H. J. Mamin

Single spin detection by magnetic resonance force microscopy.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is well known as a powerful technique for visualizing subsurface structures with three-dimensional spatial resolution. Pushing the resolution below 1 µm remains a major challenge, however, owing to the sensitivity limitations of conventional inductive detection techniques. Currently, the smallest volume elements in an image must contain at least 1012 nuclear spins for MRI-based microscopy, or 107 electron spins for electron spin resonance microscopy. Magnetic resonance force microscopy (MRFM) was proposed as a means to improve detection sensitivity to the single-spin level, and thus enable three-dimensional imaging of macromolecules (for example, proteins) with atomic resolution. MRFM has also been proposed as a qubit readout device for spin-based quantum computers. Here we report the detection of an individual electron spin by MRFM. A spatial resolution of 25 nm in one dimension was obtained for an unpaired spin in silicon dioxide. The measured signal is consistent with a model in which the spin is aligned parallel or anti-parallel to the effective field, with a rotating-frame relaxation time of 760 ms. The long relaxation time suggests that the state of an individual spin can be monitored for extended periods of time, even while subjected to a complex set of manipulations that are part of the MRFM measurement protocol.

Magnetic force microscopy : general principles and application to longitudinal recording media

This paper discusses the principles of magnetic force microscopy (MFM) and its application to magnetic recording studies. We use the ac detection method which senses the force gradient acting on a small magnetic tip due to fields emanating from the domain structure in the sample. Tip fabrication procedures are described for two types of magnetic tips: etched tungsten wires with a sputter‐deposited magnetic coating and etched nickel wires. The etched nickel wires are shown to have an apex radius on the order of 30 nm and a taper half‐angle of approximately 3°. Lorentz‐mode transmission electron microscopy of the nickel tips reveals that the final 20 μm is essentially single domain with magnetization approximately parallel with the tip axis. Images of written bit transitions are presented for several types of magnetic media, including CoPtCr, CoSm, and CoCr thin films, as well as γ‐Fe2O3 particulate media. In general, the written magnetization patterns are seen with high contrast and with resolution better ...

Improved fiber-optic interferometer for atomic force microscopy

A high‐sensitivity fiber‐optic displacement sensor for atomic force microscopy is described. The sensor is based on the optical interference occurring in the micron‐sized cavity formed between the cleaved end of a single‐mode optical fiber and the microscope cantilever. As a result of using a diode laser light source and all‐fiber construction, the sensor is compact, mechanically robust, and exhibits good low‐frequency noise behavior. Peak‐to‐peak noise in a dc to 1 kHz bandwidth is less than 0.1 A. Images are presented demonstrating atomic resolution of graphite and magnetic force imaging of bits written on a magnetic disk.

Deposition and imaging of localized charge on insulator surfaces using a force microscope

A force microscope has been used in a new application to deposit and image localized surface charge on insulators. The lateral resolution for imaging surpasses that of currently available techniques. By applying voltage pulses to an etched nickel microscope tip, micron‐sized regions of approximately 2×10−16 C were created on polymethylmethacrylate and single‐crystal sapphire surfaces. After depositing the charge, high‐contrast images of the charged region were obtained as contours of constant force gradient. The contrast was observed to decay over approximately 1 h, providing evidence for surface charge mobility. The minimum detectable surface charge was estimated to be on the order of 100 electrons.

Near‐field optical data storage using a solid immersion lens

A near‐field optical technique, using a new type of solid immersion lens (SIL), has been developed and applied to the writing and reading of domains in magneto‐optic material. The SIL is a truncated glass sphere which serves to increase the numerical aperture of the optical system by n2, where n is the index of refraction of the lens material. Using a SIL made from n=1.83 glass and illuminating with 780 nm light, we have achieved a 317 nm spot size. We have resolved a 500 nm period grating, and written and read 350 nm diameter magnetic domains. The technique should be capable of a 125 nm focused spot size using blue light.

