Apparatus for reading and/or inputting information

An apparatus for reading information from an information medium and/or inputting information to the information medium through a probe electrode, comprising:

• a fine traveling mechanism for causing said probe electrode and said information medium to travel relatively so that said information medium is scanned by said probe electrode;
• a voltage application circuit for applying a voltage between said probe electrode and said information medium which are caused to travel relatively by said fine traveling mechanism, wherein the information is read from the information medium and/or the information is inputted to the information medium by the voltage application by said voltage application circuit;
• and
• a controller for performing the voltage application control to said applied voltage of said voltage application circuit to make an integration value of the applied voltage substantially zero in each of predetermined scanning blocks of which said probe electrode is scanned on said information medium.

An apparatus for reading information from an information medium and/or inputting information to the information medium through a probe electrode, comprising:

• a fine traveling mechanism for causing said probe electrode and said information medium to travel relatively so that said information medium is scanned by said probe electrode;
• a voltage application circuit for applying voltage between said probe electrode and said information medium which are caused to travel relatively by said fine traveling mechanism, wherein the information is read from the information medium and/or the information is inputted to the information medium by the voltage application of said voltage application circuit;
• a second probe electrode for scanning again an area scanned by said probe electrode;
• and
• a second voltage application circuit for applying a voltage between said second probe electrode and said information medium, said voltage having an opposite polarity to the voltage applied between said probe electrode and said information medium by said voltage application at the time of information reading and/or inputting.