Abstract: An absolute accuracy in the range from ±2 nm to ±1 nm for a displacement measurement value is provided by a laser interferometer displacement measuring system. A fluctuating error component that appears corresponding to the wave cycle of laser light is detected and subtracted from the measurement value while a stage is moving, thereby providing a high accuracy.

Abstract: An information recording medium capable of high-density recording and accurate reproduction and also capable of repeated recording and reproduction, an information recording device that employs the information recording medium has a Co—Si oxide thin film 1 constructed such that columnar crystals 2 are separated by an intergranular phase 3 which contains SiO2 having a lower coefficient of thermal conductivity than the columnar crystals 2. Therefore, the intergranular phase 3 prevents heat transfer from one columnar crystal 2 to another. In addition, the intergranular phase 3 separates columnar crystals 2 from each other, so that the crystalline structure of each columnar crystal 2 is not affected by its adjacent columnar crystal 2.

Abstract: An absolute accuracy in the range from ±2 nm to ±1 nm for a displacement measurement value is provided by a laser interferometer displacement measuring system. A fluctuating error component that appears corresponding to the wave cycle of laser light is detected and subtracted from the measurement value while a stage is moving, thereby providing a high accuracy.

Abstract: The object of the present invention is to provide an optically functional element having a large change in refractive index with temperature change and a fast change rate in refractive index, a production method for the same and optical switch, temperature sensor and optical information recording medium using the same.

Abstract: An ultra-high density information recording media has an inorganic compound layer 12 on a substrate 11, and in the inorganic compound layer 12, an oxide of at least one kind selected from silicon oxide, aluminum oxide, titanium oxide, tantalum oxide, and zinc oxide exists in an amorphous state at a grain boundary of crystal grain of an oxide of at least one kind selected from cobalt oxide, iron oxide, and nickel oxide. The media has a magnetic layer 13 made of an artificial lattice multilayer obtained by alternately laminating a Co layer or an alloy layer consisting of Co as a main phase and a metal element layer of at least one kind selected from Pt and Pd onto the layer 12. Thus, a distribution of magnetic properties serving as a pinning site of the movement of a magnetic wall in case of recording information to the magnetic layer 13 is formed in the magnetic layer 13.

Abstract: A magneto-optical storage apparatus including an ultra-high density information recording media having an inorganic compound layer 12 on a substrate 11, and in the inorganic compound layer 12, an oxide of at least one kind selected from silicon oxide, aluminum oxide, titanium oxide, tantalum oxide, and zinc oxide exists in an amorphous state at a grain boundary of crystal grain of an oxide of at least one kind selected from cobalt oxide, iron oxide, and nickel oxide. The media has a magnetic layer 13 made of an artificial lattice multilayer obtained by alternately laminating a Co layer or an alloy layer consisting of Co as a main phase and a metal element layer of at least one kind selected from Pt and Pd onto the layer 12. Thus, a distribution of magnetic properties serving as a pinning site of the movement of a magnetic wall in case of recording information to the magnetic layer 13 is formed in the magnetic layer 13.

Abstract: The magnetic recording medium includes an underlayer 12 formed of an inorganic compound layer, and a magnetic layer 13 formed over the underlayer 12. The inorganic compound layer as the underlayer 12 has crystal grains and at least one kind of oxide, the crystal grains having as main elements at least one of cobalt oxide, chromium oxide, iron oxide and nickel, the at least one kind of oxide lying as a non-crystalline phase in grain boundaries between the crystal grains and selected from among silicon oxide, aluminum oxide, titanium oxide, tantalum oxide and zinc oxide.

Abstract: The magnetic recording medium includes an underlayer 12 formed of an inorganic compound layer, and a magnetic layer 13 formed over the underlayer 12. The inorganic compound layer as the underlayer 12 has crystal grains and at least one kind of oxide, the crystal grains having as main elements at least one of cobalt oxide, chromium oxide, iron oxide and nickel oxide, the at least one kind of oxide lying as a non-crystalline phase in grain boundaries between the crystal grains and selected from among silicon oxide, aluminum oxide, titanium oxide, tantalum oxide and zinc oxide.

Abstract: A magnetic recording medium includes a non-magnetic substrate, an inorganic compound layer that is formed on the substrate and which contains a crystalline first oxide and an amorphous second oxide, and a magnetic layer that is formed on the inorganic compound layer. The crystalline first oxide comprises at least one oxide selected from cobalt oxide, chromium oxide, iron oxide and nickel oxide. The amorphous second oxide comprises at least one oxide selected from silicon oxide, aluminum oxide, titanium oxide, tantalum oxide and zinc oxide. The amorphous second oxide is present at a grain boundary of crystal grains of the first oxide.

Abstract: A magnetic recording medium includes a non-magnetic substrate, an inorganic compound layer that is formed on the substrate and which contains a crystalline first oxide and a second oxide, and a magnetic layer that is formed on the inorganic compound layer. The crystalline first oxide comprises at least one oxide selected from cobalt oxide, chromium oxide, iron oxide and nickel oxide. The second oxide comprises at least one oxide selected from silicon oxide, aluminum oxide, titanium oxide, tantalum oxide and zinc oxide. The second oxide is present at a grain boundary of crystal grains of said first oxide. According to the present invention, magnetic recording media low in noise and diminished in thermal fluctuation and thermal decay can be obtained by making fine the crystal grains of a magnetic layer and controlling the dispersion of the grain size. Thus, magnetic recording apparatuses can be realized which can perform an ultrahigh density magnetic recording of higher than 20 Gb/in2.

