US20070231473A1 - Method for manufacturing magnetic recording medium and magnetic recording medium - Google Patents

Method for manufacturing magnetic recording medium and magnetic recording medium Download PDF

Info

Publication number
US20070231473A1
US20070231473A1 US11/785,532 US78553207A US2007231473A1 US 20070231473 A1 US20070231473 A1 US 20070231473A1 US 78553207 A US78553207 A US 78553207A US 2007231473 A1 US2007231473 A1 US 2007231473A1
Authority
US
United States
Prior art keywords
layer
divided
magnetic material
mask layer
recording
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Abandoned
Application number
US11/785,532
Inventor
Takahiro Suwa
Mitsuru Takai
Kazuhiro Hattori
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
TDK Corp
Original Assignee
TDK Corp
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by TDK Corp filed Critical TDK Corp
Priority to US11/785,532 priority Critical patent/US20070231473A1/en
Publication of US20070231473A1 publication Critical patent/US20070231473A1/en
Abandoned legal-status Critical Current

Links

Images

Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G11—INFORMATION STORAGE
    • G11B—INFORMATION STORAGE BASED ON RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN RECORD CARRIER AND TRANSDUCER
    • G11B5/00—Recording by magnetisation or demagnetisation of a record carrier; Reproducing by magnetic means; Record carriers therefor
    • G11B5/84—Processes or apparatus specially adapted for manufacturing record carriers
    • G11B5/855—Coating only part of a support with a magnetic layer
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G11—INFORMATION STORAGE
    • G11B—INFORMATION STORAGE BASED ON RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN RECORD CARRIER AND TRANSDUCER
    • G11B5/00—Recording by magnetisation or demagnetisation of a record carrier; Reproducing by magnetic means; Record carriers therefor
    • G11B5/84—Processes or apparatus specially adapted for manufacturing record carriers
    • G11B5/8408—Processes or apparatus specially adapted for manufacturing record carriers protecting the magnetic layer

Abstract

A magnetic recording medium and a method for manufacturing the same are provided, which provide high surface recording density and high recording/reading performance. The magnetic recording medium is manufactured by forming an intermediate protective layer between a continuous recording layer and a mask layer, dividing the continuous recording layer to form divided recording elements and removing the mask layer while leaving the intermediate protective layer on the top of the divided recording elements. Further, gaps between the divided recording elements are filled with a non-magnetic material while leaving the intermediate protective layer on the top of the divided recording elements.

