Data storage requirements are increasing dramatically and
therefore much attention is being given to next-generation data
storage media. However, in optical data storage devices the
storage density is limited by the wavelength of light. This
limitation can be avoided by an alternative data addressing
mechanism using electric fields between nanoelectrodes with
smaller dimensions than the wavelength of commercially available
lasers. It has been shown that DNA of a range of lengths can be
aligned in an electric field [1, 2]. In this study we
demonstrate the use of an ac electric field to address DNA as a
data storage technique. λ-DNA, immobilised on an array of
electrodes utilising its self-assembling properties, serves as a
scaffold for fluorescent molecules. The DNA is immobilised onto
gold electrodes in a multi-step procedure ensuring a controlled
surface coverage of the molecules onto specific electrodes. To
minimise background fluorescence and to enable reversible
stretching, the substrate surface is silani