Abstract: An absolute accuracy in the range from ±2 nm to ±1 nm for a displacement measurement value is provided by a laser interferometer displacement measuring system. A fluctuating error component that appears corresponding to the wave cycle of laser light is detected and subtracted from the measurement value while a stage is moving, thereby providing a high accuracy.

Abstract: A recording disk has a surface provided with guide grooves for controlling the position of a recording head, and recording bits formed in the guide grooves for high-density recording. The recording bits have the shape of a tadpole in a plane. The width Ws of the recording bits is greater than the width Wg of the guide grooves. An AFM probe serving as a recording head travels along the guide grooves without running off the guide grooves. When a tip part of the AFM probe coincides with the recording bit, the tip part drops deep into the guide groove, whereby the recording bit is detected.

Abstract: A recording disk has a surface provided with guide grooves for controlling the position of a recording head, and recording bits formed in the guide grooves for high-density recording. The recording bits have the shape of a tadpole in a plane. The width Ws of the recording bits is greater than the width Wg of the guide grooves. An AFM probe serving as a recording head travels along the guide grooves without running off the guide grooves. When a tip part of the AFM probe coincides with the recording bit, the tip part drops deep into the guide groove, whereby the recording bit is detected.

Abstract: A pad for controlling the state of contact or flying of a slider with or to an information-recording medium and a probe for exciting near-field light having a small spot size are mounted on the slider and the pad is near to the probe. Semiconductor laser light focused by an objective lens is converted into near-field light having a small spot size near the top of the probe for exciting near-field light. The slider travels at a height of several tens nm to a recording medium substrate and information is recorded or read out on or from the information-recording medium formed on the recording medium substrate.

Abstract: A recording and reproducing or observing apparatus based on a laser beam deflection detection method in which an object has a very small area for reflecting light. A laser beam emitted by a semiconductor laser diode passes through a collimator lens and a stop. The beam passes through the lens and stop and is reflected by a polarization beam splitter and focused by an objective lens onto a surface of a cantilever. Reflected light from the cantilever surface is focused by the lens before being received by a position sensor. Either the incident light or the reflected light passes through an optical path that is substantially 90 degrees relative to the optical axis of the other light.

Abstract: A recording medium playing apparatus allows an arbitrary and easy selection and reproduction of each information piece of a recording medium carrying a plurality of information pieces which variously represent a scene on the same time axis position during reproduction of information. In the recording medium playing apparatus for playing a recording medium on which same-time information groups each formed by a plurality of information pieces of the same time position are recorded, reproducing means for reproducing information of the recording medium reproduces information of the recording medium by arbitrarily selecting each information piece of the recording medium based on a command for reproducing each same-time information group.

Abstract: This scanning probe microscope can accurately obtain information on surfaces of a sample when measuring the sample in a broad range from a slow scanning speed to a fast scanning speed. The scanning probe microscope comprises a cantilever (16) with a probe (15) at its tip, an optical lever mechanism (17,18) for measuring displacement of the cantilever (16), a mechanism for approaching/separating the cantilever against the sample, XY scanning circuit (21), and further comprises a Z axis piezoelectric element (14b) of a tripod for changing the distance between the cantilever and the sample, a control circuit (20) for controlling the distance between the cantilever and the sample to cause a displacement signal s1 obtained from the optical lever mechanism to be identical to a set value s0, and an adder (24) for adding a control signal from the control circuit and a signal based on the deviation between the displacement signal and the set value.

Abstract: A karaoke reproducing apparatus is equipped a measure for easily checking whether a music piece selected by the user has correctly been accepted or not. The apparatus has a memory in which music title name information of each of the music pieces recorded on a recording medium has previously been stored. When one of the plurality of music pieces is selected by an operation, the music title name information of the selected music piece is soon displayed by characters. The apparatus also has memory means in which music piece classification information of each of the music pieces recorded on the recording medium has previously been stored. An item content selection command to designate the contents of at least one of a plurality of different items included in the music piece classification information is generated in accordance with an operation.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a novel tracking method and device, suitable for use in a recording means applying the technology of a scanning probe microscope, for recording and/or reproducing high-density information of a size of several tens of nm or less at high speed and with high accuracy. The tracking method and device includes a recording medium having bumpy structures for tracking, which are formed on the surface thereof, a cantilever having a tip for writing in, reading out and erasing information, and means for detecting bending and torsion of the cantilever. Further, the tip and the recording medium are moved relative to each other in the direction in which a fixed end and a free end of the cantilever are coupled to each other, in a state in which the tip has been brought into proximity to or contact with the recording medium.

Abstract: An information recording apparatus having a light generator for emitting light as a signal of information being recorded, a probe formed of an optical fiber for physically or chemically changing a recording medium on the basis of the light, a slider coupled to the probe and maintaining the distance between the tip of the optical fiber and the recording medium to be within the radius of an aperture provided at the tip of the optical fiber when recording is made, a medium support for supporting the recording medium, and a medium driving mechanism for driving the recording medium to move.