Patent ID: 7560921
Filing Date: 2009-07-14
Classification: B82Y,G01Q,G01R

Abstract:
1. An analyzing apparatus which analyzes a distribution of coersive forces in a sample comprising a perpendicularly magnetically recordable magnetic thin film on a surface of the sample, the apparatus comprising: a magnet device which applies a magnetic field substantially perpendicularly to the sample surface; a flux sensing section which generates a flux detection signal in response to a leakage flux generated in a magnetic domain on a surface of the sample; a moving mechanism which two-dimensionally moves the sample and the flux sensing section relative to each other to allow the flux sensing section to search the sample surface; a setting section which holds a first threshold and a second threshold selected from a hysteresis characteristic corresponding to average magnetization of the sample to set a first external magnetic field and a second external magnetic field corresponding to the first and second thresholds, respectively; an image generating section which generates first magnetic domain image data corresponding to the distribution of magnetic fluxes on the sample surface on the basis of the flux detection signal resulting from the relative movement of the sample while allowing the magnet device to apply the first external magnetic field to the sample, the image generating section generating second magnetic domain image data while allowing the magnet device to apply the second external magnetic field to the sample and to hold the first and second image data; and an image processing section which uses 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, the image processing section 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.