Thermomechanical writing with an atomic force microscope tip

We have developed a new technique to perform fast, reliable nanoindentation of polymer surfaces for possible applications to high density data storage. In this technique, an infrared laser is focused on an atomic force microscope (AFM) tip, which is in contact with a transparent polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) substrate. The heat from the tip softens the PMMA in the contact region, at which point the local tip pressure creates a pit. The pits range in size from several hundred angstroms to 1 μm, depending on the size of the laser pulse and the loading force on the tip. Pits have been made with pulses as short as 0.3 μs at loads of 10−7 N. By operating the AFM on a rotating disk, we have shown that the features can be written and read at frequencies up to at least 100 kHz.

Sub-attonewton force detection at millikelvin temperatures

A 290-nm-thick single-crystal silicon cantilever has been cooled in vacuum to a temperature of 110 mK in order reduce its thermal motion and thereby improve the achievable force resolution. Since the thermal conductivity of the silicon cantilever is extremely low at millikelvin temperatures, an improved optical fiber interferometer was developed to measure the subangstrom thermal motion with optical powers as low as 2 nW. At the lowest temperature, the cantilever exhibited a quality factor of 150 000 and achieved a noise temperature of 220 mK, with a corresponding force noise of 820 zN in a 1 Hz bandwidth.

Nanoscale Nuclear Magnetic Resonance with a Nitrogen-Vacancy Spin Sensor

Nanoscale NMR with Diamond Defects Although nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) methods can be used for spatial imaging, the low sensitivity of detectors limits the minimum sample size. Two reports now describe the use of near-surface nitrogen-vacancy (NV) defects in diamond for detecting nanotesla magnetic fields from very small volumes of material (see the Perspective by Hemmer). The spin of the defect can be detected by changes in its fluorescence, which allows proton NMR of organic samples only a few nanometers thick on the diamond surface. Mamin et al. (p. 557) used a combination of electron spin echoes and pulsed NMR manipulation of the proton spins to detect the very weak fields. Staudacher et al. (p. 561) measured statistical polarization of a population of about 104 spins near the NV center with a dynamical decoupling method. The optical response of the spin of a near-surface atomic defect in diamond can be used to sense proton magnetic fields. [Also see Perspective by Hemmer] Extension of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) to nanoscale samples has been a longstanding challenge because of the insensitivity of conventional detection methods. We demonstrated the use of an individual, near-surface nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center in diamond as a sensor to detect proton NMR in an organic sample located external to the diamond. Using a combination of electron spin echoes and proton spin manipulation, we showed that the NV center senses the nanotesla field fluctuations from the protons, enabling both time-domain and spectroscopic NMR measurements on the nanometer scale.

Nanoscale magnetic resonance imaging

We have combined ultrasensitive magnetic resonance force microscopy (MRFM) with 3D image reconstruction to achieve magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with resolution <10 nm. The image reconstruction converts measured magnetic force data into a 3D map of nuclear spin density, taking advantage of the unique characteristics of the “resonant slice” that is projected outward from a nanoscale magnetic tip. The basic principles are demonstrated by imaging the 1H spin density within individual tobacco mosaic virus particles sitting on a nanometer-thick layer of adsorbed hydrocarbons. This result, which represents a 100 million-fold improvement in volume resolution over conventional MRI, demonstrates the potential of MRFM as a tool for 3D, elementally selective imaging on the nanometer scale.

Ultrahigh-density atomic force microscopy data storage with erase capability

We report a simple atomic force microscopy-based concept for a hard disk-like data storage technology. Thermomechanical writing by heating a Si cantilever in contact with a spinning polycarbonate disk has already been reported. Here the medium has been replaced with a thin polymer layer on a Si substrate, resulting in significant improvements in storage density. With this new medium, we achieve bit sizes of 10–50 nm, leading to data densities of 500 Gbit/in.2. We also demonstrate a novel high-speed and high-resolution thermal readback method, which uses the same Si cantilevers that are used in the writing process, and the capability to erase and rewrite data features repeatedly.