Nanoscale positioning for magnetic recording

A nanoscale positioning system for magnetic recording purpose has been desi gned and fabricated. A two-dimensional random-access of the sample is perfo rmed by inclining the two parallelograms with the aid of two multi-layer pi ezoelectric ceramic actuators. A so;called 'displacement contracting' effec t is used to enhance the positioning resolution. A positioning resolution o f 1.6 nm with this stage has been achieved. This high-resolution, linearize d and temperature-compensated system has the potential to address fundament al issues associated with recording at densities much greater than 10 Gbits /in(2) (1.5 Gbits/cm(2)). (C) 2000 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserve d.