A probe memory technology using a principle of a Scanning Probe Microscope (SPM) is a promising technology for an information recording device dramatically increasing recording density. An information storage device using such a probe memory technology (hereinafter referred to as a probe memory) includes a recording medium, an actuator system driving the recording medium mounted over a stage (substrate) in X-axis and Y-axis directions (biaxial directions), a probe including one or more microprobes (hereinafter referred to as a probe chip) for executing information writing to or information reading from the recording medium, and a signal processing unit processing this information as appropriate to output desired data.
A technology regarding an electrostatic clamping mechanism having a pair of clamp electrodes and an inchworm mechanism based on the electrostatic clamping mechanism is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2000-253683 (Patent Document 1). In this electrostatic clamping mechanism, a voltage is applied between the clamp electrodes to cause electrostatic attracting force between the clamp electrodes.
And, a technology in which probes are manufactured in a two-dimensional array shape, and the respective probes are used in parallel as recording terminals is disclosed in P. Vettiger et al. “IEEE Transaction on Nanotechnology (2002)”, pp. 39-55 (Non-Patent Document 1). In this probe memory, a media-mounting stage of an electromagnetic driving scheme is employed.