US 7,560,921 B2
Method and device for analyzing distribution of coercive force in vertical magnetic recording medium using magnetic force microscope
Shunji Ishio, Akita (Japan); and Hitoshi Saito, Akita (Japan)
Assigned to Japan Science and Technology Agency, Kawaguchi-shi (Japan)
Appl. No. 11/631,101
PCT Filed Jun. 15, 2005, PCT No. PCT/JP2005/010933
§ 371(c)(1), (2), (4) Date Dec. 28, 2006,
PCT Pub. No. WO2006/003789, PCT Pub. Date Jan. 12, 2006.
Claims priority of application No. 2004-194901 (JP), filed on Jun. 30, 2004.
Prior Publication US 2008/0284422 A1, Nov. 20, 2008
Int. Cl. G01R 33/02 (2006.01)
U.S. Cl. 324—244  [324/235; 324/238] 13 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
8. A method for analyzing a distribution of coersive forces in a sample comprising a perpendicularly magnetically recordable magnetic thin film on a surface of the sample, the method comprising:
selecting a first threshold and a second threshold from a hysteresis characteristic corresponding to average magnetization of the sample;
applying a first external magnetic field to the sample and detecting a leakage flux generated in a magnetic domain on the sample while two-dimensionally searching a surface of the sample to allow a first flux detection signal to be generated, generating first magnetic domain image data corresponding to a distribution of magnetic fluxes on the sample surface;
applying a second external magnetic field to the sample and detecting a leakage flux generated in the magnetic domain on the sample while two-dimensionally searching the sample surface to allow a second flux detection signal to be generated, generating second magnetic domain image data corresponding to the distribution of the magnetic fluxes on the sample surface;
using the first and second thresholds to binarize the first and second image data to convert the first and second image data into first binarized image data and second binarized image data, and comparing the first binarized image data with the second binarized image data to generate a first coersive force distribution pattern corresponding to a difference between the first and second binarized image data.