Abstract: A method of manufacturing an information recording medium includes an applied layer forming process that applies a fluid material onto a concave/convex pattern formation surface of a substrate where a concave/convex pattern is formed to form an applied layer and a smoothing process that smoothes the surface of the substrate by rubbing a smoothing member against the applied layer.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing magnetic recording media is provided, by which a magnetic recording medium that has a recording layer formed in a concavo-convex pattern, a sufficiently flat surface, and good recording/reproducing properties can be manufactured. The method includes the steps of: depositing a first filling material over a workpiece to cover recording elements formed as convex portions of the concavo-convex pattern, and to fill at least part of a concave portion; depositing a detection material over the first filling material; depositing a second filling material over the detection material; and irradiating a surface of the workpiece with a process gas to flatten the surface. In the flattening step, a component of the detection material removed from and flying off the workpiece is detected to stop the irradiation with the process gas based on a result of detecting the component of the detection material.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a magnetic recording medium for efficiently and certainly manufacturing a magnetic recording medium. The magnetic recording medium has a recording layer formed to have predetermined concavo-convex pattern and an adequately flat surface. According to this method, a non-magnetic material is deposited on and filled into a member to be processed 10 by adjusting sputtering conditions in such a manner as to satisfy the following Eq I: 0.1?V/V0?0.003×(L·d/t)+1.2 Eq I where V represents a deposition rate which is the film thickness per unit of time, V0 represent a deposition rate in a case that the bias power is zero, t represents the film thickness of the deposited non-magnetic material, L represents the width of a recording element, and d represents the depth of a recessed portion between the recording elements.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a magnetic recording medium is provided, which can efficiently manufacture a magnetic recording medium that includes a recording layer formed in a concavo-convex pattern, has a sufficiently flat surface, and provides good recording and reproduction precision. The method includes: a non-magnetic material filling step of depositing a non-magnetic material over a recording layer formed in a predetermined concavo-convex pattern over a substrate, thereby filling a concave portion of the concavo-convex pattern with the non-magnetic material; and a flattening step of removing the excess part of the non-magnetic material above the recording layer by ion beam etching to flatten the surfaces of the non-magnetic layer and the recording layer.

Abstract: A lens barrel includes a lens moving frame configured to hold an image pickup lens; a barrel member configured to support the lens moving frame for back and forth linear movement along the direction of an optical axis of the image pickup lens; the lens moving frame having a magnetized face magnetized alternately with N poles and S poles along the direction of the back and forth linear movement; and a magnetic resistance sensor apparatus. The magnetic resistance sensor apparatus has a magnetic resistance sensor, a body, a single screw, and a plurality of resilient pieces. The resilient pieces is formed such that, in a state wherein the resilient pieces are resiliently deformed all by the same amount, the sum of moments by the resilient pieces which act upon the location of the body at which the screw is fitted is zero.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a magnetic recording medium that has a sufficiently flat surface and includes a recording layer having a concavo-convex pattern that provides favorable accuracy of recording and reproduction. The manufacturing method includes the steps of: forming a lower non-magnetic film over a recording layer having a concavo-convex pattern; and forming an upper non-magnetic film on the lower non-magnetic film to fill concave portions 34 of the concavo-convex pattern. A bias power is applied to an object to be processed at least in the step of forming the upper non-magnetic film, and no bias power or a smaller bias power than the bias power applied in the step of forming the upper non-magnetic film is applied in the formation of the lower non-magnetic film.

Abstract: There is provided a stamper on which stamper-side concave/convex patterns are formed and which is capable of manufacturing an information recording medium on which at least servo patterns are formed by concave/convex patterns. First convex parts that are continuously formed along a direction corresponding to a radial direction of the information recording medium are formed in the stamper-side concave/convex patterns.

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 first mask layer, dividing the continuous recording layer to form divided recording elements, and then removing the first 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 before removing the first mask layer.

Abstract: There is provided a method of manufacturing a magnetic recording medium with improved manufacturing efficiency. A discrete track magnetic recording medium is manufactured as follows. A resist layer 58a is formed on a preform M in the form of a flat plate where a recording layer 55 is formed on a glass substrate 51 and a preform center of the preform M is specified. The stamper S is placed on the preform M with the specified preform center and the stamper center specified based on a stamper center specifying mark Sm formed on the stamper S aligned when viewed from the thickness direction of the preform M to transfer a concave/convex pattern of the stamper S to the resist layer 58a. The resist layer 58a to which the concave/convex pattern has been transferred is used to form concave parts in the recording layer 55 of the preform M.

Abstract: A stamper has stamper-side concave/convex patterns formed thereupon and is capable of manufacturing an information recording medium on which data track patterns and servo patterns are formed by concave/convex patterns. A plurality of types of convex parts with different heights from a reference plane, which is set between a front surface and a rear surface of the stamper, to protruding ends of the convex parts are formed in the stamper-side concave/convex patterns. Second convex parts, at least one part of which has the height that is higher than the height of a highest first convex part out of the convex parts formed in regions corresponding to the data track patterns, are formed in regions corresponding to the servo patterns.

