Bubble memory is a type of non-volatile memory that uses tiny magnetic "bubbles" to store data. These bubbles are magnetized regions within a thin magnetic film, usually deposited on a semiconductor wafer. The magnetic domains can be moved and controlled by electrical pulses, allowing data to be read or written. A key feature of bubble memory is that it retains data even when power is removed, hence the name "non-volatile".

Features of Bubble Memory

Non-volatile: Data is retained without power.

Durability: Less prone to mechanical failure compared to hard drives or other storage devices.

Relatively high speed: For its time, bubble memory offered decent access speeds, though it was slower than RAM.

Density: Typically offered a higher storage density than other early non-volatile memories like EEPROM or ROM.

General Specifications

Bubble memory modules generally had limited storage capacities compared to modern flash memory, but were still a technological innovation at the time. A typical bubble memory module might have a storage size from a few kilobytes to a few megabytes (based on the time period).

Access speeds were slower than DRAM but were competitive with other non-volatile memory types of the era.