Description

  • This is a Continuation of application Ser. No. 10/805,434 filed Mar. 22, 2004. The entire disclosure of the prior application is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
    • BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
  • 1. Field of the Invention
  • The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a magnetic recording medium and to a magnetic recording medium.
  • 2. Description of the Related Arts
  • In the field of magnetic recording media such as hard discs, the surface recording density has been increased remarkably by various technical improvements, for example, by making magnetic particles, which constitute the recording layer, finer, changing materials to more effective ones, sophisticating the head processing, and so on, and further improvement of the surface recording density is still expected.
  • However, the improvement of the surface recording density by such conventional methods as making magnetic particles finer has already reached the limit. A discrete type magnetic recording medium is now proposed as a novel magnetic recording medium expected to be capable of further improving the surface recording density. The discrete type magnetic recording medium is produced by dividing a continuous recording layer into a number of divided recording elements, and filling the gaps between these divided recording elements with a non-magnetic material (see Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Hei 9-97419, for example).
  • An example of processing techniques capable of achieving minute division of a continuous recording layer is a dry etching process, such as a reactive ion etching process in which CO (carbon monoxide) gas with a nitrogen based compound gas such as NH3 (ammonia) gas added is used as the reactive gas (see Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. H 12-322710, for example). More specifically, a mask layer is formed in a predetermined pattern on the surface of a continuous recording layer, removing the part of the continuous recording layer exposed from the mask layer by the aforementioned dry etching process using CO gas and so on as a reactive gas, and thereby dividing the continuous recording layer into a number of divided recording elements.
  • The mask layer left on the divided recording elements can be removed by a reactive ion etching process or the like using a chemically active gas as a reactive gas. The chemically active gas may be a gas commonly used in the field of semiconductor manufacturing, for example, fluorine-based gas such as SF6 (sulfur hexafluoride), CF4 (carbon tetrafluoride), NF3 (nitrogen trifluoride), or CHF3 (fluoroform), and chlorine-based gas such as Cl2 (chlorine), BCl3 (boron trichloride), or CHCl3 (chloroform).
  • In order to achieve stable flying of head, it is preferable to process and flatten the surfaces of a non-magnetic material and divided recording elements so that the surface roughness is limited to a certain degree. Processing techniques used in the field of semiconductor manufacturing, such as wet-process CMP (Chemical Mechanical Polishing) may be used for such flattening processing.
  • However, when the mask layer is removed from the divided recording elements using a reactive gas with strong chemical activity such as SF6 or CF4, a region around the top face and side face of the divided recording elements is apt to be subjected to deterioration such as oxidation, corrosion, or the like.
  • Also when a CMP process or the like is used for processing the surface of the divided recording elements and non-magnetic material, regions around the top face and side face of the divided recording elements are apt to be chemically and physically influenced by slurry or the like, and are often subjected to deterioration such as corrosion.
  • Further, such deterioration of the divided recording elements may occur with time after the processing.
  • Such deterioration of the divided recording elements may deteriorate the magnetic properties and hence decrease the recording/reading performance of the magnetic recording medium.
  • In other words, since magnetic recording media have peculiar problems such as their magnetic material being prone to oxidize and so on, it has been difficult to manufacture a discrete type magnetic recording media affording high recording/reading performance while reliably preventing the deterioration of divided recording elements, by directly applying a conventional processing method, that might be very effective in the field of semiconductor manufacturing.
    • SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
  • In view of the foregoing problems, various exemplary embodiments of this invention provide a method for manufacturing a magnetic recording medium having high surface recording density and high recording/reading performance, and provide such magnetic recording medium.
  • Various exemplary embodiments of the invention achieve the object by forming an intermediate protective layer between a continuous recording layer and a mask layer, dividing the continuous recording layer into divided recoding elements and removing the mask layer such that the intermediate protective layer is left on the divided recording elements.
  • Moreover, various exemplary embodiments of the invention achieve the object by filling the gaps between the divided recording elements with a non-magnetic material such that the intermediate protective layer is left on the divided recording elements.
  • The divided recording elements are thus prevented from deterioration.
  • Accordingly, various exemplary embodiments of the invention provide
  • a method for manufacturing a magnetic recording medium comprising:
  • a mask layer processing step of partially removing a mask layer of an intermediate product in a predetermined pattern, the intermediate product including a substrate, a continuous recording layer formed over the substrate, an intermediate protective layer formed over the continuous recording layer and the mask layer formed over the intermediate protective layer;
  • a continuous recording layer processing step of removing a part of the continuous recording layer exposed from the mask layer to divide the continuous recording layer into a number of divided recording elements in the predetermined pattern and removing the mask layer over the intermediate protective layer while leaving the intermediate protective layer on the top of each of the divided recording elements; and
  • a non-magnetic material filling step of filling gaps between the divided recording elements with a non-magnetic material,
  • the continuous recording layer processing step and the non-magnetic material filling step being performed in this order.
  • Moreover, various exemplary embodiments of the invention provide
  • a method for manufacturing a magnetic recording medium comprising:
  • a mask layer processing step of partially removing a mask layer of an intermediate product in a predetermined pattern, the intermediate product including a substrate, a continuous recording layer formed over the substrate, an intermediate protective layer formed over the continuous recording layer and the mask layer formed over the intermediate protective layer;
  • a continuous recording layer processing step of removing a part of the continuous recording layer exposed from the mask layer to divide the continuous recording layer into a number of divided recording elements in the predetermined pattern; and
  • a non-magnetic material filling step of filling gaps between the divided recording elements with a non-magnetic material while leaving the intermediate protective layer on the top of each of the divided recording elements,
  • the continuous recording layer processing step and the non-magnetic material filling step being performed in this order.
  • In the present specification, the term “diamond-like carbon” (to be abbreviated as “DLC”) shall be used to mean a material that is principally composed of carbon, has an amorphous structure, and exhibits a hardness of about 200 to 8000 (kgf/mm2) measured by a Vickers hardness test.
  • Also, in the present specification, the term “incident angle” of ions as used in relation to a dry etching process using plasma shall mean an incident angle formed with respect to the surface of a magnetic recording medium, that is an angle formed between the surface of the recording medium and the central axis of an incident ion beam. For example, if the central axis of an ion beam is parallel to the surface of the recording medium, the incident angle is zero degrees.
  • Further, in the present specification, a step formed between a non-magnetic material and divided recording elements shall be expressed by a positive value if the surface of the non-magnetic material is higher (the non-magnetic material projects), while by a negative value if the surface of the non-magnetic material is lower (the non-magnetic material is depressed). For example, a step height of −15 nm means that the surface of the non-magnetic material is lower, in other words closer to the substrate, than the recording surface of the divided recording elements by 15 nm.
    • BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
  • FIG. 1 is a side sectional view schematically showing a structure of a magnetic recording medium according to an embodiment of the present invention;
  • FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing the steps for manufacturing the recording magnetic medium according to the embodiment of the present invention;
  • FIG. 3 is a side sectional view schematically showing a structure of an intermediate product for the magnetic recording medium;
  • FIG. 4 is a side sectional view schematically showing the shape of the intermediate product in which a second mask layer has been divided;
  • FIG. 5 is a side sectional view schematically showing the shape of the intermediate product in which a first mask layer and intermediate protective layer have been divided;
  • FIG. 6 is a side sectional view schematically showing the shape of the intermediate product in which a continuous recording layer has been divided;
  • FIG. 7 is a side sectional view schematically showing the shape of the intermediate product in which gaps have been filled with a non-magnetic material;
  • FIG. 8 is a side sectional view schematically showing the shape of the intermediate product the surface of which has been flattened;
  • FIG. 9 is an optical microscopic photograph showing an enlargement of the surface of the magnetic recording medium according to an example of the embodiment of the present invention;
  • FIG. 10 is an atomic force microscopic photograph showing a further enlargement of the surface of the magnetic recording medium of FIG. 9;
  • FIG. 11 is a graph showing the electromagnetic conversion property of the magnetic recording medium according to the example of the embodiment of the present invention;
  • FIG. 12 is an optical microscopic photograph showing an enlargement of the surface of a comparative example;
  • FIG. 13 is an atomic force microscopic photograph showing a further enlargement of the surface of the comparative example; and
  • FIG. 14 is a graph showing the electromagnetic conversion property of the comparative example.
    • DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
  • Now, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in a detailed manner with reference to the attached drawings.
  • FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing schematically a structure of a magnetic recording medium according to an embodiment of the present invention.
  • A magnetic recording medium 10 is of a discrete, vertical recording type, and comprises a substrate 12, on which an underlayer 14, a soft magnetic layer 16, an seed layer 18, a divided recording layer 22 that includes a number of minute divided recording elements 20, and a protective layer 24 are formed sequentially in this order. Gaps 26 between the divided recording elements 22 are filled with a non-magnetic material 28.
  • The substrate 12 is made of glass, the underlayer 14 is made of Cr (chromium) or a Cr alloy, the soft magnetic layer 16 is made of an Fe (iron) alloy or Co (cobalt) alloy, and the seed layer 18 is made of CoO, MgO, NiO or the like.
  • The divided recording elements 20 constituting the divided recording layer 22 are made of Co alloys including Co (cobalt) CoCrPt (cobalt-chromium-platinum). The top face 20A of each of the divided recording elements 20 is coated with a protective layer 24 and the side face 20B thereof is coated with the non-magnetic material 28.
  • The protective layer 24 is constituted by an intermediate protective layer 24A formed on the top face 20A of the divided recording element 20, and a surface protective layer 24B formed over the intermediate protective layer 24A and the non-magnetic material 28. These intermediate protective layer 24A and surface protective layer 24B are commonly made of DLC and are integrated together.
  • The non-magnetic material 28 is made of SiO2 (silicon dioxide) and is deposited to fill the gap 26 such that the surface 28A is situated higher or lower than the surface 20A of the divided recording element 20 in the thickness direction (namely, the surface 28A is projected or depressed).
  • Now, the operation of the magnetic recording medium 10 will be described below.
  • The magnetic recording medium 10 is of a discrete, vertical recording type in which the divided recording layer 22 including a number of minute divided recording elements 20. Therefore it is difficult to cause a recording or reading error between the recording elements 20, and a high surface recording density can be attained.
  • Further, when the surface 28A of the non-magnetic material 28 is located lower than the surface 20A of the divided recording elements 20 in the thickness direction of the layers, the magnetism between a head (not shown) and the magnetic recording medium 10 is directed to the divided recording elements 20 more selectively by that much, and hence the recording/reading performance can be improved by that much.
  • On the other hand, when the surface 20A of the divided recording elements 20 is located lower than the surface 28A of the non-magnetic material 28 in the thickness direction of the layers, the surface 20A of the divided recording elements 20 will not touch the head (not shown) even if the head touches the surface of the magnetic recording medium 10, and hence an effect of preventing damage to recorded data can be obtained.
  • Additionally, the surface protective layer 24B is further formed over the intermediate protective layer 24A and the non-magnetic material 28, whereby the absolute value of the step height in the surface of the surface protective layer 24B is made smaller than the absolute value of the step height between the divided recording elements 20 and the non-magnetic material 28, and hence it is possible to achieve stable flying of the head (not shown).
  • Further, each of the divided recording elements 20 is coated with the intermediate protective layer 24A at the top face 20A and coated with the non-magnetic material 28 at the side faces 20B, whereby the divided recording elements 20 are separated from the atmosphere or the like, and therefore they are difficult to deteriorate and can keep the magnetic properties stably. As a result, the magnetic recording medium 10 can provide a high reliability.
  • Next, a method for manufacturing the magnetic recording medium 10 will be described.
  • FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing the outline of the steps for manufacturing the magnetic recording medium 10.
  • Firstly, an intermediate product 30 as shown in FIG. 3 is prepared in the manufacturing process. There are formed on a substrate 12, an underlayer 14 to a thickness of 300 to 2000 Å, a soft magnetic layer 16 to a thickness of 500 to 3000 Å, an seed layer 18 to a thickness of 30 to 300 Å, and a continuous recording layer 32 to a thickness of 100 to 300 Å in this order by a sputtering method (S101). Further, an intermediate protective layer 24A is formed to a thickness of 10 to 50 Å by a CVD method (S102). A first mask layer 34 is then formed on the intermediate protective layer 24A to a thickness of 100 to 500 Å by a sputtering method (S103), and further a second mask layer 36 is formed thereon to a thickness of 300 to 3000 Å by a spin coating or dipping method (S104). The structure thus formed is baked to obtain the intermediate product 30.
  • The first mask layer 34 is made of TiN (titanium nitride), and the second mask layer 36 is made of a negative-type resist (NEB22A manufactured by Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd.).
  • A concave part corresponding to the pattern for dividing the divided recording layer 22 is transferred onto the second mask layer 36 of the intermediate product 30 by using transfer means (not shown) by a nanoimprint technique (S105). Further, the entire surface of the second mask layer 36 is uniformly dry etched by means of plasma produced from oxygen or ozone gas, whereby the second mask layer 36 is removed from the bottom of the concave parts as shown in FIG. 4 (S106) and the first mask layer 34 is exposed at the bottom of the concave parts. While some of the second mask layer 36 will be removed by the dry etching from the region other than the concave parts too, the second mask layer 36 is left as high as a step with respect to the bottom of the concave parts.
  • Next, as shown in FIG. 5, the first mask layer 34 is removed from the bottom of the concave parts by the reactive ion etching using CF4 or SF6 gas as a reactive gas (S107). During this process, the intermediate layer 24A is also removed from the bottom of the concave parts, and a small amount of the continuous recording layer 32 is also removed. The second mask layer 36 in the region other than the concave parts is also mostly removed while leaving a small amount.
  • The continuous recording layer 32 is then removed from the bottom of the concave parts by the reactive ion etching using CO gas with added NH3 gas as the reactive gas, so that the continuous recording layer 32 is divided into a number of minute recording elements 20. As a result, the divided recording layer 22 as shown in FIG. 6 is formed (S108). During this process, the seed layer 18 is also removed from the bottom of the concave parts in a small amount. The second mask layer 36 in the region other than the concave parts is completely removed, while the first mask layer 34 in the region other than the concave parts is left in a small amount over each of the divided recording elements 20. Next, as shown in FIG. 7, gaps 26 between the divided recording elements 20 are filled with a non-magnetic material 28 by a sputtering deposition method with bias power to the substrate (S109). In this process, the non-magnetic material 28 is deposited so as to cover completely the divided recording elements 20 and the gaps 26.
  • Then, an excess of the non-magnetic material 28 is removed from over the gaps 26, together with the first mask layer 34 left over the divided recording elements 20, by a CMP method, so that the surface is flattened as shown in FIG. 8 (S110). During this process, since the intermediate protective layer 24A made of DLC serves as a mask, and the non-magnetic material 28 of SiO2 is removed slightly faster than the intermediate protective layer 24A, the surface of the non-magnetic material 28 becomes situated slightly lower than the surface of the divided recording elements 20 in the thickness direction.
  • Additionally, during this process, since the divided recording elements 20 are covered at the top face 20A with the intermediate protective layer 24A and at the side face 20B with the non-magnetic material 28, the divided recording elements 20 are completely separated from slurry or other material used in the CMP method and hence will not be deteriorated by oxidation or corrosion that might be caused by such materials.
  • Next, a surface protective layer 24B is formed over the divided recording elements 20 and the non-magnetic material 28 by a CVD method (S111). The surface protective layer 24B is formed such that the surface thereof becomes smoother compared to the steps between the divided recording elements 20 and the non-magnetic material 28.
  • As a result, the magnetic recording medium 10 as shown in FIG. 1 is obtained.
  • If required, a lubricant layer of PEPE (perfluoropolyether) for example may be applied to a thickness of 10 to 20 Å on the surface of the protective layer 24, by a dipping method.
  • As described in the above, since the intermediate protective layer 24A is formed between the continuous recording layer 32 and the first mask layer 34, the intermediate protective layer 24A separates the top face of the continuous recording layer 32 at all times from the atmosphere, reactive gas or the like, and hence the deterioration in the region around the top face 20A can be prevented effectively. Further, also after the continuous recording layer 32 has been divided, the intermediate protective layer 24A still separates the top face 20A of the divided recording elements 20 from slurry or the like, so that the deterioration in the region around the top face 20A can be prevented reliably.
  • Further, since the first mask layer 34 is removed after the gaps 26 between the divided recording elements 20 are filled with the non-magnetic material 28, the non-magnetic material 28 separates the side face 20B of the divided recording elements 20 from slurry or the like during the removal of the first mask layer 34, and hence the deterioration in the region around the side face 20B can also be prevented.
  • Still further, since the first mask layer 34 is removed by employing the CMP method that is highly efficient in processing, the aforementioned manufacturing process exhibits high production efficiency.
  • In addition, since the step of removing the first mask layer 34 serves also as a step of flattening the surface, the production efficiency of the aforementioned manufacturing process is improved still further.
  • Further, by forming the intermediate protective layer 24A on the top face 20A of the divided recording elements 20, it is made possible to remove the non-magnetic material 28 slightly faster than the intermediate protective layer 24A by utilizing the CMP method and thus to process the non-magnetic material 28 efficiently such that the surface of the non-magnetic material 28 is slightly lower than the surface of the divided recording elements 20 in the thickness direction.
  • It should be noted that, although in the foregoing exemplary embodiment the divided recording layer 22 (and the continuous recording layer 32) is formed of Co alloys including Co and CoCrPt, the present invention is not limited thereto and the divided recording layer 22 (and the continuous recording layer 32) may be formed of other materials such as a laminate of the Co alloys, Fe (iron), an Fe alloy, and a laminate of the Fe alloys.
