RESEARCH EQUIPMENT

MAGNETIZATION AND ANISOTROPY MAGNETOMETERS High-Field Two-Axis Vibrating Sample Magnetometer (DMS-880) Low-Field Air Core Vibrating Sample Magnetometer Torque Magnetometer BH Hysteresis Loop Tester (Bacon) Atomic, Magnetic Force Microscope, and Nanoindentor (Digital Instruments Nanoscope III) Four Point Probe Magnetoresistance Tester OPTICAL AND MAGNETO-OPTICAL MAGNETOMETERS Optical Microscope (Olympia) Interference Optical Microscope (Reikert) Optical Ellipsometer (Rudolf) Kerr Magneto-Optical Image Analyzer (Zeiss) Kerr Magneto-Optical Magnetometer (Rigid Disk) ELECTRON MICROSCOPES AND SPECTROMETERS Transmission Electron Microscopes (Hitachi HU-11 & RCA 4C) Scanning Electron Microscope (International Scientific Instruments DS 130C) Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectrometer (Tencor) Electron Mirror Microscope (General Mills) Scanning Auger Electron Spectrometer (PE-495) THIN FILM DEPOSITION SYSTEMS Varian Electron Beam Evaporator (4 sources) RD Mathis RF Sputtering System (3 targets) Perkin Elmer 2400-8SA RF Sputtering System (3 targets) Temescal Load-Locked RF/DC Rotating Drum Sputtering System (3 targets) Hewlett-Packard (CPA) Load-Locked RF/DC In-Line Sputtering System (5 chambers) Hewlett-Parkard (Comtech) Load-Locked RF/DC In-Line Sputtering System (7 chambers) Osaka Vacuum DC/RF Magnetron Single Station Facing Target Sputtering System Dual Ion Beam (5 cm and 15 cm) Load-Locked Sputtering System (6 targets) (retrofitting) Ultra-High Vacuum (UHV) Load-Locked Co-Sputtering System (8 targets) (retrofitting) DC/RF Magnetron Six Station Facing Target Sputtering System (design/construction) MAGNETIC RECORDING Rotating Drum Tape Tester Floppy Disk Tester (Media Logic) Single Rigid Disk Recording Tester (PCT) Single Rigid Disk Recording Tester (Guzik 501) Rigid Disk Recording Tester, XY Compumotor Positioner, Professional Instruments 3R Blockhead Air Bearing Spindle Rigid Disk Recording Tester, Laser interferometer, Piezeo-electric, Professional Instruments 3R Blockhead Air Bearing Spindle Multiple-Wavelength Pecision Fly-Height Tester, Air Bearing Spindle (IBM ) ELECTRICAL CHARACTERIZATION SYSTEMS HP 8753E RF Network Analyzer (30 kHz to 3 GHz) HP 8150SX Microwave Network Analyzer (45 MHz to 26.5 GHz) HP 4194 Impedance/Gain-Phase Analyzer (100 Hz to 40 MHz; L-I capability) Cascade Microtech Coaxial Signal-Ground Probes (200 and 500 micron pitches) XYZ Micropositioning Station TRIBOLOGY Precision Rigid Disk Stiction, Friction, and Wear Tester Precision Burnisher (IBM) Mechanical Surface Profilometer (Talysurf)

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Deposition Higher-Coercivity Lower-Noise Long/PerpThin Film Media (Judy, Sivertsen) Ultra-thin film media by ultra-high vacuum (UHV), dual-ion-beam (DIB), & facing-target sputtering (FTS) Ultra-thin wear-resistant tribo-materials such as CN, BC, TiCN films on media and thin film head sliders Characterizion of nano-scale properties by TEM/EELS and roughness/hardness by AFM/Nano-Indentor High-peformance sendust (AlFeSi) and cobalt-zirconium-niobium (CZN) keepered thin film media Nano-lithographically-patterned thin film disk media & GMR magnetic random access memories (MRAM) Deposition High-Bs & High-Perm Films: Inductive, MR, GMR Heads (Judy, Sivertsen) High-saturation magnetic flux-density multilayer thin films for inductive TF heads by UHV, DIB, FTS High permeability, low-coercivity, high-sensitivity mulitlayer MR/GMR,/TMR films by UHV, DIB, FTS High-thermal conductivity ultra-thin insulating (Al2O3) films for inductive TF/MR heads by FTS Characterization of nano-scale properties by TEM/EELS &magnetic microstructures by MFM/LorentzTEM Correlation of magnetic mircrostructures with detection sensitivity & domain stability of heads using MFM Micromagnetic Modeling of Multilayer Thin Film Media, Heads, & Memories (TBD) Simulation of magnetic recording performance of multilayer thin film media at ultra-high areal densities Simulation of noise/off-track performance of ultra-narrow track magnetic recording & track-edge overwrite Calculation of signal, noise, signal-to-noise ratio, and bit-error-rate at ultra-high areal recording densities Calculation of effects of multilayer-structured thin film media on noise, signal -to-noise ratio, bit-error-rate Calculation of effects of grain orientation and shape distributions on noise, signal-to-noise ratio, and BER Simulations of saturation of TF inductive write heads & domain stability of MR, DSMR, GMR read heads Simulations of ultra-high-speed switching of TF media, TF inductive write, MR, DSMR, GMR read heads Simulations of nano-lithographically-patterned thin film media & GMR magnetic random access memories Measurement & Analysis Recording/Noise at Ultra-High-Areal-Densities (TBD, Judy) Ultra-narrow-track testing using air-bearing spindle with laser interferometer & piezoelectric-positioners Recording characteristics using low-flying TF inductive write heads and MR, DSMR, GMR read heads Signal output and noise and BER characteristics using ultra-narrow-track MR, DSMR, GMR read heads Comparison of recording characteristics using "direct-contact" longitudinal and perpendicular TF heads Correlation of magnetic microstructures with media noise and signal-to-noise using MFM & Lorentz TEM Ultra-high speed switching characteristics of TF media & TF inductive write, MR/DSMR/GMR read heads Thermal decay characteristics of ultra-thin film media & ultra-thin film MR/DSMR/GMR/TMR read heads Modeling & Evaluation Channel Bit-Error-Rates at Ultra-High-Areal-Densities (Moon) Modeling & evaluation of bit-error-rates of partial response channels: (1,7) PR-4ML, EEPR-4ML Analysis of medium noise correlation and impact on bit-error-rate (BER) performance Testing channels with different types of noise using readback waveform simulator Signal space implementation of FDTS/DF for low-cost and ultra-high-speed recording channels Code designs to improve distance in FDTS/DF

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