A sensing probe may be formed of a diamond material comprising one or more spin defects that are configured to emit fluorescent light and are located no more than 50 nm from a sensing surface of the sensing probe. The sensing probe may include an optical outcoupling structure formed by the diamond material and configured to optically guide the fluorescent light toward an output end of the optical outcoupling structure. An optical detector may detect the fluorescent light that is emitted from the spin defects and that exits through the output end of the optical outcoupling structure after being optically guided therethrough. A mounting system may hold the sensing probe and control a distance between the sensing surface of the sensing probe and a surface of a sample while permitting relative motion between the sensing surface and the sample surface.

A sensing probe may be formed of a diamond material comprising one or more spin defects that are configured to emit fluorescent light and are located no more than 50 nm from a sensing surface of the sensing probe. The sensing probe may include an optical outcoupling structure formed by the diamond material and configured to optically guide the fluorescent light toward an output end of the optical outcoupling structure. An optical detector may detect the fluorescent light that is emitted from the spin defects and that exits through the output end of the optical outcoupling structure after being optically guided therethrough. A mounting system may hold the sensing probe and control a distance between the sensing surface of the sensing probe and a surface of a sample while permitting relative motion between the sensing surface and the sample surface.

A magnetoresistive stack includes a reference layer including a magnetic layer, an antiferromagnetic layer in exchange coupling with the magnetic layer, a magnetic layer substantially of the same magnetisation as the magnetic layer, a spacer layer between the magnetic layers with a thickness for enabling an antiferromagnetic coupling between the magnetic layers of a first coupling intensity, a free layer having a coercivity of less than 10 microTesla, the free layer including a magnetic layer, an antiferromagnetic layer in exchange coupling with the magnetic layer, a magnetic layer substantially of the same magnetisation as the magnetic layer, a spacer layer between the magnetic layers with a thickness for enabling an antiferromagnetic coupling between the magnetic layers of a second coupling intensity lower than the first coupling intensity, a third spacer layer separating the reference and free layers.

A magnetoresistive stack includes a reference layer including a magnetic layer, an antiferromagnetic layer in exchange coupling with the magnetic layer, a magnetic layer substantially of the same magnetisation as the magnetic layer, a spacer layer between the magnetic layers with a thickness for enabling an antiferromagnetic coupling between the magnetic layers of a first coupling intensity, a free layer having a coercivity of less than 10 microTesla, the free layer including a magnetic layer, an antiferromagnetic layer in exchange coupling with the magnetic layer, a magnetic layer substantially of the same magnetisation as the magnetic layer, a spacer layer between the magnetic layers with a thickness for enabling an antiferromagnetic coupling between the magnetic layers of a second coupling intensity lower than the first coupling intensity, a third spacer layer separating the reference and free layers.

A diamond scanning element, especially for an imaging application, includes a support and a pillar extending from the support. The pillar has a longitudinal axis and the pillar includes a tip with a tapered lateral section with a, preferably constantly, increasing curvature. The tip includes a sensor element, which is a defect, and a flat end facet extending toward the axis with a gradient of less than 10%.

A diamond scanning element, especially for an imaging application, includes a support and a pillar extending from the support. The pillar has a longitudinal axis and the pillar includes a tip with a tapered lateral section with a, preferably constantly, increasing curvature. The tip includes a sensor element, which is a defect, and a flat end facet extending toward the axis with a gradient of less than 10%.

Micro magnetic trap comprising a holder and a sample cell on said holder (5); means for providing a controllable homogeneous magnetic field (3) surrounding the sample cell; a modified micro-cantilever comprising a cantilever (1) having dimensions in the micron range and at least three paramagnetic microbeads with a diameter from 1 to 3 microns (2) attached to a bendable tip of the micro-cantilever such that they form a triangular arrangement; means for measuring the deflection of the micro-cantilever when the latter is in use (4). The trap does not require a specific surface functionalization in order to ensure an appropriate and selective linkage to a particular molecule.

Micro magnetic trap comprising a holder and a sample cell on said holder (5); means for providing a controllable homogeneous magnetic field (3) surrounding the sample cell; a modified micro-cantilever comprising a cantilever (1) having dimensions in the micron range and at least three paramagnetic microbeads with a diameter from 1 to 3 microns (2) attached to a bendable tip of the micro-cantilever such that they form a triangular arrangement; means for measuring the deflection of the micro-cantilever when the latter is in use (4). The trap does not require a specific surface functionalization in order to ensure an appropriate and selective linkage to a particular molecule.

The method for detecting mechanical and magnetic features comprises the steps of: aiming a probe of the sensor at a sample; defining several detected points for detection on the sample; detecting one of points and comprising the steps of: approaching the probe to the detected point from a predetermined height; contacting the probe with the detected point and applying a predetermined force on the detected point; making the probe far away from the detected point until to the predetermined height; shifting the probe to the next point for detection and repeating the detection; collecting the data of each of the detected points while the probe rapidly approaches to the points from the predetermined height; using a signal decomposition algorithm to transform the collected data to a plurality of data groups; and choosing a part of the data groups to be as data of feature distributions of the sample.

A multi-functional scanning probe microscopy nanoprobe may include a cantilever, a tapered structure formed on a surface of the cantilever from a first material, and a nanopillar formed on an apex of the tapered structure from a second material. One of the first and second materials may exhibit ferromagnetism and the other may have greater electrical conductivity. A method of simultaneous multi-mode operation during scanning probe microscopy may include scanning a sample with the nanoprobe in contact with the sample to produce a current measurement indicative of an electric current flowing through the sample and a height measurement indicative of a topography of the sample and, thereafter, scanning the sample with the nanoprobe oscillating about a lift height derived from the height measurement to produce a deflection measurement (e.g. phase shift) indicative of a magnetic force between the sample and the nanoprobe.