Hmt Technology Corporation

Hoa Van Do

Ga-Lane Chen

A thin-film magnetic recording medium having a carbon overcoat composed of an overcoat sublayer and an overcoat surface layer is described. The overcoat surface layer is a hydrogen- or nitrogen-containing sputtered carbon layer with high wear-resistance. The overcoat sublayer functions to reduce the diffusion of nitrogen or hydrogen from the surface layer to the magnetic recording layer. Also described is a method of sputtering the nitrogen-containing surface layer in which the graphite target is attached to the target electrode by thermally conducting, electrically conducting materials.

Sputtered carbon overcoat in a thin-film medium and sputtering method

A thin film magnetic disc having a carbon overcoat which is characterized by (i) a surface density of nitrogen atoms between 3-8.times.10.sup.16 atoms/cm.sup.2, as determined by Rutherford backscatter spectroscopy, and (ii) an erosion rate, as measured by rate of erosion of the overcoat by an Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 particle tape placed in contact with the medium, that is several times less than that of a carbon overcoat having the same thickness, but formed by sputtering under a pure argon atmosphere. The overcoat has a preferred thickness between 80-150 .ANG.. Also disclosed is a method of producing a thin, wear-resistant carbon overcoat.

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Union City, CA, United States of America

Hoa Van Do