Seagate Technology Incorporated

Jeffrey Shane Reiter

Thomas P Nolan

Rajiv Yadav Ranjan

Paul Stephen McLeod

Charles Frederick Brucker

Michael Joseph Stirniman

Samuel Dacke Harkness, Iv

Xiaoding Ma

Chung-hee Chang

Zhiwei Cai

Matthew James Cross

Stephen Eric Barlow

Steven Eric Barlow

A method of forming a uniform thickness layer of a selected material on a surface of a substrate comprises steps of:

Sublayers for magnetically soft underlayer

An apparatus and associated method for reorienting the magnetic anisotropy of magnetic recording discs. A pallet that is moveable along a path of travel is also sized to selectively hold either a first magnetic recording disc of a first size or a second magnetic recording disc of a second size different than the first size. A first processing chamber in the path of travel is adapted for forming a soft underlayer (SUL) of magnetic material with non-radially oriented magnetic anisotropy on a substrate corresponding to one of the first and second magnetic recording discs. A second processing chamber in the path of travel downstream of the first processing chamber is adapted for selectively re-orienting the SUL's magnetic anisotropy via a magnetic source emanating a first magnetic field if the substrate corresponds to the first magnetic recording disc and emanating a different second magnetic field if the substrate corresponds to the second magnetic recording disc.

Forming oriented film for magnetic recording material

A method of forming a layer of a magnetic material with radially oriented magnetic anisotropy, comprising sequential steps of providing a circular, annular disk-shaped substrate having an inner diameter and an outer diameter, forming a layer of a magnetic material with non-radially oriented magnetic anisotropy over at least one surface of the substrate, and re-orienting the magnetic anisotropy in a radial direction. Preferably, the re-orientation is performed magnetically and the radially oriented layer serves as a magnetically soft underlayer (SUL) of a magnetic recording medium. Also disclosed is a multi-chamber apparatus for performing the disclosed process.

Method and apparatus for formation of oriented magnetic films for magnetic recording media

The arrangement and method for sputtering material onto a workpiece and cleaning a target of the sputtering chamber includes exposing a target to an electromagnetic field of a strength sufficient to remove particles from the target. The electromagnetic field is generated by an electromagnetic device that is positioned in proximity to the target and generates a strength greater than a strength of a cathode magnetic field behind the target to safely remove the contaminating particulates from the target, which may be made of a strong magnetic material.

Method and apparatus for cleaning a target of a sputtering apparatus

Disclosed is a method for the low cost manufacturing a plurality of rigid sputtered magnetic media disks of one or more sizes from a rigid sheet, in which one or more initial steps of preparing the media are performed while the media is in sheet form. The individual disks are then removed from the sheet, and final processing is performed individually on the disks.

Method for producing low cost media

A multi-chamber treatment/processing apparatus includes: a means for controlling/regulating operation of the apparatus providing the following operational sequence: performing a treatment/processing of at least one magnetic and/or magneto-optical disk in treatment/processing chambers, while each inlet gate and each outlet gate of each treatment/processing chamber is in a closed position and gas is exhausted from each buffer/isolation chamber; opening each of the inlet and outlet gates of each of the treatment/processing chambers and transporting the at least one magnetic and/or magneto-optical disk therein to the adjacent buffer/isolation chamber; closing the outlet gate of each of the treatment/processing chambers; transporting each of the magnetic and/or magneto-optical disk through a respective buffer/isolation chamber and initiating a flow of a respective gas to each treatment/processing chamber; and closing the inlet gate of each treatment/processing chamber immediately upon completion of entry of the at least one magnetic and/or magneto-optical disk into the respective treatment/processing chamber.

Multi-chamber workpiece processing

A method of manufacturing for providing closer head-to-media spacing, and the resulting disk, includes evenly lubricating a magnetic media disk, increasing the viscosity of a selected non-data zone region of the disk, and removing at least a portion of the lower viscosity region of the lubrication layer in a data zone region of the disk, thereby decreasing the thickness of the lubrication layer in the data zone portion of the lower viscosity region, producing a magnetic media disk capable of closer head-to-media spacing in the data zone portion of the lower viscosity region of the lubrication layer than in the non-data zone portion.

Data zone lube removal

Method and apparatus for multi-stage sputter deposition of uniform thickness layers

A method for treating/processing substrates/workpieces in a multi-chamber treatment/processing apparatus, comprising:

Multi-chamber processing with simultaneous workpiece transport and gas delivery

A method of manufacturing magnetic recording media, comprising sequential steps of:

Oxygen plasma post-deposition treatment of magnetic recording media

A system and method for reducing and controlling the number of defects due to carbon inclusions on magnetic media is disclosed. A diamond like carbon protective layer is deposited on magnetic media using a rotary cathode target assembly. The target and cathode are cylindrical in shape and are mounted on holder that allows the target and cathode to rotate while holding a magnet fixed. The target surface is periodically swept in through a plasma which sputters off the surface of the target. This prevents the build up of redeposited material on the target and consequently keeps the target surface cleaner. The reduction of redeposited material on the target surface reduces the number of unwanted particulates which are ejected from the surface, manifesting themselves as disk defects.

Growing community of inventors

Palo Alto, CA, United States of America

Jeffrey Shane Reiter