  • Further, although in the foregoing exemplary embodiment the first mask layer 34 is formed from TiN, the material of the first mask layer 34 is not limited particularly to this and any other material such as Ti (titanium), Ta (tantalum), Mg (magnesium), Al (aluminum), Si (silicon), Ge (germanium), Pb (lead), or an alloy or compound containing such element as the principal component may be used so far as it is difficult to remove by the reactive ion etching using CO gas or the like as the reactive gas.
  • Further, although in the foregoing exemplary embodiment the second mask layer 36 of a negative-type resist is further formed on the first mask layer 34 for patterning the first mask layer 34 into a predetermined pattern by the dry etching, and the first mask layer 34 is processed into the predetermined pattern by the two dry etching steps, the present invention is not limited to this. So far as the first mask layer 34 can be processed into the predetermined pattern, the number or the material of additional mask layer(s) formed on the first mask layer 34 is not limited particularly, and it is also possible to process the first layer 34 into the predetermined pattern for example by three or more dry etching steps.
  • Still further, although in the foregoing exemplary embodiment the reactive ion etching that uses CF4 or SF6 as the reactive gas is employed for processing the first mask layer 34, the present invention is not limited to this, and the type of the reactive gas is not limited particularly so far as it reacts with the material of the first mask layer 34 to accelerate the etching process. For example, other types of fluorine-based gas such as NF3 or CHF3, or chlorine-based gas such as Cl2, BCl3, or CHCl3 may be used. The same is applicable to the mask layer removing processes.
  • In addition, although in the foregoing exemplary embodiment the gaps 26 between the divided recording elements 20 are filled with the non-magnetic material 28 by using the sputtering deposition method with bias power to the substrate, the present invention is not limited to this, and the deposition of the non-magnetic material may be performed by the plasma CVD method with bias power to the substrate.
  • Further, although in the foregoing exemplary embodiment the CMP method is employed for removing the first mask layer 34 and an excess of the non-magnetic material 28 and flattening the surface, the present invention is not limited to this, and the first mask layer 34 and the excessive non-magnetic material 28 may be removed to flattened the surface by employing a drying etching method using plasma, such as ion beam etching, ion milling, or reactive ion etching.
  • Further, although in the foregoing exemplary embodiment the intermediate protective layer 24A serves as a “mask” for removing the non-magnetic material 28 selectively so that the surface of the non-magnetic material 28 is situated lower than the surface of the divided recording elements 20 in the thickness direction, the present invention is not limited to this. It is also possible to process the non-magnetic material by selecting appropriate materials for the first mask layer, non-magnetic material, and slurry such that the non-magnetic material is removed slightly faster than the first mask layer and the first mask layer serves as a mask, and thus removing the non-magnetic material selectively so that the surface of the non-magnetic material is situated lower than the surface of the divided recording elements in the thickness direction.
  • On the other hand, it is also possible to process the non-magnetic material by selecting appropriate materials for the first mask layer, non-magnetic material, and slurry such that the non-magnetic material is removed slightly more slowly than the first mask layer, so that the surface of the non-magnetic material is situated higher than the surface of the divided recording elements in the thickness direction.
  • Further, if sufficiently good magnetic properties can be obtained, the surface of the divided recording element 20 may be formed flush with the surface of the non-magnetic material 28 without any step.
  • Further, although in the foregoing exemplary embodiment the surface protective layer 24B is additionally formed over the intermediate protective layer 24A and the non-magnetic material 28, the present invention is not limited to this. The surface protective layer 24B may be omitted if the step height between the intermediate protective layer 24A and the non-magnetic material 28 is small enough to ensure the stable flying of the head. Also in this case, since the divided recording elements 20 are separated from the atmosphere or the like by the intermediate protective layer 24A and the non-magnetic material 28, the deterioration of the divided recording elements 20 can be prevented effectively.
  • Further, according to the foregoing exemplary embodiment, the intermediate protective layer 24A is formed between the continuous recording layer 32 and the first mask layer 34, the continuous recording layer 32 is divided, and then the gaps 26 between the divided recording elements 20 are filled with the non-magnetic material 28 before removing the first mask layer 34. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it is also possible to remove the first mask layer 34 before filling the gaps 26 between the divided recording elements 20 with the non-magnetic material 28. In this case also, if the intermediate protective layer 24A is formed between the continuous recording layer 32 and the first mask layer 34, the top face 20A of the divided recording elements 20 (and the top face of the continuous recording layer 32) can be separated from the atmosphere, reactive gas, slurry or the like, and hence an effect of preventing the deterioration of the divided recording elements 20 can be expected to a certain extent.
  • On the other hand, in a case where the first mask layer 34 is formed directly on the continuous recording layer 32 while omitting the intermediate protective layer 24A, the side face 20B of the divided recording elements 20 can be separated from the atmosphere, reactive gas, slurry or the like if the first mask layer 34 is removed after the gaps 26 between the divided recording elements 20 are filled with the non-magnetic material 28, and hence an effect of preventing the deterioration of the divided recording elements 20 can be obtained to a certain extent.
  • Further, in the foregoing exemplary embodiment, the magnetic recording medium 10 is a magnetic disc of a discrete, vertical recording type in which the divided recording elements 20 are juxtaposed along the radial direction of the tracks at small intervals. However, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and, naturally, it is also applicable to the manufacture of a magnetic disc in which divided recording elements are juxtaposed in the circumferential direction of tracks (in the direction of sectors) at small intervals, a magnetic disc in which divided recording elements are juxtaposed in both the radial and circumferential directions of tracks at small intervals, and a magnetic disc in which divided recording elements are formed spirally. Additionally, the present invention is also applicable to the manufacture of a magneto-optical disc (MO) or the like, and also of a discrete-type magnetic recording medium with a shape other than a disc, such as magnetic tape or the like.
    • EXAMPLE
  • A magnetic recording medium 10 was produced according to the aforementioned embodiment, and left stand for 48 hours in a high-temperature and high-humidity environment with a temperature of 80° C. and a humidity of 80%.
  • FIG. 9 is an optical microscopic photograph showing an enlargement of the surface of the magnetic recording medium 10 that has been left stand for 48 hours in the high-humidity environment. No defect such as corrosion was found on the surface of the magnetic recording medium 10 either immediately after the production thereof or after 48 hours standing in the high-humidity environment.
  • FIG. 10 is an atomic force microscopic photograph showing a further enlargement of the surface of the magnetic recording medium 10 immediately after the production. Measurements of the surface roughness and maximum recess of the magnetic recording medium 10 found the following results.
  • Surface roughness Ra=0.715 nm
  • Maximum recess=2.82 nm
  • The electromagnetic conversion property of the magnetic recording medium 10 was measured, and it was confirmed that, as shown in FIG. 11, the waveform was stable and the electromagnetic conversion property was favorable.
    • Comparative Example
  • To compare with the aforementioned embodiment, a comparative sample was produced by a method in which a first mask layer 34 was formed directly on a continuous recording layer 32, omitting an intermediate protective layer 24A. The continuous recording layer 32 was divided into divided recording elements 20, and then the first mask layer 34 left on the top of the divided recording elements 20 was removed by the reactive ion etching using SF6 gas as a reactive gas, before filling gaps 26 between the divided recording elements 20 with a non-magnetic material 28. All the other conditions were the same as the foregoing example. The comparative sample thus produced was left stand for 48 hours in a high-humidity environment in a similar manner to the example above.
  • FIG. 12 is an optical microscopic photograph showing an enlargement of the surface of the comparative sample after the 48 hours standing in the high-humidity environment. Although no defect such as corrosion was found on the surface of the comparative material immediately after the production, a large number of corrosions were observed in the areas around the gaps between the divided recording elements of the comparative sample after 48 hours standing in the high-humidity environment.
  • FIG. 13 is an atomic force microscopic photograph showing a further enlargement of the surface of the comparative sample immediately after the production. Measurements of the surface roughness and maximum recess of the comparative sample found the following results.
  • Surface roughness Ra=0.724 nm
  • Maximum recess=2.86 nm
  • The electromagnetic conversion property of the comparative sample was measured. As a result, as shown in FIG. 14, noises were found around the peaks of the waveforms, and it was confirmed that the electromagnetic conversion property was not favorable.
  • In conclusion, it was confirmed that, in the example, the corrosion of the divided recording elements was prevented effectively. It was also confirmed that the electromagnetic conversion property was more favorable in comparison with the comparative example. Further, there was no significant difference in surface roughness or maximum recess between the example and comparative example.
  • As described in the above, according to various exemplary embodiments of the invention, the following excellent effects can be obtained. That is, it is made possible to manufacture a magnetic recording medium, in a reliable manner, that is capable of preventing its divided recording elements from deterioration assuredly, and affords a high surface recording density and high recording/reading performance.

