Hgst Netherlands, B.v.

Western Digital Technologies, Inc.

Hitesh Arora

Ricardo Ruiz

Bruce Alvin Gurney

Dieter Klaus Weller

Olav Hellwig

Tsai-Wei Wu

Qing Zhu

Andrea Fasoli

Vipin Ayanoor-Vitikkate

Sripathi Vangipuram Canchi

Tiffany Santos

Zuwei Liu

Franck Rose

Frank Zhu

Jean-Marc L Beaujour

Jodi Mari Iwata

Methods are disclosed for increasing areal density in Heat Assisted Magnetic Recording (HAMR) data storage systems by controlling the media layer grain size, grain size distribution, and pitch via templating techniques that are compatible with the high temperature HAMR media deposition. Embodiments include using current HAMR media seed layers as well as additionally introduced interlayers for the templating process. Topographic as well as chemical templating methods are disclosed that may employ nanoimprint technology or nanoparticle self-assembly among other patterning techniques.

Structures and methods for templated growth of high areal density heat assisted magnetic recording media

Block copolymers (BCPs) and synthetic infiltration synthesis (SIS) are used to double the line density on a substrate. The BCP comprises first and second interconnected BCP components with a functional group at the junction or interface of the components. After deposition of the BCP on the substrate and annealing, a pattern of parallel stripes of first and second BCP components is formed with a pattern of functional group interfaces between the components. Each of the BCP components is non-reactive with atomic layer deposition (ALD) precursors, while the functional group is reactive with the ALD precursors. The ALD results in the infiltration of inorganic material into the interfaces where the reactive functional groups are located but without affecting the BCP components. After removal of the organic material, a pattern of parallel lines of inorganic material remains with a pitch half that of the stripes of BCP components.

Patterned block copolymer structure with oxide lines for line density multiplication

A method for making a bit-patterned media (BPM) magnetic recording disk by etching the recording layer using a patterned hard mask layer uses glancing angle deposition (GLAD) of additional hard mask material as a capping layer onto the tops of the patterned hard mask pillars while the disk is rotated about an axis orthogonal to the plane of the disk. In one embodiment the capping layer is deposited after the pillars have been only partially eroded during a partial ion-milling of the recording layer. Ion-milling is then again performed to remove the remaining recording layer material. In another embodiment, before ion-milling of the recording layer, the capping layer is deposited onto the tops of the un-eroded hard mask pillars. This increases the lateral dimension of the hard mask pillars so that after ion-milling of the recording layer, the magnetic islands have an increased lateral dimension.

Method for making a patterned perpendicular magnetic recording disk using glancing angle deposition of hard mask material

A perpendicular magnetic recording (PMR) disk has a patterned template layer for the growth of the magnetic grains and the nonmagnetic material surrounding the grains. The template layer is a substantially planar platinum (Pt) or palladium (Pd) layer that is patterned to have Pt or Pd regions arranged in a hexagonal-close-packed (hcp) pattern with the Pt or Pd regions surrounded by Pt-oxide or Pd-oxide regions. The two separate regions of the template layer have different surface chemistries and energies, which provide a 'chemical contrast' to impinging atoms during deposition of the metallic magnetic material and nonmagnetic (typically oxide) material, effectively guiding the deposition. The metallic magnetic material is preferentially deposited on the pristine, epitaxial Pt or Pd regions to form the magnetic grains, while the oxide migrates to the oxidized Pt or Pd regions due to the matching of lower surface energy.

Perpendicular magnetic recording disk with patterned template layer

Method for line density multiplication using block copolymers and sequential infiltration synthesis

A method to fabricate an imprint template for bit-patterned magnetic recording media using block copolymers (BCPs) integrates data region patterning and servo region patterning. A heat sink layer is formed on the imprint substrate only in the data regions. A sublayer for the BCP is deposited over both the data regions and the servo regions and patterned to form stripes in the data regions and servo features in the servo regions. A BCP is then deposited in both the data and servo regions. Only the BCP in the data regions is heated, which causes phase separation of the BCP in the data regions into the two BCP components. The selective heating may be accomplished by directed controlled laser radiation to only the data regions. The heat sink layer below the data regions absorbs the heat from the laser radiation, confining it to the data regions.

Method for making an imprint template with data regions and non-data regions using block copolymers

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Fremont, CA, United States of America

Hitesh Arora