Abstract: A scanning tunneling microscopy based potentiometry system and method for the measurements of the local surface electric potential is presented. A voltage compensation circuit based on this potentiometry system and method is developed and employed to maintain a desired tunneling voltage independent of the bias current flow through the film. The application of this potentiometry system and method to the local sensing of the spin Hall effect is outlined herein, along with the experimental results obtained.

Abstract: The present invention is a device for and method of viewing a magnetic pattern recorded on magnetic media. The device includes a base. The base has an opening and includes registration marks for aligning the magnetic media as desired. The base is attachable to a viewer. A guide is connected to the base so that it slides within the opening in the base. The guide also has an opening. An inflatable bladder is attached to, and under, the guide. The inflatable bladder fills the opening in the guide. A holder is attached to the base so that it can slide along the base and be closed onto the guide. The holder also includes an opening. A magnetic garnet film is set within the opening in the holder. A magnetic media is placed on the guide. The holder is closed onto the magnetic media and the guide. The inflatable bladder is inflated so that the magnetic media is brought into physical contact with the magnetic garnet film. The pattern on the magnetic media is transferred onto the magnetic garnet film.

Abstract: A system (10) and method for high-speed massive magnetic imaging on a spin-stand (12) is provided. The system (10) includes a spin-stand system (12) for driving a rotational spindle (20) to which a magnetic hard disk (30) is mounted. A magnetic read head (40) reads data from disk (30) and is in electrical communication with a universal head preamplification board (50). The universal head preamplification board (50) outputs readable voltage signals which are transmitted to an oscilloscope (60) for displaying a read-back voltage display (70). The signals are processed by a processing means (90) to generate scanned image data (100) on a display means. The display signals (70) are utilized to calibrate the magnetically read data to account for the eccentricity of the hard disks with respect to the center of rotation of the spin-stand spindle. Whole tracks of hard disk data can be imaged through the process of “track-centering” and “track-following”.

Abstract: In recovering data originally written on a carrier of magnetic media after a catastrophic failure, data may be read without prior knowledge of the write channel by which the data was originally written and in the presence of intersymbol interference of the readback signal. This is accomplished by forming an image of the spatial response function of the magnetoresistive transducer used to recover the data and by forming an image of the raw data read from the carrier of magnetic media by the magnetoresistive transducer for which the response function has been characterized. An image of the distribution of virtual magnetic charge on the carrier of magnetic media is obtained through deconvolution of the image of the response function of the magnetoresistive transducer and the raw readback signal. The readback signal corresponding to the data originally written on the carrier of magnetic media is then recovered by spatial differentiation of the image of virtual magnetic charge.

Abstract: A system (10) and method for high-speed massive magnetic imaging on a spin-stand (12) is provided. The system (10) includes a spin-stand system (12) for driving a rotational spindle (20) to which a magnetic hard disk (30) is mounted. A magnetic read head (40) reads data from disk (30) and is in electrical communication with a universal head preamplification board (50). The universal head preamplification board (50) outputs readable voltage signals which are transmitted to an oscilloscope (60) for displaying a read-back voltage display (70). The signals are processed by a processing means (90) to generate scanned image data (100) on a display means. The display signals (70) are utilized to calibrate the magnetically read data to account for the eccentricity of the hard disks with respect to the center of rotation of the spin-stand spindle. Whole tracks of hard disk data can be imaged through the process of “track-centering” and “track-following”.