Hmt Technology Corporation

Wd Media, LLC

Western Digital Technologies, Inc.

Allen J Bourez

Brij B Lal

Michael A Russak

Tadashi Shinohara

Paul Christopher Dorsey

Atef H Eltoukhy

Hua Yuan

Robert D Hempstead

Shahid Ali Pirzada

Zhaoqiang Bai

Fenghua Zong

Jinliang Chen

Yew Ming Chiong

Noe D Taburaza

Phi Cam Ha

Brij Bihari Lal

Eugene V Anoikin

A heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) medium has a heat-sink layer, a chemically-ordered FePt (or CoPt) alloy magnetic layer and a MgNiO intermediate layer between the heat-sink layer and the magnetic layer. The intermediate layer is a solid substitution crystalline alloy of the form (MgNi)O, where y is less than 10 and greater than or equal to 0.5. The magnetic layer may be formed directly on the MgNiO intermediate layer, in which case the MgNiO intermediate layer functions as both a seed layer and a thermal barrier layer. The HAMR medium may also include an optional layer of crystalline 'pure' MgO directly below or directly above the MgNiO intermediate layer. If the MgO layer is located directly above the MgNiO intermediate layer then the MgNiO intermediate layer functions primarily as a thermal barrier layer. The HAMR medium with the MgNiO intermediate layer provides a substantial improvement in corrosion resistance.

Heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) medium with improved corrosion resistance

A station for a disk processing system includes a load lock chamber, a variable conductance valve configured to connect the chamber to a vacuum pump, and valve controller. The valve controller may include a processor that controls an electromechanical actuator to adjust the conductance of the valve during the evacuation of the chamber.

Load lock with variable conductance valve

A processing system for and a method of producing ions inside a process chamber and shielding the ions from a magnetic field by directing the magnetic field through a magnet keeper is described.

Processing system having magnet keeper

A disk processing system having a plurality of processing chambers, a load chamber comprising a heater, and a disk transport system coupled to the plurality of processing chambers and the load chamber to transport a disk there among.

Load chamber with heater for a disk sputtering system

A sputtering system includes a first sputtering assembly configured to sputter material onto a first disk and a second sputtering assembly configured to sputter material onto a second disk, the second sputtering assembly positioned proximate the first sputtering assembly. The first sputtering assembly includes a first magnetic ring, and the second sputtering assembly includes a second magnetic ring. The first magnetic ring includes a first region of lower relative magnetic strength positioned near the second magnetic ring, and the second magnetic ring includes a second region of lower relative magnetic strength positioned near the first magnetic ring.

Dual position DC magnetron assembly

An improvement in an apparatus having an external casing defining a processing chamber for deposition of a film on a substrate and an opening in the processing chamber through which a substrate is introduced for deposition is described. The improvement comprises an internal casing member moveably mounted within the processing chamber for movement between a first position which allows deposition onto the substrate to occur and a second position at which the casing is in sealing engagement with the opening to form an isolation chamber within the processing chamber and effective to isolate the substrate from processing chamber. The invention also includes a method for reducing cross-contamination between processing chambers in such an apparatus and a method for reducing particulate contamination to media prepared in such a deposition apparatus.

Process chamber isolation system in a deposition apparatus

A target assembly for use in forming a protective overcoat in a magnetic recording medium is described. The assembly includes a centrally positioned target with inner and outer magnetic means adjacent the target. A sputtering shield is positioned between the target and the medium for controlling the amount and angle of material deposition on the medium. The assembly is effective to deposit an overcoat having a greater thickness in the inner landing zone of the medium than in the outer data zone. A method of using the assembly is also disclosed.

Target assembly for use in forming an overcoat in a magnetic recording

A method for forming an overcoat having first and second layers in a magnetic recording medium is described. The first overcoat layer is deposited in a first sputtering chamber where the magnetic means for confining target plasma in the chamber are oriented to retain magnetic-field confinement about the target surface and to produce magnetic field lines between directly confronting portions of the confronting sputtering targets. The second overcoat layer is deposited under a nitrogen-containing atmosphere.

Method for forming a thin carbon overcoat in a magnetic recording medium

A method of producing a magnetic recording medium by sputtering a layer onto a substrate by DC-magnetron sputtering from a target while exposing the target to an RF signal is described. The RF signal is effective to extend the target utilization without significantly decreasing the sputtering rate. Also disclosed is an apparatus for use forming a medium in accordance with the method of the invention.

DC magnetron sputtering method and apparatus

A sputtering assembly for use in forming sputter deposited layers on a substrate is described. The assembly includes a pair of confronting sputtering targets for depositing sputtered layers onto the substrate and a movably mounted heating means for heating the substrate. A method of using the assembly is also disclosed.

Single chamber sputtering assembly

A cathode assembly having a magnetic-field shunt for use in a magnetron sputtering apparatus is described. The magnetic-field shunt disposed between a sputtering target and a source of magnetic flux, and the shunt is moveable between first and second positions to effect preferential target erosion at first and second target regions, respectively. A method of using the assembly for preparation of a magnetic recording medium is also described.

Cathode assembly having rotating magnetic-field shunt and method of

A longitudinal magnetic recording medium formed on a non-metallic substrate and a method of forming the medium is disclosed. A sublayer formed of a chromium alloy having a thickness between 3-50 .ANG. is deposited on the substrate, followed by a chromium-based underlayer. A cobalt-based magnetic recording layer is sputtered over the underlayer. The medium is characterized by improved coercivity, HF signal amplitude and signal-to-noise ratio.

Thin-film medium with sublayer

A target assembly for use in fabricating magnetic recording media is described. The target assembly has inner and outer concentric targets for sputter depositing on a substrate first and second layers having different compositions. Disposed adjacent each target is a magnetic means, and at least one which is reversible in magnetic-pole polarity. One polarity produces a magnetic flux sufficient to ignite a sputtering plasma in the inner target only, when power is supplied to the inner target at a preselected level. The opposite polarity produces a magnetic flux sufficient to ignite a sputtering plasma in the outer target only, when power is supplied to the outer target at a preselected level.

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San Jose, CA, United States of America

Allen J Bourez