Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands B.v.

Hgst Netherlands, B.v.

International Business Machines Corporation

Kentaro Takano

Yoshihiro Ikeda

Hoa Van Do

Mary Frances Minardi

Qing Dai

Xiaoping Bian

Kai Tang

Qing Zhu

Manfred Ernst Schabes

Ricardo Ruiz

Min Xiao

Bernd Heinz

Bruce Alvin Gurney

Bruce David Terris

Dan Saylor Kercher

Qi-Fan Xiao

Hong Deng

Jack Jyh-Kau Chang

Shi-Ling Chang Wang

Chu S Tran

Yoshiaki Sonobe

Stefan Maat

Neil Smith

Matthew Joseph Carey

Dieter Klaus Weller

Bruno Jean Marchon

Michael Grobis

Stuart Stephen Papworth Parkin

Eric Edward Fullerton

Olav Hellwig

David Thomas Margulies

Mohammad Taghi Mirzamaani

Natacha Frederique Supper

Liesl Folks

Andreas Klaus Berger

Alan C Lam

Thomas Hauet

Han Zou

Sylvia Helena Florez

In one general embodiment, a magnetic medium includes a recording layer having at least three exchange control layers each having a magnetic moment less than 100 emu/cc, and four magnetic layers separated from one another by the exchange control layers. An uppermost of the magnetic layers is doped with oxygen. In another general embodiment, a magnetic medium includes a recording layer having at least three exchange control layers and four magnetic layers separated from one another by the exchange control layers. An uppermost of the magnetic layers has an oxygen content of greater than 0.5 vol %. An average pitch of magnetic grains in a lowermost of the magnetic layers is 9 nm or less. A lowermost of the magnetic layers has an oxide content of at least 20 vol %.

Vertically and horizontally weakly coupled perpendicular small grain media

A perpendicular magnetic recording disk includes a template layer below a Ru or Ru alloy underlayer, with a granular Co alloy recording layer formed on the underlayer. substrate. The template layer comprises nanoparticles spaced-apart and partially embedded within a polymer material, with the nanoparticles protruding above the surface of the polymer material. A seed layer covers the surface of the polymer material and the protruding nanoparticles and an underlayer of Ru or a Ru alloy covers the seed layer. The protruding nanoparticles serve as the controlled nucleation sites for the Ru or Ru alloy atoms. The nanoparticle-to-nanoparticle distances can be controlled during the formation of the template layer. This enables control of the Co alloy grain diameter distribution as well as grain-to-grain distance distribution.

Perpendicular magnetic recording disk with template layer formed of nanoparticles embedded in a polymer material

According to one embodiment, a patterned magnetic storage medium is disclosed herein. The magnetic storage medium includes a pattern formed on a substrate. The pattern includes at least a first and second feature and an edge defined between the first and second features. Additionally, the magnetic storage medium includes a magnetic layer formed on the pattern. The magnetic layer includes grains separated by a non-magnetic segregant boundary. The segregant boundary is positioned above the edge of the pattern.

Substrate patterning in perpendicular storage media

A method for making a perpendicular magnetic recording disk includes forming a template layer below a Ru or Ru alloy underlayer, with a granular Co alloy recording layer formed on the underlayer. The template layer is formed by depositing a solution of a polymer with a functional end group and nanoparticles, allowing the solution to dry, annealing the polymer layer to thereby form a polymer layer with embedded spaced-apart nanoparticles, and then etching the polymer layer to a depth sufficient to partially expose the nanoparticles so they protrude above the surface of the polymer layer. The protruding nanoparticles serve as controlled nucleation sites for the Ru or Ru alloy atoms. The nanoparticle-to-nanoparticle distances can be controlled during the formation of the template layer. This enables control of the Co alloy grain diameter distribution as well as grain-to-grain distance distribution.

Method for making a perpendicular magnetic recording disk with template layer formed of nanoparticles embedded in a polymer material

A patterned perpendicular magnetic recording medium, such as a disk for use in hard disk drives, has a flux channeling layer (FCL) located below the recording layer (RL) in each of the discrete data islands. The disk includes a substrate, a soft underlayer (SUL) of soft magnetically permeable material on the substrate, and a nonmagnetic exchange break layer (EBL) on the SUL. A nonmagnetic separation layer (SL) is located between the FCL and the RL in the islands. The FCL has an anisotropy field substantially lower than the anisotropy field of the RL, and a magnetization equal to or higher than the magnetization of the RL. The FCL is saturated at a much lower field than the RL and thus channels the magnetic flux from the write head through the island positions. The dipolar fields from the RL above the FCL polarize the magnetization of the FCL parallel to the magnetization direction of the RL in the absence of an external field, to thereby enhance the readback signal.

Patterned perpendicular magnetic recording medium with data islands having a flux channeling layer below the recording layer

A method according to one embodiment includes forming a high Ku first oxide magnetic layer above a substrate by sputtering; forming a low Ku second oxide magnetic layer above the first oxide magnetic layer by sputtering; forming an exchange coupling layer of CoCrPt-oxide above the second oxide magnetic layer; and forming a magnetic cap layer above the exchange coupling layer. Additional systems and methods are also presented.

