Hewlett-packard Company

Leland Stanford Junior University

Develco, Inc.

James E Opfer

Darrel R Bloomquist

Bangalore Ramaswamiengar Natarajan

William M Fairbank

George A Drennan

John P Wikswo, Jr

Michael B Jacobson

John M Pierce

Robert J Lawton

Lawrence E Valby

A sputtering target has a sputtering surface with first and second regions of respective first and second materials. The first region comprises a surface of a first member of the first material, such as of a circular cobalt plate. The second region comprises a surface of a second member of the second material, such as a platinum ring. A cobalt cover ring clamps the platinum ring to the cobalt plate. By varying the relative sizes of the first and second regions, as by changing the size of the cover ring to expose more or less of the platinum ring, the concentration of the two materials in a layer deposited from the target onto substrates is varied. In addition, by imparting planetary motion to substrates during deposition and sizing and positioning the exposed portion of the platinum ring, a radial coercivity gradient is established in the layer deposited on the substrates.

Method for sputter depositing thin films

An inexpensive, vertically oriented multiple substrate carrier is disclosed for high-temperature, high vacuum film deposition systems. In one embodiment, the substrates have central circular openings and the carrier includes a plurality of supports on which the substrates hang, with each support, such as a vertically oriented sheave, engaging the perimeter of a substrate opening. As the carrier is rotated, planetary motion is imparted to the substrates to facilitate simultaneous, two-sided, substantially uniform deposition of a film. In another embodiment, the substrates are circular and are each supported for planetary motion and two sided deposition in a respective circular groove which bounds an opening through the carrier.

Planetary substrate carrier method and apparatus

A sealed substrate processing path has plural selectably isolatable vacuum deposition chambers along the path. A transporter carries substrates along the path and an independently controllable sputter deposition is performed in each deposition chamber on substrates therein. Substrates are loaded from a load chamber to a first deposition chamber while a vacuum is maintained in the first and load chambers. Substrates are transferred from a last deposition chamber to an unload chamber while a vacuum is maintained in the last and load chambers. Substrates are placed in the load chamber while the load and first chambers are isolated and are removed from the unload chamber while the last and unload chambers are isolated. In one embodiment, substrates travel succesively from the load chamber to first through fourth deposition chambers and then to the unload chamber. In another embodiment, substrates travel from the load chamber to first to second to first and to third deposition chambers and then to the unload chamber. First and second alternating load chambers are provided in another embodiment with substrates being loaded into the second load chamber while substrates are transferred from the first load chamber to the first deposition chamber and vice versa. The respective first and second load chambers are coupled through an interface chamber to the first deposition chamber and are each isolatable from the interface chamber during loading.

System and method for depositing plural thin film layers on a substrate

A thin film magnetic recording disc is provided wherein the magnetic layer is an alloy of cobalt and platinum disposed on a chromium layer. A barrier layer of chromium is formed on the cobalt-platinum film and a wear layer of an oxide of cobalt is provided on the barrier layer. The platinum content in the magnetic film is varied so as to provide a magnetic film with a desired coercivity which is significantly less dependent upon film thickness. This permits the cobalt-platinum film thickness to be adjusted to meet a wide range of recording system design parameters. The coercivity of the magnetic film may be determined primarily by the amount of platinum in the alloy and the saturation magnetization-thickness product of the film is determined primarily by the film thickness.

Thin film magnetic recording film

A sputtering target has a sputtering surface with first and second regions of repsective first and second materials. The first region comprises a surface of a first member of the first material, such as of a circular cobalt plate. The second region comprises a surface of a second member of the second material, such as a platinum ring. A cobalt cover ring clamps the platinum ring to the cobalt plate. By varying the relative sizes of the first and second regions, as by changing the size of the cover ring to expose more or less of the platinum ring, the concentration of the two materials in a layer deposited from the target onto substrates is varied. In addition, by imparting planetary motion to substrates during deposition and sizing and positioning the exposed portion of the platinum ring, a radial coercivity gradient is established in the layer deposited on the substrates.

Target for sputter depositing thin films

Thin film magnetic recording media

A relatively thin superconductive magnetic shield, as of lead, is supported from a hollow support structure, as of aluminum or fiberglass by means of a multiplicity of spots of adhesive, as of epoxy, serving to bond the superconducting shield to the support structure. The shield and support structure is then positioned within a reentrant cryostat and cooled to liquid helium temperature to render the shield superconductive. Adjacent edges of the shield material are outwardly flanged and sealed together at the flanged portions, as by welding. The spot pattern of adhesive permits the shield to flex during thermal cycling to relieve strain and prevent fracture thereof while at the same time supporting the shield in a substantially nonmicrophonic manner.

Superconductive magnetic shield and method of making same

An apparatus for measuring externally of the human body magnetic susceptibility changes within the body particularly the human heart and interpreting these changes in order to quantify the flow of blood.

Apparatus for measuring externally of the human body magnetic

A method for measuring externally of the human body magnetic susceptibility changes within the body particularly the human heart and interpreting these changes in order to quantify the flow of blood.

Growing community of inventors

Palo Alto, CA, United States of America

James E Opfer