Actual scanning tunneling microscopy images of the naphthalocyanine molecule in the "on" and the "off" state. These images illustrate the stability and exact symmetry of the electrical behavior of the molecule between "on" and "off".

IBM's SINGLE-ATOM STORAGE BUILDING BLOCK: Illustration of the preferred magnetic orientation of an iron atom on a specially prepared copper surface. The ability of an atom to maintain its magnetic orientation can help determine that atom's suitability for storing data. As the atom's magnetic spin points in one direction, it can represent a "1", and in the other direction a "0", telling scientists that single-atoms may be suitable for storing the 1s and 0s known as bits, that enable information storage in computing devices. This represents a potential building block for atomic storage.