Seagate Technology Incorporated

Roger Rostron Wills

Connie C Liu

Linda Lijun Zhong

Jeff Duane St John

Shawn A Mawla

Jeff A Railton

Surface processing of metal, such as CMP, is enhanced and defects reduced by pretreatment to remove a surface layer exhibiting properties different from the bulk metal, such as a baked on oxide layer. Embodiments of the present invention include acid soaking a non-magnetic substrate having an Al, Ni or Ni&mdash;P surface with a baked oxide film thereon, thereby removing the oxide film and rendering the reduced surface amenable to CMP with reduced defects, reduced surface roughness and increased production throughput.

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Corona, CA, United States of America

Roger Rostron Wills