Claims (2)

1. A method for manufacturing a magnetic recording medium comprising:
a mask layer processing step of partially removing a mask layer of an intermediate product in a predetermined pattern, the intermediate product including a substrate, a continuous recording layer formed over the substrate, an intermediate protective layer formed over the continuous recording layer and the mask layer formed over the intermediate protective layer;
a continuous recording layer processing step of removing a part of the continuous recording layer exposed from the mask layer to divide the continuous recording layer into a number of divided recording elements in the predetermined pattern and removing the mask layer over the intermediate protective layer while leaving the intermediate protective layer on the top of each of the divided recording elements; and
a non-magnetic material filling step of filling gaps between the divided recording elements with a non-magnetic material,
the continuous recording layer processing step and the non-magnetic material filling step being performed in this order.
2. A method for manufacturing a magnetic recording medium comprising:
a mask layer processing step of partially removing a mask layer of an intermediate product in a predetermined pattern, the intermediate product including a substrate, a continuous recording layer formed over the substrate, an intermediate protective layer formed over the continuous recording layer and the mask layer formed over the intermediate protective layer;
a continuous recording layer processing step of removing a part of the continuous recording layer exposed from the mask layer to divide the continuous recording layer into a number of divided recording elements in the predetermined pattern; and
a non-magnetic material filling step of filling gaps between the divided recording elements with a non-magnetic material while leaving the intermediate protective layer on the top of each of the divided recording elements,
the continuous recording layer processing step and the non-magnetic material filling step being performed in this order.
US11/785,532 2003-03-26 2007-04-18 Method for manufacturing magnetic recording medium and magnetic recording medium Abandoned US20070231473A1 (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US11/785,532 US20070231473A1 (en) 2003-03-26 2007-04-18 Method for manufacturing magnetic recording medium and magnetic recording medium

