Seagate Technology Incorporated

Chung Yuang Shih

Jialuo Jack Xuan

Kueir-Weei Chour

Vidyadhara K Gubbi

Dallas W Meyer

Liji Huang

Zhu Feng

Youmin Liu

Chiu-Shing Frank Poon

Connie C Liu

Kuo-Hsing Hwang

Vidya K Gubbi

Zhengda Pan

Jie-Ming Yu

Mark James Schaenzer

Erol Girt

Mariana Rodica Munteanu

Bo Wei

Jean Ling Lee

Miaogen Lu

Yuanda Randy Cheng

Taesun Ernest Kim

Thanh Duc Nguyen

Rajiv Yadav Ranjan

Charles Chengyea Leu

Qixu David Chen

Wen Hong Liu

Weilu Hang Xu

Lin Huang

Linda Lijun Zhong

Jeff Duane St John

Yao-Tzung Roger Shih

Jeffery Lee Petrehn

Steve Hwang

Tan Guo Liu

Roger Shih

Jack Jialno Xuan

Kueir Weii Chour

A magnetic recording medium having a Au, Ag-containing magnetic layer having Co, Cr, Ag and Au; the magnetic recording layer having Co-containing magnetic grains surrounded by substantially nonmagnetic Cr-containing grain boundaries; wherein said Ag and said Au are substantially immiscible in the Co-containing magnetic grains is disclosed.

Magnetic storage media with Ag, Au-containing magnetic layers

Ultra-thin, corrosion resistant, hydrogenated carbon overcoats by combined sputtering and PECVD

A magnetic recording medium including a lubricant topcoat having increased bonding to the medium surface comprises an amphiphilic lubricant molecule having a hydrophilic central portion including a plurality of polar functional groups bound to the medium surface and a pair hydrophobic fluoroalkyl ether or perfluoroalkylether end portions at respective ends of the hydrophilic central portion and extending away from the medium surface.

Amphiphilic lubricants for magnetic media

A flash chromium capping layer is deposited on a magnetic layer for improved corrosion resistance, reduced poisoning due to the absence of a protective overcoat or presence of discontinuities in a protective overcoat, and for reduced media noise do to inter-granular exchange coupling. Embodiments include depositing a flash chromium layer having a thickness up to about 10 &angst; on an upper magnetic layer and depositing an overlying lubricant topcoat. An optional protective overcoat, such as a carbon-containing protective overcoat, can also be deposited on the chromium capping layer. The chromium capping layer forms a protective oxide coating where exposed, as due to the absence of or at discontinuities in the protective overcoat.

Magnetic thin film media with chromium capping layer

A glass-ceramic substrate for magnetic recording media is textured employing a continuous wave laser light beam to uniformly heat a surface zone, thereby forming a continuously roughened zone defined by recrystallized microcrystals. Embodiments include impinging a continuous wave CO laser light beam on a rotating glass-ceramic substrate to uniformly heat an annular zone at a temperature between the crystallization temperature and melting point of the glass-ceramic substrate followed by air cooling to induce a continuous surface roughness having an Ra of about 5 &angst; to about 20 &angst;, thereby enabling a glide height of about 0.2 to 0.5 &mgr; in.

Crystal zone texture of glass-ceramic substrates for magnetic recording disks

An apparatus and method for evaluating surface characteristics of a recording disc prior to incorporation into a disc drive. A glide test system includes a glide test head supportable over the disc, the glide test head having a negative-pressure air bearing slider and a contact sensor which outputs a signal when the glide test head contacts a feature of the disc surface. The glide test head and the disc are characterized as opposing plates of a variable capacitor with a dielectric layer therebetween including at least a layer of air supporting the glide test head. A voltage source, operably coupled to the glide test head and the disc, applies a fly height control voltage across the capacitor to adjust the fly height of the glide test head. The disc surface preferably comprises a data region configured to magnetically store data as the disc is rotated and a texturized landing zone configured to support the disc drive read/write head when the disc is stopped. The voltage source accordingly applies a first fly height control voltage to maintain the glide test head at a first glide distance over the data region and a second fly height control voltage to maintain the glide test head at a second, greater glide distance over the landing zone.

