US Patent 7443003 - Nanoimprinted thermoelectric module for selective memory erasure

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7443003.html

This patent from GM teaches a novel system for selective thermal erasure of a shape memory alloy film used for information storage. Claim 1 reads:

1. An information storage device, comprising:

a substrate;

a shape memory alloy film established on the substrate, wherein the shape memory alloy film is adapted to at least one of receive, supply, and store digital information; and

at least one thermoelectric module nanoimprinted between the substrate and the shape memory alloy film, the at least one thermoelectric module adapted to selectively erase at least some of the digital information from the shape memory alloy film.