INFORMATION RECORDING UNIT, APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR INFORMATION RECORDING/REPRODUCTION IN CONJUNCTION WITH A SCANNING TUNNELING MICROSCOPE

摘要

A method and apparatus for recording information on an information recording medium and/or reproducing information from the recording medium, for use in conjunction with a scanning tunneling microscope. Probes for recording and/or reproducing information and a support for supporting the probes are arranged so that the probes are positioned to face the information recording medium. The support and the information recording medium are relatively moved by sliding on sliding surfaces thereof. The distance between the support and the recoding medium is roughly set by projections formed between the support and the recording medium, and is finely adjusted during operation by a mechanism for moving the probes.