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Updated: Jan 20, 2026

Quasi-light Storage for Optical Data Packets
Published on: February 6, 2014
Thin-Film Carbon Nanofuses for Permanent Data Storage
Kevin R Laughlin1, Sarah Jamieson1, Anthony C Pearson1
1Department of Physics and Astronomy, N215, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, C389 BNSN, and School of Technology, 265 CTB, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602, United States.
Abstract:
In this study, we have fabricated nanofuses from thin-film, arc-deposited carbon for use in permanent data storage. Thin-film carbon fuses have fewer fabrication barriers and retain the required resistivity and structural stability to act as a data-storage medium. Carbon thin films were characterized for their electrical, microstructural, and chemical bonding properties. Annealing these films in an argon environment at 400 °C reduced the resistivity from about 4 × 10-2 Ω cm as deposited to about 5 × 10-4 Ω cm, allowing a lower blowing voltage. Nanofuses with widths ranging from 200 to 60 nm were fabricated and tested. They blow with voltages between 2 and 5.5 V, and the nanofuses remain stable in both "1" and "0" states under a constantly applied read voltage of 1 V for over 90 h.
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