Showa Denko K.k.

Showa Aluminum Corporation

Kurata Awaya

Kiyoshi Tada

Tomoya Utashiro

Kenji Tomita

Kazuyoshi Nishizawa

A magnetic hard disc substrate made of an aluminum alloy for memory devices such as a computer must correspond to an improved structure in which the interval between a head and a medium is made narrower to attain high density recording. In order to prevent head crash, it is required that the magnetic hard disc substrate have a smooth surface and decreased defects. The present invention provides a process for manufacturing a magnetic hard disc substrate made of an aluminum alloy which satisfies the above requirements and also provides a disc substrate which has a surface roughness Ra&lE;0.5 nm and is free from abrasive flaws with a depth of 5 nm or more and from micro-waviness or provides a disc substrate which has a surface roughness Ra&lE;5 angstroms and a surface roughness Rmax&lE;80 angstroms and in which the number of scratches with a depth of 50 angstroms or more is 5 or less and the number of pits with a depth of 50 angstroms or less is 5 or less in the surface.

Magnetic hard disc substrate and process for manufacturing the same

Magnetic disk substrates are produced by subjecting glass substrates to at least steps of degreasing, etching, sensitization with tin chloride, activation and sensitivity-enhancing treatment in that order, then plating the pretreated substrates with a nickel/phosphorus film, and thereafter polishing the plated substrates. In the process, the substrates being processed are washed with hot pure water at a temperature of not lower than 50&deg; C. for a period of from 20 to 90 seconds, after the sensitization step but before the activation step, and heated at a temperature of not lower than 70&deg; C. for a period of from 5 to 100 minutes, after the sensitization step but before the nickel/phosphorus-plating step.

Method for producing magnetic disk substrates

A provision of a magnetic disk substrate using, as a plated substrate, glass with high hardness in place of aluminum. The magnetic disk substrate is small-sized, can stand against an impact when it is carried, and avoids leaving struck damages (head snap) even if it is used for recent note- or mobile-type computers having a head which is located as closely as possible to the substrate. The magnetic disk substrate comprises forming a nickel/phosphorus coating with a film thickness of 8 &mgr;m-20 &mgr;m or less on crystallized glass with a roughness Ra of 0.05 to 0.5 &mgr;m, the roughness being measured by a tracer and contact type roughness meter after the glass is ground (lapped) and polishing the nickel/phosphorus coating to a depth of 3 &mgr;m or more in a polishing process with the thickness of the plating film left unremoved being 5 &mgr;m or more.

Magnetic disk substrate

A magnetic hard disc substrate made of an aluminum alloy for memory devices such as a computer must correspond to an improved structure in which the interval between a head and a medium is made narrower to attain high density recording. In order to prevent head crash, it is required that the magnetic hard disc substrate have a smooth surface and decreased defects. The present invention provides a process for manufacturing a magnetic hard disc substrate made of an aluminum alloy which satisfies the above requirements and also provides a disc substrate which has a surface roughness Ra.ltoreq.0.5 nm and is free from abrasive flaws with a depth of 5 nm or more and from micro-waviness or provides a disc substrate which has a surface roughness Ra.ltoreq.5 angstroms and a surface roughness Rmax.ltoreq.80 angstroms and in which the number of scratches with a depth of 50 angstroms or more is 5 or less and the number of pits with a depth of 50 angstroms or less is 5 or less in the surface.

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Oyama, Japan

Kurata Awaya