Applications Claiming Priority (4)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
JP2003086019A JP4076889B2 (en) 2003-03-26 2003-03-26 Method for manufacturing magnetic recording medium
JP2003-086019 2003-03-26
US10/805,434 US7223439B2 (en) 2003-03-26 2004-03-22 Method for manufacturing magnetic recording medium and magnetic recording medium
US11/785,532 US20070231473A1 (en) 2003-03-26 2007-04-18 Method for manufacturing magnetic recording medium and magnetic recording medium

Related Parent Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US10/805,434 Continuation US7223439B2 (en) 2003-03-26 2004-03-22 Method for manufacturing magnetic recording medium and magnetic recording medium

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US20070231473A1 true US20070231473A1 (en) 2007-10-04

Family

ID=32985124

Family Applications (2)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US10/805,434 Expired - Fee Related US7223439B2 (en) 2003-03-26 2004-03-22 Method for manufacturing magnetic recording medium and magnetic recording medium
US11/785,532 Abandoned US20070231473A1 (en) 2003-03-26 2007-04-18 Method for manufacturing magnetic recording medium and magnetic recording medium

Family Applications Before (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US10/805,434 Expired - Fee Related US7223439B2 (en) 2003-03-26 2004-03-22 Method for manufacturing magnetic recording medium and magnetic recording medium

Country Status (4)

Country Link
US (2) US7223439B2 (en)
JP (1) JP4076889B2 (en)
CN (1) CN1314005C (en)
SG (2) SG138448A1 (en)

Cited By (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20090012634A1 (en) * 2006-01-20 2009-01-08 Logicdata Electronic & Software Entwicklungs Gmbh Electrically adjustable furniture piece and method for servicing an adjustable furniture piece
US20090184091A1 (en) * 2008-01-22 2009-07-23 Yi Zheng Diamond-like carbon (dlc) hardmask and methods of fabrication using same
US20100047519A1 (en) * 2007-01-22 2010-02-25 Chee-Leong Lee Plasma etching of diamond surfaces
US20110024388A1 (en) * 2009-07-28 2011-02-03 Tdk Corporation Method for manufacturing magnetic recording medium
US8623468B2 (en) * 2012-01-05 2014-01-07 Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd. Methods of fabricating metal hard masks