Head with active fly height control

A magnetic recording medium is provided with a dual layer protective overcoat system comprising a SiC corrosion barrier layer and a carbon-containing protective overcoat thereon. The SiC layer effectively prevents or significantly reduces Co and Ni diffusion to the medium surface. Embodiments include magnetic recording media comprising a SiC corrosion barrier layer over a magnetic layer, an overlying protective layer of amorphous hydrogenated carbon, amorphous nitrogenated carbon or amorphous hydrogen-nitrogenated carbon, and a lubricant topcoat thereon. Embodiments of the present invention further include magnetic recording media comprising Ni&mdash;P plated aluminum, Ni-plated glass or non-conductive substrates including glass, glass-ceramic and ceramic materials. Embodiments of the present invention further include a dual protective overcoat system having a combined thickness less than about 100 &angst;, such as less than about 75 &angst;, e.g., less than about 50 &angst;, with the SiC corrosion barrier layer having a thickness ranging from 1 &angst; to 40 &angst;.

Magnetic recording media comprising a silicon carbide corrosion barrier layer and a c-overcoat

A magnetic recording medium is formed with dual carbon-containing protective layers having a combined thickness of less than about 100 &angst; with high corrosion resistance and superior magnetic performance. Embodiments of the present invention include sputter depositing a first protective layer of hydrogenated carbon at a density of at least 1.9 while applying a DC bias of about 250V to about 400V to the substrate, and sputter depositing a second protective layer comprising nitrogen-doped hydrogenated carbon on the first protective layer.

Magnetic recording medium with high density, thin dual carbon overcoats

A head media interface for contact starts and stops. The head media interface including a plurality of bumps extending from bearing surfaces of the slider and a data storage disc including a plurality of generally uniform holes extending below a relatively smooth base surface of the disc in a portion of the disc. The base surface interrupted by holes and the slider bumps forming a contact interface for CSS.

Head media interface for stiction control

A method for controlling flying height at the interface of a magnetic head and a magnetic storage medium is described. The flying height is controlled by applying a voltage between head and medium. This controls the vertical movement of the head, and thus, may increase or decrease the flying height. For example, the flying height may be changed with surface texture to achieve high writing/reading density, where the flatness of the medium is high. Also, the contact between the head and medium may be limited where the texture includes projections such as laser bumps.

Method for controlling flying height of a magnetic head

High areal density magnetic recording media exhibiting low noise are formed with a Ni&mdash;P&mdash;X plating layer, in which X is an additive meeting the following requirement: (1) The additive has a higher oxidation potential than that of Ni so that grains of an additive-rich-oxide will form first during oxidation under a controlled atmosphere and grains of a Ni-rich-oxide, if any, will form subsequently and separately from the grains of the additive-rich oxide. (2) The additive has a tendency to segregate to the top surface. (3) The additive is not a catalyst poison for Ni&mdash;P plating in the composition range.

Control of magnetic film grain structure by modifying Ni-P plating of the substrate

A thin-film magnetic recording disc for use with a read/write head in a disc drive includes a substrate, a magnetic recording film disposed over the substrate, and a protective overcoat on the recording film. The recording disc has an outer layer that includes a solid fluorocarbon and a perfluoropolyether (PFPE) oil. The disc can be used as a data storage media for a digital computer and, in particular, with a read/write head in a disc drive. The addition of the fluorocarbon layer can improve the tribology of the disc, thereby reducing wear and improving the long-term performance of the magnetic disc.

Magnetic recording media

Magnetic data storage disks, particularly along dedicated transducing head contact regions, are laser textured according to a process in which beam shaping optical components impart an elliptical or otherwise elongated cross-section to the laser beam. Consequently, individual texturing features such as rims and nodules are elliptical or elongate, with more gradual height gradients in directions parallel to their major axes. The texturing features further are oriented with respect to the direction of transducing head accelerations and decelerations, which yields high performance in terms of reduced dynamic friction, reduced stiction and better wear characteristics. Texturing features are formed in a variety of patterns, including patterns with adjacent features contacting one another. A further refinement involves forming features with substantially different slopes on opposites sides of a maximum height region.

Magnetic media with texturing features formed by selectively non-uniform laser beams

Glide test head with active fly height control

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Cupertino, CA, United States of America

Chung Yuang Shih