A new concept for archival electron beam accessed memory has recently been proposed. In the write mode, a high intensity electron beam selectively melts columnar bits in a two‐dimensional lattice which is supported by a thin membrane. The force of surface tension transforms the melted columns into droplets. In the read mode, a low intensity beam interrogates the bits. Transmission contrast is generated by the difference in cross‐sectional area of the columnar and spherical bits. We study the relationship between physical target parameters and system performance of such a memory. Monte‐Carlo simulation of the electron beam‐target interaction has been used to design a target consistent with the following system performance goals: (a) 107bit/sec data rate, (b) 1010bit/cm2data density, and (c) 10−9error rate.