laser activated

IEEE Spectrum : Engineers at Yale University have developed a nanomechanical resonator, a new type of mechanical memory device that uses lasers to record and read information. A tiny piece of silicon is bent up or down by the light propagating inside a photonic circuit, writes Neil Savage for IEEE Spectrum. Once the light is switched off, the piece remains in one of those states, which represents the 1s and 0s of digital coding. Because the two states are separated by a huge energy barrier, they stay put when the laser is turned off. To read the memory, the researchers use a lower-energy laser to avoid flipping the bits. Hong Tang and coworkers, whose results were published 23 October in Nature Nanotechnology, say the device could lead to better sensors and new techniques in optical telecommunications.