Seagate Technology Incorporated

Chevron Research Company

Airco, Inc.

Daidosanso K. K.

Paul Stephen McLeod

Michael Joseph Stirniman

Lewis M Fraas

Mark Anthony Shows

John A Cape

Charles Frederick Brucker

Larry D Partain

Chung-Yuang Shih

Shanghsien Alex Rou

Jeffrey Shane Reiter

Kuo-Hsing Hwang

Kueir-Weei Chour

Chang Bok Yi

Jie-Ming Yu

Alexander Boris Khazanov

Rajiv Yadav Ranjan

Charles Chengyea Leu

Jing Gui

Qixu David Chen

Larry D Hartsough

Thomas Larson Greenberg

Taesun Ernest Kim

Tatsuru Tanaka

Yuh-Jen Cheng

Kazumi N Tsujimoto

Chun Wai Joseph Tong

John C Bruno

Hongling Liu

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

An ion source is provided. The ion source comprises a first cylindrical anode and a second cylindrical anode. The first cylindrical anode is concentric with the second cylindrical anode. The ion source further comprises an electron source positioned within the first cylindrical anode or the second cylindrical anode.

Multiple anode ion source

A method comprising introducing a workpiece support into a chamber of an apparatus. The workpiece support is for supporting thereon a plurality of workpieces. The apparatus comprising: the chamber having an interior space configured to be maintained at a pressure below atmospheric pressure; a vapor source for supplying the interior space of the chamber with a linearly extending stream of lubricant vapor; the workpiece support for supporting thereon a plurality of workpieces with surfaces facing the vapor source; and a conveyor for continuously moving the workpiece support transversely past the linearly extending stream of lubricant vapor from the vapor source. The method also comprising continuously moving the workpiece support with the plurality of workpieces supported thereon transversely past the linearly extending stream of lubricant vapor from the vapor source and depositing a uniform thickness film of the lubricant on at least one surface of each of the plurality of workpieces.

Disc vapor lubrication

Apparatus and method for vapor deposition of a uniform thickness thin film of lubricant on at least one surface of a disk-shaped substrate. The invention has particular utility in depositing thin films of polymeric lubricants onto disc-shaped substrates in the manufacture of magnetic and MO recording media.

Single disc vapor lubrication

A cylindrical magnetron sputtering apparatus includes a rotating cylindrical sputtering target, a non-rotating magnet structure within the cylindrical sputtering target and at least one non-rotating trim magnet adjacent an end of the magnet structure. The trim magnets are manipulated during operation of the apparatus to alter a magnetic field produced by the magnet structure within the cylindrical sputtering cathode. As a result the shape of a racetrack discharge plasma formed at an end of the sputtering target is altered such that the formation of an erosion groove is avoided.

Trim magnets to adjust erosion rate of cylindrical sputter targets

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

Methods and apparatus are provided for static-biasing a pre-metalized non-conductive substrate within a process chamber. A substrate holder that holds a pre-metalized non-conductive substrate is engaged by a lift mechanism that provides movement of the substrate in a first, upward direction to a contact position within the process chamber and in a second direction to a non-contact position. When the substrate holder is moved to the contact position, the substrate electrically engages a conductive spring-loaded compliance mechanism that is mounted in a fixed position within the process chamber. The spring-loaded compliance mechanism is connected to a bias-voltage feed-through for the process chamber that applies a bias voltage to the substrate via the spring-loaded compliance mechanism.

Biasing a pre-metalized non-conductive substrate

An apparatus for reorienting the magnetic anisotropy of the soft underlay of a magnetic recording disc having a diameter less than that of the pallet, which operates by first heating the disc, then using a heat transfer plate to cool the disc in the presence of a magnetic field having a radial direction emanating from the center of the magnetic recording disc.

Apparatus for orienting soft-underlayer deposition

The invention relates an ion source for ion beam deposition comprising multiple anodes, wherein the ion source deposits multiple zones of a source material and thicknesses of at least two of the multiple zones are different.

Two-zone ion beam carbon deposition

An apparatus for performing simultaneous pass-by vapor deposition of a uniform thickness thin film of a lubricant on at least one surface of each of a plurality of substrates. The apparatus includes a (a) chamber member having an interior space adapted to be maintained at a reduced pressure below atmospheric pressure; (b) at least one linearly extending vapor source member for supplying the interior space of the chamber with at least one linearly extending stream of lubricant vapor; (c) a substrate/workpiece mounting/supporting member adapted for supporting thereon a plurality of substrates/workpieces; and (d) a transporter/conveyor member for continuously moving the substrate/workpiece mounting/supporting member transversely past the at least one linearly extending stream of lubricant vapor for depositing a uniform thickness thin film of lubricant on the surfaces of each of a plurality of substrates/workpieces carried by the substrate/workpiece mounting/supporting member.

In-line, pass-by system and method for disc vapor lubrication

A system and method for sputtering having a substrate holder, the target-cathode and the shield that are all electrically isolated from each other and are all capable of independently being subjected to different voltages. The substrate holder can be a pallet that holds a plurality of substrates. The system further includes a plurality of target-cathodes and shields disposed along the path of travel of the moving substrate holder, and a controller configured to selectively vary the target-cathode voltage, the shield voltage, and the pallet bias voltage while the pallet moves along the path of travel. The target-cathodes and shields are spaced apart along the path of travel by a distance less than a length of the pallet and on both sides of the path of travel. The controller can include a timing circuit for synchronizing changes in the target-cathode voltages with changes in the pallet bias voltage and shield voltage.

Cathode apparatus to selectively bias pallet during sputtering

A method of forming a thin film on a substrate/workpiece by sputtering, comprising steps of:

Gas injection for uniform composition reactively sputter-deposited thin films

A system and method for sputtering using a plurality of different bias voltages, a plurality of target-cathodes that can be powered at different voltages disposed along said path of travel, and a controller configured to selectively vary the target-cathode voltage and the pallet bias voltage while the pallet moves along the path of travel. The target-cathodes are spaced apart along the path of travel by a distance less than a length of the pallet and on both sides of the path of travel. The controller can include a timing circuit for synchronizing changes in the target-cathode voltages with changes in the pallet bias voltage.

Timing apparatus and method to selectively bias during sputtering

An apparatus for performing treatments to the surface of disk-shaped workpieces/substrates, as in the manufacture of multi-layer, thin-film recording media. The apparatus includes treatment stations for performing treatments to a surface of each of the disk-shaped workpieces/substrates; a pallet adapted for mounting the disk-shaped workpieces/substrates, a plurality of bias potential sources; and a transporting source to transport the pallet past the treatment stations. The pallet includes electrically conductive segments and each segment is electrically insulated from other segments; is adapted to mount and expose at lest one surface of a disk-shaped workpiece; and includes an electrical contact for providing electrical contact with the bias potential source of the apparatus.

Growing community of inventors

Berkeley, CA, United States of America

Paul Stephen McLeod