Families Citing this family (28)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US7230795B2 (en) * 2003-03-27 2007-06-12 Tdk Corporation Recording medium having reduced surface roughness
JP4223348B2 (en) * 2003-07-31 2009-02-12 Ｔｄｋ株式会社 Magnetic recording medium manufacturing method and manufacturing apparatus
JP3816911B2 (en) * 2003-09-30 2006-08-30 株式会社東芝 Magnetic recording medium
JP2006012285A (en) * 2004-06-25 2006-01-12 Tdk Corp Magnetic recording medium and method of manufacturing magnetic recording medium
JP2006012332A (en) * 2004-06-28 2006-01-12 Tdk Corp Dry etching method, method of manufacturing magnetic recording medium, and magnetic recording medium
JP4649262B2 (en) 2005-04-19 2011-03-09 株式会社東芝 Method for manufacturing magnetic recording medium
JP4008933B2 (en) 2005-05-16 2007-11-14 株式会社東芝 Magnetic recording medium, method for manufacturing the same, and magnetic recording apparatus
JP2006331578A (en) * 2005-05-27 2006-12-07 Toshiba Corp Magnetic recording medium, its manufacturing method, and magnetic recording and reproducing device
JP5266615B2 (en) 2006-01-18 2013-08-21 Ｔｄｋ株式会社 Stamper, uneven pattern forming method, and information recording medium manufacturing method
JP2007200422A (en) * 2006-01-25 2007-08-09 Toshiba Corp Manufacturing method of patterned magnetic recording medium
JP4221415B2 (en) 2006-02-16 2009-02-12 株式会社東芝 Method for manufacturing magnetic recording medium
JP4585476B2 (en) * 2006-03-16 2010-11-24 株式会社東芝 Patterned medium and magnetic recording apparatus
JP4675812B2 (en) 2006-03-30 2011-04-27 株式会社東芝 Magnetic recording medium, magnetic recording apparatus, and method of manufacturing magnetic recording medium
US7341825B2 (en) * 2006-05-25 2008-03-11 Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands B.V. Method for producing high resolution nano-imprinting masters
JP4421582B2 (en) 2006-08-15 2010-02-24 株式会社東芝 Pattern formation method
JP2008282512A (en) * 2007-05-14 2008-11-20 Toshiba Corp Magnetic recording medium and magnetic recording/reproducing device
JP4382843B2 (en) 2007-09-26 2009-12-16 株式会社東芝 Magnetic recording medium and method for manufacturing the same
JP4445538B2 (en) 2007-09-26 2010-04-07 株式会社東芝 Pattern formation method
JP2009116979A (en) * 2007-11-08 2009-05-28 Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands Bv Method for manufacturing magnetic recording medium
JP4381444B2 (en) 2007-11-22 2009-12-09 株式会社東芝 Magnetic recording medium, method for manufacturing magnetic recording medium, and magnetic recording apparatus
JP2009230823A (en) * 2008-03-25 2009-10-08 Tdk Corp Method for manufacturing magnetic recording medium
JP5412196B2 (en) 2009-07-10 2014-02-12 昭和電工株式会社 Magnetic recording medium manufacturing method and magnetic recording / reproducing apparatus
JP5337672B2 (en) * 2009-11-10 2013-11-06 東芝機械株式会社 Memory device and method for manufacturing memory device
JP2011129210A (en) * 2009-12-18 2011-06-30 Showa Denko Kk Method for manufacturing magnetic recording medium, and magnetic recording and playback device
JP5259645B2 (en) 2010-04-14 2013-08-07 株式会社東芝 Magnetic recording medium and method for manufacturing the same
JP5698952B2 (en) * 2010-10-22 2015-04-08 昭和電工株式会社 Magnetic recording medium manufacturing method and magnetic recording / reproducing apparatus
JP5112533B2 (en) * 2011-04-26 2013-01-09 株式会社東芝 Perpendicular magnetic recording medium, manufacturing method thereof, and magnetic recording / reproducing apparatus
JP5112534B2 (en) * 2011-04-26 2013-01-09 株式会社東芝 Magnetic recording medium, manufacturing method thereof, and magnetic recording / reproducing apparatus

Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US6014296A (en) * 1995-07-24 2000-01-11 Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba Magnetic disk, method of manufacturing magnetic disk and magnetic recording apparatus
US20010006744A1 (en) * 1999-12-20 2001-07-05 Akira Saito Magnetic recording medium
US6420058B1 (en) * 1999-02-19 2002-07-16 Tdk Corporation Magnetic recording medium
US20030124854A1 (en) * 2001-12-28 2003-07-03 Parker Randall Scott Method for interconnecting magnetoresistive memory bits
US20060222897A1 (en) * 2005-03-30 2006-10-05 Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba Discrete track media and method of manufacturing the same
US20070000861A1 (en) * 2005-06-28 2007-01-04 Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba Method and apparatus for manufacturing magnetic recording media

