Write and erase mechanisms for bulk metallic glass

Microfeatures are imprinted on Pt(57.5)Cu(14.7)Ni(5.3)P(22.5) bulk metallic glass (BMG) using thermoplastic forming. Subsequent erasing is carried out by annealing in the supercooled liquid region. The driving force for the erasing process is the capillary force controlled by the curvature and surface tension of the liquid-vacuum surface. Sluggish crystallization kinetics in this alloy permit experimental observation at temperatures where the viscosity is sufficiently low to completely erase small surface features on a time scale smaller than the crystallization time. The kinetics of the writing and erasing processes suggest that BMGs may offer a viable alternative rewritable high-density data storage technology.