International Business Machines Corporation

Bradley J Offuh

James Aloysius Hagan

Steven F Starcke

Douglas Howard Piltingsrud

Dennis Leonard Fox

The invention is a method for improving the flatness of nonmetallic substrates and preferably glass disks. The method comprises the steps of mounting the glass disk on a support. The support preferably comprises a refractory metal having a cooling rate substantially similar to the disk. The disk is then subjected to heating to a temperature in the anneal region for the given material for a period ranging from about 0.5 hours to 12 hours or longer, and then the disk is controllably cooled. The glass disk is preferably cooled at a rate of about 0.25.degree. C./minute to 1.5.degree. C./minute to room temperature. The invention also comprises a hard disk glass memory element and a data storage and retrieval device comprising this element.

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Rochester, MN, United States of America

Bradley J Offuh