Family Cites Families (14)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JPH0748482B2 (en) 1989-10-14 1995-05-24 大日本スクリーン製造株式会社 Method for cleaning substrate surface after removal of oxide film
JP2853211B2 (en) 1989-11-01 1999-02-03 富士通株式会社 Method for manufacturing semiconductor device
US5820770A (en) * 1992-07-21 1998-10-13 Seagate Technology, Inc. Thin film magnetic head including vias formed in alumina layer and process for making the same
JPH08222554A (en) 1994-12-14 1996-08-30 Sony Corp Film deposition and film deposition system using plasma
JP2677321B2 (en) 1995-03-15 1997-11-17 科学技術庁金属材料技術研究所長 Dry etching method
JPH0997419A (en) 1995-07-24 1997-04-08 Toshiba Corp Magnetic disk, production of magnetic disk and magnetic recorder
CN1134010A (en) * 1996-01-18 1996-10-23 华中理工大学 Method of making servo graph and separated magnetic track on film magnetic disk
JP3543573B2 (en) 1997-10-17 2004-07-14 セイコーエプソン株式会社 Electronic component mounting method and chip mounting method
JP3006596B1 (en) 1998-09-09 2000-02-07 日本電気株式会社 Method for manufacturing semiconductor device
JP4257808B2 (en) 1999-05-11 2009-04-22 独立行政法人科学技術振興機構 Magnetic material etching method and plasma etching apparatus
US6564055B1 (en) * 2000-01-21 2003-05-13 Telecommunication Systems, Inc. Intelligent roaming database (IRDB) updating
DE10038732A1 (en) * 2000-08-01 2002-02-14 Mannesmann Ag Method for providing information to the user of a mobile radio terminal
US7433929B2 (en) * 2000-12-29 2008-10-07 At&T Mobility Ii Llc Intelligent network selection based on quality of service and applications over different wireless networks
MY133305A (en) * 2001-08-21 2007-11-30 Kao Corp Polishing composition

Patent Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US6014296A (en) * 1995-07-24 2000-01-11 Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba Magnetic disk, method of manufacturing magnetic disk and magnetic recording apparatus
US6420058B1 (en) * 1999-02-19 2002-07-16 Tdk Corporation Magnetic recording medium
US20010006744A1 (en) * 1999-12-20 2001-07-05 Akira Saito Magnetic recording medium
US20030124854A1 (en) * 2001-12-28 2003-07-03 Parker Randall Scott Method for interconnecting magnetoresistive memory bits
US20060222897A1 (en) * 2005-03-30 2006-10-05 Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba Discrete track media and method of manufacturing the same
US20070000861A1 (en) * 2005-06-28 2007-01-04 Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba Method and apparatus for manufacturing magnetic recording media

Cited By (8)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20090012634A1 (en) * 2006-01-20 2009-01-08 Logicdata Electronic & Software Entwicklungs Gmbh Electrically adjustable furniture piece and method for servicing an adjustable furniture piece
US20100047519A1 (en) * 2007-01-22 2010-02-25 Chee-Leong Lee Plasma etching of diamond surfaces
US9034200B2 (en) * 2007-01-22 2015-05-19 Element Six Limited Technologies Limited Plasma etching of diamond surfaces
US10011491B2 (en) 2007-01-22 2018-07-03 Element Six Technologies Limited Plasma etching of diamond surfaces
US20090184091A1 (en) * 2008-01-22 2009-07-23 Yi Zheng Diamond-like carbon (dlc) hardmask and methods of fabrication using same
US8088295B2 (en) * 2008-01-22 2012-01-03 Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands B.V. Diamond-like carbon (DLC) hardmask and methods of fabrication using same
US20110024388A1 (en) * 2009-07-28 2011-02-03 Tdk Corporation Method for manufacturing magnetic recording medium
US8623468B2 (en) * 2012-01-05 2014-01-07 Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd. Methods of fabricating metal hard masks

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
CN1314005C (en) 2007-05-02
US7223439B2 (en) 2007-05-29
SG138448A1 (en) 2008-01-28
CN1538393A (en) 2004-10-20
SG159491A1 (en) 2010-03-30
JP4076889B2 (en) 2008-04-16
JP2004295989A (en) 2004-10-21
US20040191577A1 (en) 2004-09-30

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
US7223439B2 (en) Method for manufacturing magnetic recording medium and magnetic recording medium
US7482070B2 (en) Magnetic recording medium
US7741229B2 (en) Method for manufacturing magnetic recording medium
EP1600956B1 (en) Production method for magnetic recording medium and production device therefor
JP3686067B2 (en) Method for manufacturing magnetic recording medium
US7378029B2 (en) Method for manufacturing magnetic recording medium
JP3881370B2 (en) Method for filling concave / convex pattern with concave / convex pattern and method for manufacturing magnetic recording medium
US7682711B2 (en) Magnetic recording medium, magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus, and manufacturing method of magnetic recording medium
US7615292B2 (en) Magnetic recording medium
US20080078739A1 (en) Method for manufacturing magnetic recording medium
JP2006012332A (en) Dry etching method, method of manufacturing magnetic recording medium, and magnetic recording medium
JP2006092632A (en) Magnetic recording medium, its manufacturing method, and intermediate body for magnetic recording medium
US7682713B2 (en) Magnetic recording medium with recording layer having a predetermined concavo-convex pattern and magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus
JP4874188B2 (en) Method for manufacturing magnetic recording medium
JP4475147B2 (en) Method for manufacturing magnetic recording medium
JP2005235356A (en) Manufacturing method of magnetic recording medium
JP4226586B2 (en) Magnetic recording medium
JP2006318648A (en) Method for filling recessed section in irregular pattern, and manufacturing method of magnetic recording medium
US7940494B2 (en) Magnetic recording medium, magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus, and method for manufacturing magnetic recording medium
JP2008091031A (en) Method of manufacturing magnetic recording medium

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
STCB Information on status: application discontinuation

Free format text: ABANDONED -- FAILURE TO PAY ISSUE FEE