Abstract: A production apparatus, which enable the efficient production of a discrete type magnetic recording medium, while reliably preventing any deterioration of the partitioned recording elements.

Abstract: An imprinting apparatus according to the present invention is configured to be capable of removing a stamper having one surface thereof formed with a concave/convex portion and having flexibility, from a resist layer to which shapes of the concave/convex portion of the stamper have been transferred by pressing the concave/convex portion of the stamper against the resist layer on a disk-shaped substrate. The imprinting apparatus comprises a suction device (a suction section, an air pump, and a restrictor) configured to be capable of sucking a predetermined part of the other surface of the stamper to thereby remove the predetermined part from the resist layer such that a removal completion range of the stamper can be gradually expanded from a state where the predetermined part is removed from the resist layer by the suction device.

Abstract: A magnetic recording medium which is prevented from deterioration of the partitioned recording elements is provided. A magnetic recording medium has partitioned recording elements, a non-magnetic body filled in grooves between the partitioned recording elements, and a barrier film formed between the partitioned recording elements and the non-magnetic body.

Abstract: A low cost magnetic recording medium having low surface roughness and a method for manufacturing the magnetic recording medium are provided. A soft magnetic layer 16 has a laminate structure including a first soft magnetic layer 26 on the substrate 12 side and a second soft magnetic layer 28 on the recording layer 20 side. The second soft magnetic layer 28 is formed such that the surface roughness of the surface 28A on the recording layer 20 side of the second soft magnetic layer 28 is less than the surface roughness of the base surface 12A of the substrate 12 and is less than the surface roughness of the surface 26A on the recording layer 20 side of the first soft magnetic layer 26.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a magnetic recording medium, which enables efficient and ensured manufacture of a magnetic recording medium having a recording layer formed in a concavo-convex pattern and a satisfactorily flat surface, and a magnetic recording medium are provided. According to the method for manufacturing a magnetic recording medium, a material whose state is selectable between a flowing state and a cured state is used as a non-magnetic material 36. After the non-magnetic material 36 is formed in a flowing state on a surface of an object to be processed 10 including a recording layer 32 formed in a concavo-convex pattern over a glass substrate 12, then the non-magnetic material 36 is cured.

Abstract: A pattern drawing method capable of drawing a pattern such that opposite ends of a formation region on an inner periphery side and an outer periphery side are substantially linearly formed. A drawing beam is intermittently irradiated N times onto a generally belt-shaped exposure area extending in a direction of rotation of the substrate from one end to the other end of the belt-shaped exposure area in the direction of rotation of the substrate, the belt-shaped exposure area being defined within a formation region, in which one of the convex or concave portions is to be formed, to thereby irradiate the drawing beam onto N generally belt-shaped irradiation areas extending in the direction of rotation of the substrate.

Abstract: A production method and a production apparatus for a magnetic recording medium, which enable the efficient production of a discrete type magnetic recording medium, while reliably preventing any deterioration of the partitioned recording elements.

Abstract: A magnetic recording medium and a method of manufacturing the same which serve for stable head behavior and efficient recording of servo information. In each servo area, a magnetic layer is separated into a plurality of servo pattern unit parts for forming a predetermined servo pattern and a plurality of servo pattern gap filling parts patterned to fill gaps between the plurality of servo pattern unit parts partly. The servo pattern unit parts and the servo pattern gap filling parts are formed in different sizes so as to have different magnetic properties.

Abstract: Liquid nitrogen is filled in a low temperature vessel; an ejector that sucks liquid nitrogen by blowing a cooling agent (liquid or gas) such as low temperature helium gas or liquid helium of pressure higher than in the space within the vessel is disposed in the vessel; the liquid nitrogen blown with the cooling agent is cooled by the cooling agent to become fine particles of solid nitrogen which fall down; and gas in a space of the vessel is discharged out of the vessel so as to maintain the pressure of the space higher than the atmospheric pressure. A gaseous phase of liquid nitrogen in an adiabatic vessel is depressurized to vaporize nitrogen in a liquid phase so that the temperature of the nitrogen reaches the triple point of nitrogen by lowering the temperature to thereby produce solid nitrogen by keeping the temperature at the triple point, and that the produced solid nitrogen is transformed into slush by stirring the content of the adiabatic vessel.

Abstract: Liquid nitrogen is filled in a low temperature vessel; an ejector that sucks liquid nitrogen by blowing a cooling agent (liquid or gas) such as low temperature helium gas or liquid helium of pressure higher than in the space within the vessel is disposed in the vessel; the liquid nitrogen blown with the cooling agent is cooled by the cooling agent to become fine particles of solid nitrogen which fall down; and gas in a space of the vessel is discharged out of the vessel so as to maintain the pressure of the space higher than the atmospheric pressure. A gaseous phase of liquid nitrogen in an adiabatic vessel is depressurized to vaporize nitrogen in a liquid phase so that a temperature of the nitrogen is reached to the triple point of nitrogen by lowering temperature thereby and solid nitrogen is produced by keeping at the triple point, and that the produced solid nitrogen is transformed into slush by stirring the content of the adiabatic vessel.