US 6,658,922 B2 · Optical equipment assemblies and techniques indexed to a common spindle

Abstract

A method and apparatus for scanning a media is described. More particularly, polarization detector and an atomic force microscope are coupled to a common platform indexed to a spindle. Optionally, an optical microscope may be coupled to the common platform. The polarization detector is used to detect a magnetic image, such as at least a portion of a servo pattern, of the media, and the atomic force microscope, which may be aligned using the magnetic image, is used with a magnetic microscopy module to scan the media. Accordingly, magnetic imagery may be achieved with indexing to a single spindle for positional consistency as between equipment. Moreover, the polarization detector may further be configured to detect scattered light for providing topographic imagery of the media.

Claims20

Dependent claims

An apparatus for metrology on a media, comprising:

a stage;
a spindle configured to support the media;
a first linear actuator coupled to the stage;
a second linear actuator coupled to the stage;
a polarization detector coupled to the first linear actuator and positionable to scan the media, the polarization detector configured to provide optical energy incident on the media and to detect change in polarization of the optical energy reflected from the media to provide magnetic imagery of the media;
an atomic force microscope connected to the second linear actuator and positionable to scan the media, the atomic force microscope configured for magnetic microscopy;
and
the polarization detector and the atomic force microscope indexed to the spindle.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application

09/996,552Filed 27 Nov 2001 · us provisional application

Priority

20 Feb 2001

Published

US 2002/0112534 A122 Aug 2002

Granted

9 Dec 2003

Term ends

Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification8 codes

G11B 5/82
Record carriers characterised by the form, e.g. sheet shaped to wrap around a drum: disk carriers
B82Y 10/00
Nanotechnology for information processing, storage or transmission
G11B 5/012
Recording by magnetisation or demagnetisation of a record carrier; Reproducing by magnetic means; Record carriers therefor: recording on, or…
G11B 2005/001
Arrangements, methods or circuits: controlling recording characteristics of record carriers or transducing characteristics of transducers by means…

Optical equipment assemblies and techniques indexed to a common spindle

Life of this patent

Optical equipment assemblies and techniques indexed to a common spindle

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20