Seagate Technology Incorporated

Abebe Hailu

Charles Changging Chen

Shoutao Wang

Weilu Hang Xu

Xiaoguang Ma

Mark B Johnson

Thomas P Nolan

Mariana Rodica Munteanu

Chung-hee Chang

Taesun Ernest Kim

Alexander Yulievich Dobin

Charles Changqing Chen

Jai-Young Kim

Kyongha Kang

Chunghee Chang

Vincent D Nguyen

Dieter Klaus Weller

Yingguo Peng

Erol Girt

Yukiko A Kubota

Thomas Francis Ambrose

Miaogen Lu

Bogdan Florin Valcu

Thanh Thien Ha

Steve Kuo-Hsing Hwang

Bo Bian

A stack including a crystallographic orientation interlayer, a magnetic zero layer disposed on the interlayer, and a magnetic recording layer disposed on the magnetic zero layer is disclosed. The magnetic zero layer is non-magnetic or has a saturation magnetic flux density (B) less than about 100 emu/cc. The magnetic zero layer and the magnetic layer include grains surrounded by a non-magnetic segregant. The magnetic zero layer provides a coherent interface between the interlayer and the magnetic layer with a lattice mismatch less than about 4%.

Stack including a magnetic zero layer

A perpendicular magnetic recording layer of a magnetic recording medium includes a plurality of bit-patterned magnetic islands, wherein each of the plurality of islands overlay a soft magnetic under-layer. Each of the magnetic islands includes a first magnetic sub-layer adjacent a second magnetic sub-layer, wherein the first sub-layer has a relatively high magnetic anisotropy that is greater than a magnetic anisotropy of the second sub-layer. The magnetic recording layer further includes a third sub-layer, which extends to connect each of the plurality of islands. The third sub-layer may have a magnetic anisotropy that is less than that of the second sub-layer of each of the magnetic islands and/or may serve as an interlayer, extending between the first sub-layer and the soft magnetic under-layer of the recording medium, and having a structure to help to produce the greater anisotropy first magnetic sub-layer.

Magnetic layering for bit-patterned stack

An apparatus and method are provided for improving perpendicular magnetic recording media. The present invention provides media, and a method of fabricating media in a cost-effective manner, with a reduced ruthenium (Ru) content interlayer structure, while meeting media performance requirements. A perpendicular magnetic recording medium is provided comprising a non-magnetic substrate having a surface, and a layer stack situated on the substrate surface. The layer stack comprises, in overlying sequence from the substrate surface a magnetically soft underlayer; an amorphous or crystalline, non-magnetic seed layer; an interlayer structure for crystallographically orienting a layer of a perpendicular magnetic recording material situated on the underlayer; and at least one crystallographically oriented, magnetically hard, perpendicular magnetic recording layer situated on the interlayer structure. The interlayer structure is a stacked structure comprising, in overlying sequence: a chromium alloy situated on the seed layer; and an upper interlayer situated on the chromium alloy.

Interlayer comprising chromium-containing alloy

Seed layer comprising FCC structure

Aspects are directed to recording media with enhanced magnetic properties for improved writability. Examples can be included or related to methods, systems and components that allow for improved writability while reducing defects so as to obtain uniform magnetic properties such as uniformly high anisotropy and narrow switching field distribution. Some examples include a recording medium with an exchange tuning layer inserted between the hard layer and the soft, semi-soft or thin semi-hard layer so as to maximize the writability improvement of the media. Preferably, the exchange tuning layer is granular and reduces or optimizes the vertical coupling between the hard layer and the soft, semi-soft or semi-hard layer of a magnetic recording or storing device.

Magnetic recording media with enhanced writability and thermal stability

Granular perpendicular media interlayer for a storage device

A perpendicular magnetic recording medium comprises a layer stack formed over a surface of a non-magnetic substrate, and comprising, in overlying sequence from the surface: a magnetically soft underlayer; an interlayer structure for crystallographically orienting a layer of a perpendicular magnetic recording material formed thereon; and at least one crystallographically oriented, magnetically hard, perpendicular magnetic recording layer on the interlayer structure; wherein the interlayer structure is a triple-layer stacked structure comprising: a first interlayer of a first non-magnetic material proximal the magnetically soft underlayer and containing Ru; a second interlayer of a second non-magnetic material in overlying contact with the first interlayer and not containing Ru; and a third interlayer of a third non-magnetic material in overlying contact with the second interlayer and containing Ru.

Recording media interlayer structure

CoCrPtB is a conventional material used in some of the layers of a thin film magnetic media structure used for recording data in data storage devices such as hard drives. Typically the CoCrPtB layers used for magnetic media have high Cr and low B in bottom magnetic layers and low Cr and high B in top magnetic layers. In accordance with one embodiment of this invention and to improve media electrical performance, fifth elements, such as Ta, Nb and Hf, etc. were added to the CoCrPtB materials, resulting in CoCrPtB&#x2014;X, to enhance the grain segregation. The five element CoCrPtB&#x2014;X layers were deposited using a pulsed direct current sputter technique instead of conventional direct current sputtering techniques. The resulting magnetic media structure having CoCrPtB&#x2014;X alloy layers exhibits an increase in coercivity Hc and improvement in recording performance.

Magnetic recording media having five element alloy deposited using pulsed direct current sputtering

The Hr and SNR of a magnetic recording medium are increased and the signal pulse narrowed by employing a tri-layer underlayer structure containing Cr or a Cr alloy wherein the second underlayer contains Cr and B, the first underlayer preferably contains substantially pure Cr, and the third underlayer preferably contains a ternary alloy of Cr.

CrB and CrMoB as third underlayer to refine grains

A thin film magnetic according medium with enhanced coercivity is provided. The magnetic recording medium comprises a non-magnetic substrate having a surface and a layer stack atop the substrate surface. The layer stack comprises a magnetic recording layer and a dual intermediate layer structure below the magnetic recording layer comprising a base layer and a non-magnetic layer between the base layer and the magnetic recording layer. The non-magnetic layer has a thickness less than that necessary for RKKY coupling between the base layer and the magnetic recording layer, and provides the medium with increased coercivity.

Thin-film magnetic recording media with dual intermediate layer structure for increased coercivity

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San Jose, CA, United States of America

Abebe Hailu