Perpendicular magnetic recording media with oxide-containing exchange coupling layer

A magnetic storage medium according to one embodiment includes a substrate; a first oxide magnetic layer formed above the substrate; a second oxide magnetic layer formed above the first oxide magnetic layer; an exchange coupling layer formed above the second oxide magnetic layer, the exchange coupling layer comprising an oxide; and a magnetic cap layer formed above the exchange coupling layer. A method according to one embodiment includes forming a high Ku first oxide magnetic layer above a substrate by sputtering; forming a low Ku second oxide magnetic layer above the first oxide magnetic layer by sputtering; forming an exchange coupling layer of CoCrPt-oxide above the second oxide magnetic layer; and forming a magnetic cap layer above the exchange coupling layer. Additional systems and methods are also presented.

The invention uses an adhesion layer of an amorphous alloy of aluminum. A first aluminum titanium embodiment of the amorphous adhesion layer preferably contains approximately equal amounts of aluminum and titanium (+/&#x2212;5 at. %). A second embodiment of the amorphous adhesion layer preferably contains approximately equal amounts of aluminum and titanium (+/&#x2212;5 at. %) and up to 10 at. % Zr with 5 at. % Zr being preferred. A third embodiment is aluminum tantalum preferably including from 15 to 25 at. % tantalum with 20 at. % being preferred. The most preferred compositions are AlTi, AlTiZror AlTa. The adhesion layer is deposited onto the substrate. The substrate can be glass or a metal such as NiP-plated AlMg. The preferred embodiment of media according to the invention is for perpendicular recording and includes a magnetically soft underlayer deposited above the adhesion layer.

Adhesion layer for thin film magnetic recording medium

A method for improving magnetic grain segregation in perpendicular recording media includes providing a substrate comprising a rigid support structure, depositing a soft underlayer on top of the substrate depositing an intermediate layer on top of the soft underlayer, providing a plurality of prospective segregants, determining the surface energies and the heat of formation of the prospective segregants and selecting the prospective segregant with a low surface energy and a high heat of formation. The method also includes providing at least one layer with surface energies progressively increasing to minimize the difference between the surface energy of a carbon overcoat and the segregant.

Apparatus, system, and method for the selection of perpendicular media segregant materials

An improved structure for the construction of perpendicular recording media is disclosed. The structure includes a perpendicular recording layer with at least two oxide sublayers or a lower sublayer of a non-oxide. One structure includes an upper sublayer comprised of a Silicon-oxide, while a lower sublayer is comprised of a Tantalum-oxide. The structures provide for increased coercivity and corrosion resistance.

Oxide magnetic recording layers for perpendicular recording media

Perpendicular magnetic recording media and methods of fabricating perpendicular magnetic recording media are described. The perpendicular magnetic recording medium of one embodiment includes an interlayer, an underlayer, and a perpendicular magnetic recording layer. The interlayer is formed from a NiWCr alloy.

Perpendicular magnetic recording medium having an interlayer formed from a NiWCr alloy

A perpendicular magnetic recording medium has an 'exchange-spring' type magnetic recording layer (RL) with an improved coupling layer (CL). The RL includes the first or lower ferromagnetic layer MAG, sometimes called the 'media' layer, the second or upper ferromagnetic layer MAG, sometimes called the &#x201c;exchange-spring&#x201d; layer, and the intermediate CL that provides ferromagnetic exchange coupling between MAGand MAG. The CL is formed of NiCr or RuCr based alloys, or CoCr or CoCrB alloys with high Cr and/or B content (Cr plus B&#x3e;about 25 atomic percent), or RuCoCr alloys with low Co content (&#x3c;about 65 atomic percent). For each CL composition there is a CL thickness range that provides the optimal interlayer exchange coupling between MAGand MAG. The selected CL materials provide an exchange-type perpendicular magnetic recording medium with good magnetic performance, while the relatively high amount of Cr of the CL improves the corrosion resistance of the medium.

Perpendicular magnetic recording medium with exchange-coupled magnetic layers and improved coupling layer

Perpendicular magnetic recording media and methods of fabricating perpendicular magnetic recording media are described. The perpendicular magnetic recording medium of one embodiment includes an interlayer, an underlayer, and a perpendicular magnetic recording layer. The interlayer is comprised of a Ni-alloy having the characteristics of being nonmagnetic and having an FCC structure. The alloying element for the Ni-alloy may comprise one of V or Cr, or may comprise one of V, Cr, or W. The concentration of the alloying element is set such that the concentration of the alloying element is high enough to make the Ni-alloy non-magnetic, while low enough to maintain an FCC structure for the Ni-alloy.

Perpendicular magnetic recording medium having an interlayer of a non-magnetic nickel alloy

A perpendicular magnetic recording disk has a soft magnetic underlayer (SUL) that has high corrosion resistance as well as high moment. The material of the SUL is an alloy comprising Co, Fe, X, and Y; where X is Ta or Nb, Y is Zr or Hf, and the combined amount of X and Y present in the alloy is between about 10 and 20 atomic percent. The atomic ratio of Co to Fe in the alloy is between about 90:10 to 10:90, preferably between about 25:75 and 35:65. The SUL may be a single-layer SUL or a multilayer SUL formed of multiple soft magnetic layers separated by an interlayer film or films.

Growing community of inventors

San Jose, CA, United States of America

Kentaro Takano