As the design rule becomes smaller, meeting the precision metrology demands from industries is becoming increasingly difficult. Traditional tools, such as stylus profiler, optical microscope, and CD-SEM are proving to have insufficient resolution. Instead, Atomic Force Microscopes (AFM) are gaining attention as a new candidate for nanoscale metrology tool. However, most conventional AFM systems use a piezoelectric tube actuator, which has significant background curvature and crosstalk between the x-y-z axes, making them unsuitable for metrology applications. In order to overcome these limitations, we introduce the XE-series AFM, which separates the z-scanner from the x-y scanner.
With this new AFM, we were able to successfully measure dimensions of Pole-Tip Recession (PTR) in the Magneto-Resistance (MR) head, which has been difficult to measure using conventional AFMs. In order to increase the storage density in rigid disk drives, the head-media gap has to be minimized in order to prevent signal loss. To do this, the pole tip has to be recessed as little as possible, to only about a few nanometers difference from the air-bearing surface (ABS). Although AFMs are a strong candidate for this application, the performance of conventional AFM in PTR metrology has been disappointing due to the intrinsic limitations of the piezoelectric tube scanner as mentioned above. In addition, the softness of the pole tip region, causes contact or tapping mode AFMs could depress the region and cause the PTR value to appear larger than it actually is. In comparison, the high z-servo performance of the XE-series AFM enables operation in true non-contact mode and we demonstrate the necessity of true non-contact mode in measuring the PTR without deformation. In order to confirm the deformation phenomenon using modes other than the non-contact mode, we performed force modulation microscopy and contact mode AFM at various force set points.

In a ubiquitous era we will be living in a world where all objects such as electronic appliances are networked to each other and a robot will provide us with various services by any device through any network, at any place anytime in a ubiquitous space. This robot is defined as a ubiquitous robot, Ubibot, which incorporates three forms of robots: software robot (Sobot), embedded robot (Embot) and mobile robot (Mobot). The Ubibot can be developed either as a software or hardware robot in the ubiquitous space, which will provide us with seamless, calm, and context-aware services. The purpose of this talk is to introduce a new concept of Ubibot and its recent progress and development for our future ubiquitous world.

This talk will show its possibility of implementation in real life through demonstrations: i) Continuous interface between physical and virtual worlds ii) Seamless transmission of Sobot between a PC and a Mobot or among mobile phones, and iii) integration of Sobot, Embot and Mobot.

In the ubiquitous era, our future world will be composed of millions of u-spaces, each of which will be closely connected through ubiquitous networks. In this u-space we can expect that Ubibot will help us whenever we click it, as Genie of the Magic Lamp did for Aladdin.

The robot technology for human-robot symbiosis including robot adaptability to human and environment, which is urgently required in the rapidly aging society, is unfortunately yet to advance. This is because conventional robotics research has focused solely on the advanced function of the robot itself. We should establish the system by integrating robot technology and environments, especially the structures and functions of the houses and facilities.

Waseda Humanoid Robot Project has been studying the human-robot symbiosis for more than thirty years. As well, we have made significant technological advancements in the architectural field and the telecommunications field. Not only robotics engineers, architects or IT researchers but also fine artists take part in the WABOT-HOUSE (WAseda roBOT HOUSE) project, and we try to design an optimal system from robotic and architectural points of view to realize the truly practical symbiosis between human and robots. In this presentation, I will introduce the project "WABOT-HOUSE", robots in WABOT-HOUSE including humanoid robots, design of a structured environment, and a contribution to the growth of the robotics industry by means of the collaboration with small & medium-sized companies and the development of active system-integrators.