Information recording/reproducing apparatus with STM cantilever probe having a strain gauge
AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorsTakayuki Yagi, Toshiyuki Komatsu
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus for relatively moving a probe facing an information carrier and recording information on and/or reproducing information from the information carrier with the probe provided with a detector for detecting an error in the probe.
Claims20
An apparatus for effecting at least one of recording of information on a recording medium and reproduction of information from the recording medium, comprising:
- a substrate;
- a cantilever which is displaceable and is formed by etching said substrate;
- a probe electrode supported on a free end of said cantilever;
- a piezoelectric film formed on said cantilever by film formation;
- detection means for detecting deformation amount of said cantilever on the basis of a charge amount generated on said piezoelectric film;
- and
- means for effecting at least one of recording of information on the recording medium and reproduction of information from the recording medium by use of said probe electrode, wherein
- when said detection means detects an abnormal deformation amount of said cantilever, the use of said probe electrode is stopped.
A probe unit for effecting at least one of input of information and retrieval of information, comprising:
- a substrate;
- a cantilever which is formed by etching said substrate and is displaceable;
- a probe electrode supported on a free end of said cantilever;
- and
- a piezoelectric film, formed on said cantilever by film formation, for detecting displacement amount of said cantilever, wherein
- a plurality of piezoelectric films are arranged along a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of said cantilever, and said displacement amount is detected on the basis of a charge amount generated in said piezoelectric films.
An apparatus for effecting at least one of recording of information on a recording medium and reproduction of information from the recording medium, comprising:
- a substrate;
- a cantilever which is formed by etching said substrate and which is displaceable;
- a probe electrode supported on a free end of said cantilever;
- a piezoelectric film formed on said cantilever by film formation;
- detection means for detecting displacement amount of said cantilever on the basis of a charge amount generated in said piezoelectric film and for outputting an output corresponding to said displacement;
- correction means for correcting said displacement amount of said cantilever on the basis of said output of said detection means;
- and
- means for effecting at least one of recording of information on the recording medium and reproduction of information from the recording medium by use of said probe electrode.
An apparatus for effecting at least one of recording of information on a recording medium and reproduction of information from the recording medium, comprising:
- a substrate;
- a cantilever which is formed by etching said substrate and which is displaceable;
- a probe electrode supported on a free end of said cantilever;
- a piezoresistance element formed on said cantilever by film formation;
- detection means for detecting deformation amount of said cantilever on the basis of resistance change of said piezoresistance element;
- and
- means for effecting at least one of recording of information on the recording medium and reproduction of information from the recording medium by use of said probe electrode, wherein
- when said detection means detects an abnormal deformation amount of said cantilever, the use of said probe electrode is stopped.
A probe unit for effecting at least one of input of information and retrieved of information, comprising:
- a substrate;
- a cantilever which is formed by etching said substrate and which is displaceable;
- a probe electrode supported on a free end of said cantilever;
- and
- a piezoresistance element, formed on said cantilever by film formation, for detecting displacement amount of said cantilever, wherein
- a plurality of piezoresistance elements are arranged along a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of said cantilever and said displacement amount is detected on the basis of resistance change of said piezoresistive elements.
An apparatus for effecting at least one of recording of information on a recording medium and reproduction of information form the recording medium, comprising:
- a substrate;
- a cantilever which is formed by etching said substrate and which is displaceable;
- a probe electrode supported on a free end side of said cantilever;
- a piezoresistance element formed on said cantilever by film formation;
- detection means for detecting displacement amount of said cantilever on the basis of resistance change of said piezoresistance element and for outputting an output corresponding to the amount of said displacement;
- correction means for correcting said displacement of said cantilever on the basis of said output of said detection means;
- and
- means for effecting at least one of recording of information on the recording medium and reproduction of information from the recording medium by use of said probe electrode.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.