A review of magnetic bubble memories and their applications

Interest in magnetic bubble memory technology has increased enormously over the past year. The levels of activity and investment have reached a stage where it can be confidently predicted that 1981 will see their widespread use as digital storage elements in production equipment. This paper reviews what bubbles are, how they work and the architecture of present-day chips. The device manufacturing technology is outlined and some projections made for future advancements in storage density, device price and performance. Applications of bubble memory devices are discussed in terms of the market areas and equipment types for which they are eminently suited. A detailed description of some commercial board level bubble memory systems is given to illustrate the performance achievable as well as design considerations that need to be taken into account in using bubbles. Finally reference is made to end-user equipment and applications that incorporate bubble memories.