Abstract: A magnetic probe includes a tubular container, the inside of which can be observed and at least one end of which is closed, a paramagnetic seed which is fixed to an end of the tubular container, and a paramagnetic colloidal particle dispersion liquid that is filled in the tubular container.

Abstract: A magnetic sensor simply is configured so as to magnetically measure not only conductive materials but also nonconductive materials over a wide temperature range and which offers high performance and high reliability, as well as a scanning microscope that uses the magnetic sensor. A scanning microscope according to the present invention includes a magnetic sensor with a magnetic sensing element provided at a free end of a cantilever-like flexible member and a strain gauge installed on the flexible member, driving means for driving the flexible member or a measurement sample, and control means for controlling driving provided by the driving means based on an output signal from the strain gauge.

Abstract: A thin film magnetic head includes a layered semiconductor body formed of a quantum well layer sandwiched by first and second barrier layers, wherein at least one of the first and second barrier layers includes therein a delta-doped layer that shields the quantum well layer from a surface depletion region extending from the surface of the barrier layer.

Abstract: A method of growing a plurality of epitaxial layers each having a property which is different from each other simultaneously on a common substrate comprises steps of forming at least a first crystal surface and a second crystal surface which are crystallographically non-equivalent to each other on the substrate, introducing particles comprising constituent elements of the epitaxial layers into a region in the vicinity of the substrate, the particles including at least metal-organic molecules containing one of the elements constituting the epitaxial layers, decomposing the metal-organic molecules such that the layer constituting element therein is released as a result of the decomposition, and depositing the aforesaid particles including the element released by the decomposition of the metal-organic molecules on the first and second crystal surfaces so that a first epitaxial layer and a second epitaxial layer, respectively differing in properties from each other, are grown on respective the first and second cr